Ashley Fetner Fine Art Photography

Adobe –sun-dried brick is one of the oldest and most common building materials known to man.  Traditional adobe building techniques used in the Southwest in the 16^th century are still in use today.    The adobe brick is formed by mixing sand and clay with water to a plastic consistency and then adding grass or straw which helps with the uniform shrinking of the brick as it dries. The mud is then placed in wooden forms, tamped and leveled by hand.  The bricks are turned out to dry on a level surface and covered with straw to keep the bricks from sticking together.  After several days of drying the bricks are ready for air-curing - a process of standing the bricks on end for a least four more weeks.  Adobe walls are laid with the adobe brick and a mud mortar.  Cement mortars cannot be used because they accelerate the deterioration of the adobe.  Adobe surfaces are fragile and require regular maintenance.  Mud plaster has been used as a surface coating and since it is made of the same materials it bonds to the adobe. Once the mud plaster is applied it is then smoothed by hand.  This gives the adobe a “polished” appearance and also maintains the integrity of the structure.

Kay

The San Francisco de Asis Church is located in the historic district of Rancho de Taos Plaza about four miles southwest of Taos New Mexico.  Franciscan Fathers began construction on the adobe structure in 1712 and completed it in 1815.  A traditional adobe structure of sand, clay and straw, the hand sculpted walls are ten feet thick.  The church was made famous by the photographs of Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe described the mission church as” one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” The heart of the community, baptisms, marriages and funerals has been held in San Francisco de Asis Church for generations.   Funeral services for actor Dennis Hopper, who once lived in the Rancho Village, were conducted here.  San Francisco de Asis continues to stand due to the annual ritual that this close-knit community has kept alive for almost two hundred years.  For two weeks every summer hundreds of parishioners volunteer to work together to re-plaster the adobe church.  Rain and snow erode the outer surface and by applying a fresh coat of mud each year the integrity of the structure is maintained.  San Francisco de Asis has been designated a National Historic Landmark as well as a World Heritage Site.

Kay 

The San Francisco de Asis Church is located in the historic district of Rancho de Taos Plaza about four miles southwest of Taos New Mexico.  Franciscan Fathers began construction on the adobe structure in 1712 and completed it in 1815.  A traditional adobe structure of sand, clay and straw, the hand sculpted walls are ten feet thick.  The church was made famous by the photographs of Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe described the mission church as” one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” The heart of the community, baptisms, marriages and funerals has been held in San Francisco de Asis Church for generations.   Funeral services for actor Dennis Hopper, who once lived in the Rancho Village, were conducted here.  San Francisco de Asis continues to stand due to the annual ritual that this close-knit community has kept alive for almost two hundred years.  For two weeks every summer hundreds of parishioners volunteer to work together to re-plaster the adobe church.  Rain and snow erode the outer surface and by applying a fresh coat of mud each year the integrity of the structure is maintained.  San Francisco de Asis has been designated a National Historic Landmark as well as a World Heritage Site.

Kay 

The San Francisco de Asis Church is located in the historic district of Rancho de Taos Plaza about four miles southwest of Taos New Mexico.  Franciscan Fathers began construction on the adobe structure in 1712 and completed it in 1815.  A traditional adobe structure of sand, clay and straw, the hand sculpted walls are ten feet thick.  The church was made famous by the photographs of Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe described the mission church as” one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” The heart of the community, baptisms, marriages and funerals has been held in San Francisco de Asis Church for generations.   Funeral services for actor Dennis Hopper, who once lived in the Rancho Village, were conducted here.  San Francisco de Asis continues to stand due to the annual ritual that this close-knit community has kept alive for almost two hundred years.  For two weeks every summer hundreds of parishioners volunteer to work together to re-plaster the adobe church.  Rain and snow erode the outer surface and by applying a fresh coat of mud each year the integrity of the structure is maintained.  San Francisco de Asis has been designated a National Historic Landmark as well as a World Heritage Site.

Kay 

The San Francisco de Asis Church is located in the historic district of Rancho de Taos Plaza about four miles southwest of Taos New Mexico.  Franciscan Fathers began construction on the adobe structure in 1712 and completed it in 1815.  A traditional adobe structure of sand, clay and straw, the hand sculpted walls are ten feet thick.  The church was made famous by the photographs of Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe described the mission church as” one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” The heart of the community, baptisms, marriages and funerals has been held in San Francisco de Asis Church for generations.   Funeral services for actor Dennis Hopper, who once lived in the Rancho Village, were conducted here.  San Francisco de Asis continues to stand due to the annual ritual that this close-knit community has kept alive for almost two hundred years.  For two weeks every summer hundreds of parishioners volunteer to work together to re-plaster the adobe church.  Rain and snow erode the outer surface and by applying a fresh coat of mud each year the integrity of the structure is maintained.  San Francisco de Asis has been designated a National Historic Landmark as well as a World Heritage Site.

Kay 

The San Francisco de Asis Church is located in the historic district of Rancho de Taos Plaza about four miles southwest of Taos New Mexico.  Franciscan Fathers began construction on the adobe structure in 1712 and completed it in 1815.  A traditional adobe structure of sand, clay and straw, the hand sculpted walls are ten feet thick.  The church was made famous by the photographs of Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe described the mission church as” one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” The heart of the community, baptisms, marriages and funerals has been held in San Francisco de Asis Church for generations.   Funeral services for actor Dennis Hopper, who once lived in the Rancho Village, were conducted here.  San Francisco de Asis continues to stand due to the annual ritual that this close-knit community has kept alive for almost two hundred years.  For two weeks every summer hundreds of parishioners volunteer to work together to re-plaster the adobe church.  Rain and snow erode the outer surface and by applying a fresh coat of mud each year the integrity of the structure is maintained.  San Francisco de Asis has been designated a National Historic Landmark as well as a World Heritage Site.

