ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) All over New Mexico, theres inspiration for creating art whether its through music, food, paintings or carvings. Those last two examples there will be on display at this weekends winter Spanish Market.

Its art that has been created for hundreds of years in New Mexico the same innovation that went into making it from the beginning carries on today.

In the early days when the missions were being built, there was difficulty in getting statues built for them, those type of religious artifacts for the missions and so this art has kind of evolved, said Adan Carriaga.

Creating the artwork dates back literally hundreds of years and is pretty much only found in this part of the country in New Mexico. Its all going to be showcased at this weekends Spanish Market.

First of all, I think this kind of art needs more exposure for people to know that native people in this, here in New Mexico, can create this kind of work to see retablos and bultos and straw applicae, tin work, theres a lot of it, the various forms of art that we do, and I hope they enjoy it, said artist Rodolfo Parga.

While it may be an art form that was created hundreds of years ago, its still evolving.

I learned a new innovative technique which allowed me to combine essentially all the elements of traditional art and then finalized by using straw applicae for design, said artist Charlie Sanchez Jr.

For some, they discovered they had the gift while completing other works of art.

I wasnt really a santero, I was more of a furniture maker, but I got encouraged by them to start doing this. Ive been carving most of my life so that came in pretty handy, said artist Federico Prudencio.

Then, theres the next generation carrying on the tradition.

Continue reading here:

Spanish Market combines art, tradition, spirituality