Santa Fe will play host to the 56th annual Spanish Market this weekend! The market will be held on the plaza July 28 & 29. The market is tremendously popular with both visitors and locals, and features the art of over 250 local Hispanic artists.

The art forms that you will find at the market include:

• Santos - depictions of religious figures in the forms of bultos (carvings in the round), retablos (paintings on wooden panels), and gesso and wood relief-carved panels.
• Hide Paintings - religious images painted on deer or elk hide
• Straw Appliqué - crosses, chests and boxes decorated with applied straw
• Textiles - hand-woven on looms using handspun yarns
• Furniture - usually made from pine using mortise and tenon joints
• Colcha - unique regional embroideries employing the colcha stitch
• Tinwork - decorative and utilitarian objects of cut and punched tin
• Ironwork - tools, fastenings, and household objects forged from iron
• Precious Metals - silver or gold jewelry, utilitarian and devotional objects
• Pottery - hand-sculpted bowls, pots, and other ware made from micaceous clay
• Bonework - decorative items, anillos (rings) and tool handles carved from bones
• Ramilletes - decorative paper garlands
• Basketry - baskets handwoven from red and brown river willow

Make sure you get there early for the best selection!