Kay 

The San Francisco de Asis Church is located in the historic district of Rancho de Taos Plaza about four miles southwest of Taos New Mexico.  Franciscan Fathers began construction on the adobe structure in 1712 and completed it in 1815.  A traditional adobe structure of sand, clay and straw, the hand sculpted walls are ten feet thick.  The church was made famous by the photographs of Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe described the mission church as” one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” The heart of the community, baptisms, marriages and funerals has been held in San Francisco de Asis Church for generations.   Funeral services for actor Dennis Hopper, who once lived in the Rancho Village, were conducted here.  San Francisco de Asis continues to stand due to the annual ritual that this close-knit community has kept alive for almost two hundred years.  For two weeks every summer hundreds of parishioners volunteer to work together to re-plaster the adobe church.  Rain and snow erode the outer surface and by applying a fresh coat of mud each year the integrity of the structure is maintained.  San Francisco de Asis has been designated a National Historic Landmark as well as a World Heritage Site.

Kay 

The Rio Grand River flows from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado 1900 miles to the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville Texas.  For 1250 of these miles the Rio Grande River is the boundary between the United States and Mexico.  The river travels through the Rio Grande Gorge, a wild and remote area of northern New Mexico. Spanning the river over the 650 foot gorge below, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is the fifth highest bridge and the second highest suspension bridge in the United States. The Gorge Bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in Taos County, New Mexico.  As we walked along the narrow walkway we could feel the bridge “shake” as cars and trucks crossed.  In fact in order to photograph, Ashley had to wait till there was no traffic approaching or on the bridge. We were surrounded by storms moving around the area— lighting was zigzagging , dark clouds were forming and swirling across the sky- the wind was so strong at times that I held on to the railing for fear of being blown away!—But Ashley continued to photograph——

Kay

Blue is a color with a long and powerful history–from Turquoise to Taos Blue and all hues in between it is New Mexico’s favorite color. According to  Pueblo Indian legends , doors and windows of the earth tone adobes  are painted with shades of blue to guard against evil spirits and witches from entering.  

Kay

El Santuario de Chimayo, a Roman Catholic Church located in Chimayo New Mexico, is a National Historic Landmark as well as a Holy Shrine with 300,000 visitors each year.  On Good Friday as many as 30,000 worshipers make a walking pilgrimage to celebrate the Easter Season–some walk as far as Albuquerque ninety miles away.  El Santuario is called the “Lourdes of America” and is said to be the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States. There are no written records of the miracle that occurred and the miraculous healing powers, but only legends that have been passed down from generation to generation.  This story appears to be the one most told: Around 1810 “ During Holy Week on the night of Good Friday, Don Bernardo Abeyta, who was a member in good standing of the Hermandad de Nuestro Padre Jes6s el Nazareno (Penitentes) was performing the customary penances of the Society around the hills of El Potrero. Suddenly he saw a light springing from one of the slopes of the hills near the Santa Cruz River. Don Bernardo went to the spot and noticed that the shining light was coming from the ground. He started to dig with his bare hands, and there he found a Crucifix. He left it there and called the neighbors to come and venerate the precious finding. A group of men was sent to notify the priest, Fr. Sebastian Alvarez at Santa Cruz.Upon hearing the extraordinary news, the priest and people set out for Chimayo. When they arrived at the place where the Crucifix was, Fr. Sebastian picked it up and carried it in a joyful procession back to the church. Once in the church, the Crucifix was placed in the niche of the main altar. The next morning, the Crucifix was gone, only to be found in its original location. A second procession was organized and the Crucifix was returned to Santa Cruz, but once again it disappeared, The same thing happened a third time. By then, everyone understood that El Sefior de Esquipulas wanted to remain in Chimayo, and so a small chapel was built.”  After visiting the chapel people began to testify of “miraculous healings” and the number of people making the pilgrimage to the shrine grew and the present chapel was built between 1814 and 1816. Until 1929 El Santuario was privately owned then it was purchased by several people in Santa Fe and turned over to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.  The crucifix still remains on the chapel alter but the main attraction is El Posito, the “sacred sand pit” behind the main alter.  People come locally and from great distances to take a small amount of the “holy dirt” from the Posito or well in the floor.  Those who come believe the soil is blessed and can bring miraculous healing.  Some brew the dirt like tea and drink it or either mix it with water and apply it to the diseased parts of their body.  The prayer room is filled with discarded crutches, braces, canes, walkers and handmade shrines of those who have been healed.  Arriving at El Santuario early morning to photograph  we were the only ones there, then slowly one by one people began to drift in , some on foot , families in cars then tour buses started to arrive with more visitors lining up to go inside the chapel. I spoke with one lady who had ridden a bus from Florida to Albuquerque NM the day before then took a local bus to Chimayo –she carried a small suitcase with empty bottles to collect the “holy dirt” to take home for her as well as for family and friends. She then waited for the local bus to begin her return journey back to Florida. Her story is just one out of the 300,000 that make the pilgrimage yearly to El Santuario de Chimayo—–

Kay