December 2023 NM History & Culture Opportunities

The Albuquerque Historical Society
www.albuqhistsoc.org

& the Historical Society of NM
www.hsnm.org

Encourage your participation in the following history & cultural events:

THERE WILL NOT BE A DECEMBER ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM. See you on January 21. Includes Free parking & Free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. albuqhistsoc.org.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW MEXICO. New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912. Visit – NewMexicoHistory.org to view thousands of entries: photos, videos, podcasts, Timelines for the five periods of NM History & More ! The New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez can be reached at 505-476-7911.

MUSIC, CONCERTS, CAREER EXPLORATION, COMPUTER TRAINING, COOKING, & MORE – ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES AT THE BRANCHES OF THE ABC LIBRARY SYSTEM, Go to abqlibrary.org to review listing by location, days and times! Be sure to look for all kinds of free family & children’s activities.

Stories by the Fireside, Saturdays in December, Dec. 2, 9, 16. 5-7 pm. Courtyard of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Admission is a child’s book in good condition. A different pueblo story is told each Saturday along with dancing and refreshments.

Randall Davey Audubon Center and sanctuary, 1800 Upper Canyon Rd. in Santa Fe. Tour the gardens and historic Randall Davey house. Fridays @ 1 pm are docent led house tours, $5. Saturdays @8:30 am are guided bird walk. More info at RandallDavey.audubon.org. Monday – Saturday, 8am-4pm.

Pueblo southwest style Gingerbread houses on display in the lobby of Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Free admission to the lobby. 

DECEMBER 1, 5-9 pm, free. Old Town Stroll, Old Town is closed to traffic at 3 pm. Carolers, dancers, bell ringers, special demos, refreshments at many stores. Tree lighting at 6 pm.

DECEMBER 1, 4 pm, free. Book collector Tim Hagaman speaks about his collection of the Albuquerque Journal newspapers from 1882-1883, a special find in six leather bound volumes. Special Collections Library

DECEMBER 1, 10:30 am, free in-person or virtual. DNA Research Group sponsored by the ABQ Genealogical Society. Main Branch library. Free two hour parking across the street at 5th & Copper NW.

DECEMBER 1, 5:45 pm – 9 pm, free. Annual “Hanging of the Greens” & lighting of 13,000 farolitos around the UNM Campus. Starts at UNM bookstore, goes  around campus then concludes at Hodgin Hall. More info at unmevents.unm.edu.

DECEMBER 1, 5-8 pm, free. Art Crawl – galleries open around ABQ. Opportunity to visit in person with the artists. artscrawlabq.org.

DECEMBER 1-2,  9am-4pm, free. Holiday Craft and Plant Fair with 35 vendors. Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas NE.

DECEMBER 1-3 10am-4pm, free. Winter Crafts show at the Old San Ysidro Chuch in Corrales. 40 new Mexico artists. Sponsored by the Corrales Historical Society.

DECEMBER 1-3, free. Red Rock Balloon Rally in Gallup. More info at RedRockBallonRally.com.

DECEMBER 2, 8 am, free Bosque Wild Guided Hike. Check in at the Open Space Visitor Center. RSVP 768-4950.

DECEMBER 2, 10 am, free. harpist Otilio Ruiz presents a World Christmas Sing-Along with Story Time from Mrs. Santa Claus. Refreshments. Martha Liebert Library, 124 Calle Malinche, Bernalillo, NM.

DECEMBER 2, 2-4 pm, free. Louis Huning Jr speaks on Richard Stoddart Ewell, Captain of a post in Los Lunas in the 1850s Los Lunas Museum of Heritage & Art, 251 Main St. Los Lunas. Sponsored by the Valencia County Historical Society.

DECEMBER 2, 4 pm, “Luminaria de Abo”, 10 miles west of Mountainair; thousands of luminarias. Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Includes a mass and posadas. Contact the Visitor Center for more information, 847-2585 X 220.

DECEMBER 2, 1-2 pm, free. New Mexico women’s chorus sings at Pat Baca / Central Unser Library, 8081 Central NW.

DECEMBER 2, 3-5 pm, free. Movie Matinee at Special Collections Library. comedy City Slickers filmed in NM. PG 13. Library, Central & Edith NE. Watch for parking regulations.

DECEMBER 2, 5:15 pm, Twinkle Light Parade begins at Washington & Central NE. Call 311 for info.

DECEMBER 2/3, 9am-4pm, free. Holiday Arts and Crafts, St. Therese Church Parish Hall, 3424 4th NW.

