Find out more about the 2025 Winter Spanish Market
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The Winter Spanish Market will be back at the Santa Fe Community Center on Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, with over 50 adult and youth artists.
鈥淭he Winter (Spanish) Market we think of as sort of a smaller, seasonal, kind of intimate event that just keeps the art form on people鈥檚 minds during the year,鈥� Brian O鈥機onnell, Atrisco Heritage Foundation CFO/COO, said.
Juan Lopez has been selling at the market for 26 years and specializes in filigree art.
鈥淔iligree art is a process of making jewelry and also sculptures,鈥� Lopez said, 鈥渨hich I have done with very thin, very fine silver or gold.鈥�
Lopez received the 2025 Master鈥檚 Award for Lifetime Achievement from Spanish Market.
O鈥機onnell described Lopez鈥檚 art as refined, delicate and precise. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been committed to this his whole adult life,鈥� O鈥機onnell said.
The Winter Spanish Market showcases family lineages, like youth artist Alejandro Atencio, who was mentored by his uncle Felipe Rivera, a juried adult artist.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a privilege to be able to do the work that I do, and I love it.鈥� Atencio said. 鈥淚 have a passion for it.鈥�
Rivera has passed down his knowledge of painting bultos and retablos, and working with precious metals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dying art form, and I think the children, this next generation, would be nice to be able to pass it down to their kids and to keep the tradition alive,鈥� Rivera said.
O鈥機onnell said it is nice to watch the long-time artists with the new generation.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just really interested in sharing because they want to make sure that the forms that they dedicated their careers to will continue,鈥� O鈥機onnell said, 鈥渁nd the youth just soak it up.鈥�
Atencio started learning from his uncle a few years ago and said that Rivera was the best mentor he could have had.
鈥淚t was incredible,鈥� Atencio said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been learning for about four years now, and it鈥檚 really brought me a lot closer to my mom鈥檚 side of the family.鈥�
Rivera has taught Atencio along with his own kids. He said he enjoys teaching because it gives him time to spend with his family and they all come to work together in the shop.
He was inspired to start creating art by his own uncle and grandparents.
鈥�(My uncle) used to make retablos when I was a kid, so I used to like those,鈥� Rivera said, 鈥渁nd my grandpa used to make furniture. So I kind of always have been around the art form, and my grandma made pottery.鈥�
Rivera said he shows his students the basics, but encourages individuality while sticking to the traditional.
鈥淚 encourage them to have their own individual style,鈥� Rivera said. 鈥淚 told them, I don鈥檛 want your stuff to look like mine. I want it to be better than mine, and express it in your own way.鈥�
