October 23
D
- Arrive independently to Santa Fe and make your way to the Governor's Inn, located near historic Santa Fe Plaza.
- This afternoon meet with Inee Slaughter, Director of the Indigenous Language Institute (ILI). The institute serves all tribes and individuals working to revitalize indigenous languages in the Americas.
- Meet your fellow travelers and enjoy a welcome dinner at Coyote Cafe.
October 24
B,L,D
- After breakfast depart on a walking tour to explore the fascinating history of Santa Fe. Founded by Spanish settlers in 1607, the town still retains a colonial feel and is a haven for artists and photographers.
- The heart and soul of Santa Fe is its central Plaza, a National Historic Site, which showcases the city's Spanish, Mexica and Native American roots. See the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the Loretto Chapel, the Felipe B. Delgado House, Saloon of Dońa Tules, and the John Gaw Meem Historic Building.
- Enjoy lunch at the Museum Hill Cafe.
- Walk to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, which recognizes Native peoples as diverse tribes, each with a distinctive history, culture and language, and each of which is an integral part of the vibrant, historical and cultural landscape of the American Southwest.
- Meet with Tony Chavarria, the Head Curator of Ethnology, who will guide the group through the exhibit Here, Now and Always. This powerful exhibit arranges pieces from the museum's permanent collection around the core themes of Emergence, Cycles, Ancestors, Community and Home, Trade and Exchange, Language and Song, Arts and Survival, and Resiliance.
- Enjoy dinner this evening at Santacafé.
October 25
B,L
- After breakfast drive to the Pojoaque Pueblo and the Poeh Cultural Center. The Poeh Center emphasizes cultural preservation and revitalization through the arts and cultures of all Pueblo People — with a focus on the Tewa-speaking Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara and Tesuque; and the Tiwa-speaking Pueblos of Picuris and Taos.
- Meet with Samuel Villareal Catanach, whose work on language revitalization in Pojoaque Pueblo helps provide a history of the Pueblo and their current struggles.
- Depart for a 30 minute drive to the San Ildefonso Pueblo, known for its traditional black on black pottery. Famous ceramicist Maria Martinez was born here. She and her husband, Julian Martinez, revived an ancient local process for making all-black pottery. Their blackware stood in marked contrast to the all-red or polychrome ware that had dominated the Pueblo's production for generations. Attend a pottery demonstration.
- Enjoy a traditional indigenous lunch, prepared by local residents Deborah and Elmer Torres. Our meal will include the Three Sisters (corn squash and beans), as well as red pork tamales and more.
- Later drive to nearby Puye Cliff Dwellings, where a local Santa Clara Pueblo guide will meet the group and share the history of the ancient living pueblos. The origins of the Puye Cliff Dwellings date back to the 900's when a group of 1,500 Pueblo Indians constructed multiple levels of living spaces in the side of a canyon wall.
- Take a Puye Cliff Dwellings Mesa Top tour for breathtaking views of the Puye Village. Experience firsthand the kiva structure, the 140-room ancient home with 360-degree panoramic views of the sacred mountains. Explore the remains of multi-storied dwellings that provide an insightful glimpse into early pueblo architecture and community life.
- Return to Santa Fe for an evening at leisure.
October 26
B,L
- Meet with Dr. Christina M. Castro (Taos Pueblo/Jemez Pueblo/Chicana) on a walking tour with an overview of the local Indigenous story of O'ga Pogeh. Learn about Indigenous erasure and dehumanization that has provided Indigeous people with a liminal status in the social political construct that makes up Santa Fe. Dr. Castro was born in Southern California to a family who participated in the federal Indian Relocation program. She currently resides in O'ga P'ogeh, Santa Fe, within her traditional homelands. In 2017 she co-founded Three Sisters Collective (3SC), an Indigenous-women centered grassroots organization devoted to art, activism, education, and community building.
- After lunch, continue to the nearby IAIA's Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), which holds the premier collection of contemporary art in the world from Native American, First Nations and other Indigenous Peoples. Meeting the group will be Manuela Well-Off Man, an art historian and chief curator, who is committed to ensuring Native art's essential place in American art museums.
- End the day at Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery for a introduction to Southwest Native American pottery by Andrea Fisher. Each piece in the gallery is an authentic, traditionally made work of art and is categorized by Pueblo. Enjoy the works of master potters such as Margaret Tafoya, Lucy Lewis, Maria Martinez, and other contemporary artists.
- Enjoy the evening at leisure.
October 27
B,L,D
- This morning visit the O'Keeffe Welcome Center, gateway to the Georgia O'Keeffe Home and Studio Tour and the spectacular Rio Chama Valley, 45 miles northwest of Santa Fe.
- Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) bought her house in Abiquiu in 1945, which is now owned by the Museum. The home reveals O'Keeffe's commitment to design and the aesthetics of her surroundings.
- Enjoy a spectacular short drive to Ghost Ranch. The ranch encompasses 21,000 acres of towering rock walls, vivid colors and vast skies. O'Keeffe first visited Ghost Ranch in 1934 and was so taken with the landscape that she rented a room and returned to paint the following year. In 1940 O'Keeffe bought the house and seven acres of land and it became her summer residence. Enjoy a simple buffet lunch at Ghost Ranch.
- Drive an hour to Chimayo, one of the Southwest's most historic villages and a verdant oasis extending from the foothills of the majestic Sangre de Cristo mountains to the expanse of the Rio Grande Valley.
- Visit the Santuario de Chimayó, the second most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the U.S. and one of the most beautiful examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in New Mexico. Catholics refer to it as the "Lourdes of America" and inside pilgrims visit a shrine and gather sandy soil from the floor of a tiny room adjacent to the chapel. The earth here is said to promote healing, even of terminal diseases and permanent disabilities. Meeting our group will be historian Patricia Trujillo-Oviedo, a seventh-generation descendent of original settlers to Chimayó and the of the Chimayó.
- A few mintues away is the Rancho de Chimayo restuarant. Honored as one of New Mexico's Culinary Treasures, enjoy a specially prepared dinner.
October 28
B,L,D
- Take a morning trip to Albuquerque to meet with the team at the Red Nation (TRN), whose goal is the liberation of Indigenous People's from capitalism and colonialism. The organization works to achieve this through direct action, advocacy and education, and by centering Indigenous agendas in social justice movements.
- Drive to the campus of the University of New Mexico (UNM) to learn more about their B.A. in Native American Studies. The curriculum is strongly interdisciplinary — covering Indigenous history, law and policy, language revitalization, culture/arts, community development, and research methodologies tailored to Native contexts. The UNM also hosts the Institute for American Indian Education (IAIE), which focuses on preparing educators, administrators and researchers to work with Indigenous Nations.
- After lunch return to Santa Fe for time at leisure before a farewell dinner this evening.
October 29
B
- Make your way to the airport for flights home.
Trip Price
Per person double occupancy: $5,600
Single supplement: $1,170
Included
- Accommodation as listed in the itinerary based on double occupancy in superior rooms with wood-burning fireplaces
- Meals as listed in the program with wine at the welcome and farewell dinner
- Bottled water on the bus
- Sightseeing and excursions as listed with all entrances fees
- All speakers listed in the program (or substitute)
- Transportation in either Ubers (in Santa Fe) or small bus (outside city)
- Services of a tour manager and subject expert
- Basic gratuities to tour manager and driver
Not Included
- Airfare to/from Santa Fe
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure
- Luggage charges
- Drinks other than filtered water at lunch and dinner and wine at welcome and farewell dinners
- Personal insurance for health, baggage, and trip cancellation
- Items of a purely personal nature
- Any items not listed