DECEMBER 2, 2 pm, free. Staff from the Library speak on Las Acequias de Placitas. Placitas Community Library, 453 NM Hy 165, 505-867-3355.

DECEMBER 2, 5-7 pm, free. Welcome Zack Quintero as new Executive Director, National Hispanic Cultural Center. Refreshments.

DECEMBER 2, any time. Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. There is no formal clean up in December but all are welcome to work. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. Wear hard soled shoes & bring your own tools.  www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or  Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present.

DECEMBER 2/3, 12 noon, Cultural dances, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. indianpueblo.org.

DECEMBER 3, free. panel discussion, “News for the People” young journalists from the 1970s in ABQ speak about the state of journalism today. Panelists are Tom Bary, Dede Feldman and Nancy Guinn. Albuquerque Museum.

DECEMBER 3, 3-4 pm, free. ABQ Concert Band performs a holiday concert at the KiMo Theatre downtown. More information at abqband.org.

DECEMBER 3. Taos County Historical Society luncheon deadline has passed. More info at TaosCountyHistoricalSociety.org. Monthly programs at Kit Carson Electric Boardroom, 118 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos County Historical Society.

DECEMBER 5 6-7 pm, free. Wendy Rull sings gothic, folk, world, cabaret and other music styles. International Branch Library, 7601 Central NE.

DECEMBER 6, 12 noon, free, virtual. Rick Hendricks, former NM State Historian and author speaks about Pablo Abeita The Life & Times of a Native Statesman of Isleta Pueblo 1871-1940 sponsored by the NM History Museum Friends of History. Go to the website FriendsofHistoryNM.org/lecture-series/ to watch this and the past lectures on their YouTube channel.

DECEMBER 6-9, various times and fees. Festival of the Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, NM and NM Tech Macey Center in Socorro. More details at friendsofbosquedelapache.org or fws.gov/refuge/bosque-del-apache.

DECEMBER 7/8, 11 am, $2. Tour of Torreon Mundos de Mestizaje fresco by Frederico Vigil. National Hispanic Cultural Center. More info at nhccnm.org.

DECEMBER 7, Observance of Pearl Harbor Day.

DECEMBER 7, noon-1pm, free. Violinist Laura Chang from the NM Philharmonic and cellist Amy Huzjak give a short music program. Trumbull Library at 5600 Trumbull SE on corner of San Pedro.

DECEMBER 7, 5-10 pm, free. Nob Hill Shop & Stroll along Central between Girard & Carlisle. Shops open late. Central closed to pedestrian traffic, music.

DECEMBER 7, HANUKKAH BEGINS

DECEMBER 7, 4 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY,  Genetic Ancestry DNA-Testing and Fighting Crime with DNA. Cervantes will explain how DNA evidence works, its limitations and latest advances. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

DECEMBER 7/8. 11 am, in person, $2. Tour of Torreon Mundos de Mestizaje fresco by Frederico Vigil. National Hispanic Cultural Center. More info at nhccnm.org.

DECEMBER 8, 5-7 pm, free; 7pm free movie Encanto. “Noche de Familia” Holiday open house at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Crafats, refreshments. more info at nhccnm.org.

DECEMBER 8/9, tickets sold in 30 minute entry times from 5-8:30 pm. Lights of Gisewa (Jemez Historic Site).

DECEMBER 9, 10:30 am ,free. Elaine Montague speaks about her book “Victory from the Shadows, the NM School for the Blind”. Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE at Edith. Be aware of parking restrictions around the Library.

DECEMBER 9, 2-4 pm, free. Make a Christmas tree from a used paperback book. Juan Tabo Library, 3407 Juan Tabo NE.

DECEMBER 9, 3-4 pm, free. Holiday concert by the ABQ Civic Chorus. Rudy Anaya North Valley Library, 7704 2nd St. NW.

DECEMBER 9/10, 12 noon, fee. Cultural dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. IndianPueblo.org.

DECEMBER 10, $10. Speaker series “Resistance & Resilience” sponsored by the NM Holocaust and Intolerance Museum. Dwight “Doc C” Coleman speaks on his experience being a black soldier along with the Buffalo Soldiers of NM. NM Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana SE.

DECEMBER 10, 1-4 pm, free.  Holidays Open House at the Sandoval County Historical Society. See various art including that of longtime member Martha Liebert and Ken Kloeppel. Sandoval County Historical Society & Museum, 161 Homestead Lane, located between the Santa Ana Star Casino and Coronado Historic Site, just north of 550, turn at the dirt road by the IHOP. SandovalHistory.org. 505-867-2755

DECEMBER 11, 11:45 am, free. Albuquerque Press Women & Friends. Jim Des Jardins, executive director of Renewal Energy Industries Assoc., speaks about the solar industry in NM. in-person at Weck’s Restaurant, 7301 Paseo del Norte NE.  (You may purchase food/beverage.) More info from lockettabq@comcast.net.  Sponsored by Albuquerque Press Women and Friends

DECEMBER 12, 2-4 pm, free. Pueblo Book Club “Ears of Corn, Listen” author Max Early (Laguna). More info at indianpueblo.org.

