Saturday, March 7, 2015

Only in Albuquerque....

The Albuquerque Museum
once has an exhibit of objects used in every day life.
I really enjoyed that exhibit.


But then, they closed that exhibit.
They spent years redesigning and remodeling
the exhibit area.



On March 3rd, they opened the new exhibit,
now called "Only in Albuquerque".
Today was an exciting opportunity to visit the museum
and see the new exhibit area!


The exhibit has an entrance that includes a circular area
leading into four themed areas:
Courageous, Resourceful, Spirited and Innovative.


Lighted up murals line the walls of the entrance to the exhibit.




The floor in the circular entrance has a Google type map on it.


We were so excited to find where we live!



Visitors are invited to explore the local culture
through objects and information.



 Courageous


The first area to the right has to do with the conflicts, wars and politics
that impacted the growth, development, and life of the region.


Spirited


The second area had to do with the religious and daily life
and culture.


Are you ready to explore the food of New Mexico?







Food, of course, comes from farms and ranches.




The growing community of Albuquerque
gained a variety of people.


After Americans from the west started to move to Albuquerque,
Victorian houses and other western styles "deconstructed"
and added to the original structures by the earlier citizens.





As time has passed and Albuquerque has grown,
once rural areas have been covered over by suburban  neighborhoods
while downtown structures are still recognizable.



In 2006, Albuquerque celebrated its Tricentennial.
It was originally founded for Spain in 1706.
This quilt is from the Tricentennial celebration.



Innovative


We have both a unique culture of Pueblo people
and Hispanic people bringing and creating what they needed
to live life in this region.








The Santa Fe Trail, the railroad, and later Route 66 
brought a new American population to New Mexico.


The Santa Fe Railroad brought travel
and Fred Harvey hotels to the region.



Ox carts brought traders up and down
the El Camino Real from Mexico City,
and after 1821, across the US on the Santa Fe Trail.







Resourceful


The history and resourcefulness of the Pueblo people
cannot be ignored in this unique geological area.
Modern neighborhoods were built on the edge of the
Petrogylphs, where native populations once used
the volcanic rocks to record their images.


Pueblo groups lived in adobe pueblo villages,
being resourceful in the way the land and water was
used and preserved.



Adobe, originally used by the Pueblo people,
 is still a popular traditional building material in New Mexico.
The museum has foam bricks to practice
building in the overlapping brick pattern.



Only in Albuquerque is an interesting new way to present
the history and culture in Albuquerque and in New Mexico.


I'm sure I will be back again some time!




2 comments:

  1. Looks like an interesting and nicely done museum.

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  2. This looks like a very nice museum Tracy, and I think Ella enjoyed looking at all the exhibits and learning new things about your area. She looks very 'wide eyed' at times ;)
    I was interested to see that some of the items on display are similar to designs and patterns still being used today here in Spain :)
    Hugs Sharon x

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