Rainbow between Las Cruces and Albuquerque
San Felipi de Neri Catholic Church, built 1706, Old Town, Albuquerque
San Felipe
San Felipe
Old Town
Old Town Porch, Albuquerque
Old Town
Old Town Hat Shop
Old Town Gate
Plaza Don Luis, Old Town
Salsa Festival Contestants
Salsa Festival Contestant and Ingredients
Salsa Festival Participant
We arrived in Albuquerque late in the afternoon. Great weather with blue skies and white fluffy clouds. Went directly to Old Town. Spent an hour or so just walking around. Bill took some photos. Bum steer for the second night in a row on restaurants. Both were authentic Mexican, just not good authentic Mexican. In Mesilla all the food was good except for the really tough cubes of pork and chicken. Our first night in ABQ (Albuquerque), we ate at the Church Street Café. The atmosphere was amazing. The restaurant was in an old, very large adobe home occupied by the same family for centuries, up until 1991. The age of the home was authenticated. So, we had great atmosphere and history all around us, but somehow it didn’t make the food taste better!
That’s the only thing bad I can say about Old Town. What an awesome place. As in every Mexican town, everything revolves around the town plaza. The jewel of the square is San Felipe de Neri Church first built in 1706. In 1792 it was destroyed by excessive water, something adobe is particularly sensitive to. Rebuilt in 1793, the church is on the National and State Historic Registries. Bill loved photographing it.
We were lucky enough to land in Old Town for the annual Salsa Festival. The big event was a salsa making contest. There were 39 contestants set up in the square. They made their salsa from 1:30 to 4:30, then the tasting began. We purchased armbands which allowed us to taste from every table. Waited in line about 30 minutes before we got to the first table. What an experience! Most of the salsas were very hot. We liked the sweeter salsas and the ones tasting of fresh tomatoes. Let me tell you, by the time we had tasted at five or six tables, our mouths were on fire! Luckily, they had water for sale and Bill had purchased a couple of bottles. We had so much fun tasting the salsas and talking to the salsa makers. At 7:30 that night they announced the winner. The one we voted for won! It was a mango salsa. Another highlight of the festival was the salsa music. Salsa musicians from all over the world performed at several locations throughout Old Town. We particularly liked a band from South America. Late last night a band from NYC performed.
Old Town has over 150 shops with all manner of things including Indian jewelry and pottery, painting, photography, hats, and, of course, the normal touristy junk from China and Indonesia. The best shopping was the wares of Native Americans and some locals spread out on blankets on the long porch of one side of the plaza. I met Pueblo and Navajo Indians who were selling items they made. They had vendors’ licenses validating that they produced the goods they were selling. I purchased jewelry from a young Navajo man and a Pueblo woman. From an older gentlemen, Robert Rollins, a local, I also purchased a beautiful bracelet of silver and a Sonaran Sunrise stone to match the beautiful stone Bill purchased for me in Las Cruces on his cross country bike trip last spring.
We met a young Pueblo man in his newly opened studio/gallery. He was a biologist turned potter. He spent at least half an hour w/us explaining the process of making Pueblo pottery. It was amazing to learn all that goes into their style of pottery. First they must gather the clay. They primarily use gray clay which they must hike high into the mountains to harvest. They go into caves with very small openings. The caves open up into several rooms from the centuries of excavating by potters. Some of the rooms have poles or rock cairns holding up the roofs. In places the clay seekers have to crawl on their hands and knees. They must then pack the heavy clay out. He said the red clay he uses is much more accessible. Next they form the clay into the article being made, usually some sort of bowl or vase. This is done completely by hand, no wheel, no tools. The item is allowed to dry. Then a smooth stone is rubbed against the entire surface of the piece to further smooth it. Next comes painting the pottery in intricate geometric designs using all natural paint materials, mostly from clay, but some from plants. The last step is firing the piece. Especially with the gray clay, there is much breakage during firing. This artist used red clay which he said breaks less during firing. So, as you can see, a price of $250 for a small pottery bowl is a reasonable price given all that went into making it. This young man won first prize at a competition on a medium sized bowl. He was offered $3500 for it but he declined. Fascinating!
We had complimentary sopapillas for lunch. Delicious! They are a puffed pastry that you split open. They form pockets that can be filled with meat, vegetables, or honey as a dessert. They are eaten by holding them. Of course, I learned this after just pouring honey on top and eating it with a knife and fork. But regardless of how eaten, they are delicious.
I wish everyone could have the opportunity to experience a perfect day like we had today in Old Town, Albuquerque.
Signing off until next time, Bill and Marsha