DECEMBER 12, 3-4 pm, free. Joel Becktell introduces the cello by playing various musical pieces including some by Bach. East Mountain Library, just off I-40 in Tijeras.

DECEMBER 12, 5:30 pm, ticket fees. History of Chocolate by deputy State Historian Nicolasa Chavez. Fundraiser for Historic Santa Fe Foundation at San Miguel Chapel. Buy tickets through HistoricSantaFe.org.

DECEMBER 12, POJOAQUE PUEBLO FEAST DAY

DECEMBER 14, 3-4 pm, free. Anne Eisfeller plays the harp and Valerie Potter the piccolo. South Valley Library, 3904 Isleta SW.

DECEMBER 14, 7pm, 5.1; repeats DECEMBER 15, 9pm, 5.4 KNME. People of the Crossing: The Jews of El Paso. A multi-layered portrait of a southwestern Jewish community. 

DECEMBER 15, 5-6:30 pm, free. Meet the artists at a reception for the Gourd Art exhibit. Sponsored by the NM Gourd Society. Placitas Library, 453 NM 165. PlacitasLibrary.com.

DECEMBER 14/15, $2. National Hispanic Cultural Center, tour of Torreon. nhccnm.org. 

DECEMBER 16, 10 am, free. Beethoven’s Birthday Party, includes performance of Peter and the Wolf by the Music Guild of NM at the Martha Liebert Library,123 Calle Malinche in Bernalillo.

DECEMBER 16/17, 10am-5pm, free. Festival of the Nativities. Over 100 different nativities from around the world on display in the historic San Ysidro church, 966 Old Church Rd. Corrales. corraleshistory.org.

DECEMBER 16, 2-4 pm, free but donations appreciated. Christmas Open House at the Wheels Museum-beautiful decorations, visit with Santa, cookie decorating, train rides around the museum, scavenger hunt with prizes. contact 243-6269 or leba4@aol.com to RSVP. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW.

DECEMBER 16, 1 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, La Armada Espanola de 1588. Cervantes describes the 1588 planned invasion of England by the 130 ship naval fleet of Spain and what happened. Presented by the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

DECEMBER 16, 11 am-4pm, free. Open House at the NM History Museum in Santa Fe followed by 5:30-7 pm Holiday on the Santa Fe Plaza. Live music, old fashioned activities and visit Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus.

DECEMBER 16, printing press demo. Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE at Edith. Watch for parking regulations.

DECEMBER 17,  There is not a program for the ABQ Historical Society . Join us on January21. Free parking and free admission to the ABQ Museum. Sponsored by the Albuquerque Historical Society. albuqhistsoc.org.

DECEMBER 16/17, 12 noon, admission fee. Cultural Dance Program representing various pueblos. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Go to indianpueblo.org for more info.

DECEMBER 17, 2-5 pm, $40. An Old Fashioned Christmas Concert & Dinner with Tony de Nardo and Debra Dockens. Belen Harvey House, www.HarveyHouseMuseum.org.

DECEMBER 17. Sunday morning admission free from 9 am-1 pm at the Albuquerque Museum. Go to cabq.gov/artsculture/albuquerque-Museum.

DECEMBER 22-JANUARY 9 ABQ Public Schools closed for winter break.

DECEMBER 21, 4 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, Hudson and British Exploration of the Northeast. Henry Hudson discovered the mouth of the Hudson River in 1609. Continued exploration in 1610 ended in mystery after a mutiny by the crew put him and others adrift. presented by the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

DECEMBER 21, 7pm, ch. 5.1; repeats Dec. 22, 9 pm, ch.5.4. KNME. A Southwest Christmas/Las Maravilles de Navidad. Watch vintage Colores holiday specials that explore classic NM traditions, the religion and folk tales of the Spanish, Mexican, Native American and Anglo cultures.

DECEMBER 22/23, 12 noon, fee. Cultural dances Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. More info at indianpueblo.org.

DECEMBER 23, 3-4 pm, free. Sandia Mountain Dulcimers play holiday music. Lomas Tramway Library, 908 Eastridge NE.

DECEMBER 24-26 Different NM pueblos have feast days and dances. Check information with specific pueblos.

