A Tale of Two Buildings
LAS VEGAS IS ESSENTIALLY A TALE OF TWO TOWNS—Old and New, West and East—that separately incorporated in 1888 and 1903, respectively, and did not join as one municipality until 1970. Similarly, the…
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Historic Masonic Lodge Waits for Revival
“THIS IS STILL OPERATING, yes, ma’am,” says Greg Baker, secretary for Chapman Masonic Lodge No. 2. We’re standing outside the ruddy, purplish sandstone front of what experts call the most…
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Take History 101 on Las Vegas Plaza
PLAZA HOTEL 1882 | 230 Plaza St. The three-story brick Italianate “Belle of the Southwest” cost $25,000 for a consortium of local partners to build. CHARLES ILFELD BUILDING 1882 and 1890 | 224 Plaza…
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Revival Las Vegas
WHEN LAWRENCE QUINTANA WAS A SENIOR at West Las Vegas High School, the class of 1977 was allowed to roam the nearby Las Vegas Plaza during lunch. But a sandwich—or even a bit of window shopping—could…
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Asian Market Brings New Flavors to Santa Fe
IN THE OLD DAYS, if a Santa Fean wanted to make mapo tofu, pad Thai, or spring rolls, they’d come up short searching for the necessary ingredients around town. That void was filled when the Santa Fe…
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What We're Reading: Water for the People
IN OLIVIA ROMO’S “Bendición del Agua,” the poet fetches a ceremonial glass of water for her elder, then says a prayer of respect for both agua y abuelo. That poem (and rite) kicks off Water for the…
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Datebook: August 2023
IT’S LITERALLY COLORED by the presence of Georgia O’Keeffe in the sacred space that so inspired her,” says Lensic 360 director Jamie Lenfestey of the Blossoms & Bones Ghost Ranch Music Festival. Now…
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Nacha Mendez Inspires the Next Generation
AT AGE SEVEN, a severed fingertip nearly kept Margarita Cordero, who performs as Nacha Mendez, from a career in music. Inspired by the ranchera songs her grandmother (the original Nacha Mendez) taught…
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Why We Love NM: Our Ghost Towns Contain Multitudes
J OHN M. MULHOUSE MISSES THE UNIQUELY eerie vibes of a New Mexico ghost town. Though he now lives in Oklahoma, the historian and author is nostalgic for the decade he spent traipsing around the…
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What We're Reading: Doña Cleanwell Leaves Home
MY BEST FRIEND AND I traded Ana Castillo’s The Mixquiahuala Letters back and forth during high school, inspired by the novel’s clear-eyed depiction of a long friendship between two women artists. In…
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