Spanish Market

It was Spanish Market in Santa Fe today - always my favorite big market of the year, with its celebration of New Mexico's Spanish heritage and the many forms that its art works take.  Some of these are extremely traditional, or reinterpretations of the traditional; sometimes the skills have been passed down in families for generations.  These include bultos - carved and painted wooden statues;

tin work and metal work - note this San Ysidro, patron saint of farmers, and - a rarity - his wife, Santa Maria de la Cabeza, together with a pair of metal work oxen;

and work in wood.

Almost all the stalls are decorated with wild flowers (in the background, here, work with straw appliqué).

People watching is always fun;

as is observing stray corners at the backs of booths.

The center of the Plaza is the site of the youth market - there are some extremely talented young artists -

and then there's music - mariachi, in this case, starting the morning off;

and plenty to eat and drink.

There's also - shooting off to one side - the Contemporary Market - again, you have to be Hispanic and New Mexican to show in this, and the work ranges from the nearly-traditional

to the more inventively vernacular;

and some that's definitely influenced by Central American folk art.

A notable number of the Contemporary booths featured art that was very Día de los Muertos influenced, or just downright spooky.

What should have been my favorite shot managed to be badly focused - taken in a hurry, the autofocus fixed on the back of the booth - but I still like it.

Some people, of course, just regarded the Plaza as a great place to catch Pokemon.