DECEMBER 25, OBSERVANCE OF CHRISTMAS

DECEMBER 26-JAN. 1, Celebration of Kwanzaa & African-American Culture.

DECEMBER 30, 4 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY,  Colony of La Nueva Mexico 1598-1848. Cervantes will present information about Onate, de Vargas, Manuel Armijo and others. He will also talk about the 1680 massacre of San Lorenzo. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

DECEMBER 31, 10am-2pm, free. New Year’s Eve Before Dark. Music tours, create an art piece. ABQ Museum

The historic court case involving Isleta pueblo member Miguel Trujillo and voting rights for Native Americans. To request traveling exhibit contact tasneem.bsaies@dca.nm.gov. There is a six part podcast available at podcast.nmculture.org.

DOZENS OF ACTIVITIES & PODCASTS DESCRIBED ON THE WEBSITE OF THE NEW MEXICO HUMANITIES COUNCIL, NMhumanities.org.

INDIAN EDUCATION AT UNM, iaie.unm.edu. Watch several previously recorded programs about Native American education, the Dine language and more.

HISTORIC SANTA FE FOUNDATION (historicSantaFe.org) offers many free programs to watch: Ron Duncan Hart speaking on the Early Jews in NM; Rob Martinez – The Enduring Hispanic Music of NM.

The Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW is open. Times are Sunday-Thursday, 9 am-12 noon. Call first to confirm, 243-6269 or info@wheelsmuseum.org.

MURALS OF ALBUQUERQUE (www.murosabq.com) This shows over 130 murals in the ABQ metro area. You click on each picture and it shows the mural, gives its title and address, describes the image, and the artists.

ONLINE TOUR OF THE 15 HISTORIC MURALS AT THE INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER The tour gives details  of the artist and the dance or ritual illustrated in the mural. https://indianpueblo.org/pueblos-pigments-and-prominence-the-murals-of-ipcc/

Virtual Tour of the Downtown Main Library, 1975. Presented by Modern Albuquerque and sponsored by the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund. More information including the YouTube link to the live stream is on their Events page. See www.modernabq.org/events

Cibola County History Museum, 525 West High St., Grants NM. Go to the museum’s Facebook page for more information.

NUCLEAR MUSEUM – The Museum has a huge collection of oral history interviews (also transcribed) called Voices of the Manhattan Project. There are some 600 interviews of individuals who were either at the Manhattan Project or a family member who worked there. The  interviews are organized into 39 categories such as: Internment of Japanese Americans, Life in the Secret cities,  Hispanic employees, Native American. https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/educate/atomic-heritage-foundation  https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. invites anyone to come and hoe tumbleweeds and goat heads. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. Wear hard soled shoes & bring your own tools.   www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present.

*****AMAZING HISTORY / CULTURE OPPORTUNITIES ONLINE*****

Many of the museums and cultural centers in the ABQ metro area have put programming on their websites, Facebook pages or YouTube links. This includes everything from:

  • concerts, history lectures, video tours of various museum collections,
  • photograph pod casts, curriculum and study guides for children, audio interviews,

All of this is free and even “low tech” individuals can navigate these websites. There are YouTube channels available at no cost to watch to all. You are urged to explore many websites but especially these:

  • CORONADO HISTORIC SITE – Watch numerous programs from the website of the Friends of Coronado Historic Site. Kuaua.org/presentations. All info on their website.
  • NEW MEXICO HISTORY IN TEN MINUTES (newmexicohistory.org) On the home page, go to the bottom and click on Video of the Month. The entire list of episodes will appear by clicking on the corner of the video. NM State Historian Rob Martinez is most engaging and informative and there are more than 40 Episodes. The episodes may be heard in chronological order or by topic which is introduced in the first minute or so of the episode.
  • CIVIC AUDITORIUM HISTORY VIDEO (1957-1986) www.modernabq.org. Go to the Resources Tab, then the drop down to the three Civic Auditorium videos. They tell the story of the structure: why it was built, how it was used and why it was ultimately demolished.
  • HOLOCAUST MUSEUM and GELLERT EDUCATION CENTER NM, 616 Central SW. Go to the website nmholocaustmuseum.org. Questions call 247-0606.
  • ALBUQUERQUE OASIS LIFELONG LEARNING PRESENTS VARIOUS NM TOPICS www.albuquerque.oasisnet.org  or 884-4529.

ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVED VIDEO PROGRAMS

The Albuquerque Historical Society provides videos of scheduled program presentations. The videos are linked to from the appropriate AHS Program pages. Presentations captured on videos to date include: