In Quest of Saint Anthony Cemetery, Questa, N.M.

 

As a seasoned “taphophile” I keep an eye out for burial sites when traveling to and through new places. 

One such find we spotted on our approach to Taos, N.M. where we would visit the old and historic Taos Pueblo village. 

We made a quick stop in another village, Questa. so I could check out this cemetery. It certainly looks different from most of the burial grounds in the Charleston area. 

I was struck by the rugged look of Saint Anthony Catholic Cemetery (also known as Questa Cemetery). There are many minimalist wooden grave markers amid the shrub grasslands. 

This site lists several dozens of people buried here.

Santa Fe- The Ultimate Destination!

 

What a fun place- Santa Fe, N.M.! (Elevation 7,199 feet). 

We spent three nights here (at the very nice Residence Inn Santa Fe) that culminated in my niece Nicole’s wedding to Tyler on June 15. See some of my photos from those festivities at the end of this post. 

We were fortunate to have clear skies and moderate temperatures in this small city (population 89,008 in 2022) with a big reputation for culture, art, history and shopping. 

The Spanish in 1610 founded (claimed and named) Santa Fe, making it the capital of Nuevo Mexico, a province of New Spain. It was first called Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis. In English that would be Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi. 

I’m glad the name was eventually shortened to Santa Fe! 

The church in these photos is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It was dedicated in 1887 and was built on the site of the original adobe church from 1610. St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) of Italy, is the patron saint of Santa Fe. This statue is of him. 

St. Francis Cathedral would be the backdrop for Nicole’s wedding that took place on the terrace of a nearby hotel. 

To follow are some of my photographs taken inside this beautiful house of worship. 

Time for Taos and its Special Native People

 

Taos, New Mexico (elevation 6,969 feet) was the next stop on our Southwest journey. Alesia did her research and really wanted us to visit the Taos Pueblo UNESCO World Heritage Site- and I’m glad we did because this is a fascinating slice of American history. And it represents a people today holding on to traditions and a way of life. 

Upon arrival, I didn’t know what to expect. I guess I was thinking ancient dwellings in the side of mountains, a la the Aztecs and Incas. Not really the case at all. 

The adobe dwellings are old but they are also very much in use today as homes for today’s Tiwa or Tiwa Puebloans (or Taos Indians which is easier to remember). Other structures are shops where art, crafts, jewelry, and other items made by these native Americans are sold to tourists.

Western Birds and Other Critters

 

Capturing this rainbow on our first day in Colorado signaled a stellar start to a magical 10 day trip! 

I spotted the rainbow over the shoulder of my sister Ann at her and Paul’s beautiful home in the Estes Park area. 

Moving to their back porch I changed my iPhone setting to wide to capture the rainbow in full glory, then enhanced the image using the handy Snapseed app. 

Ann snapped this picture of me as we prepared to go to Mass. I was in photographer heaven out West in raw and rugged Colorado and New Mexico. From June 8-17 Alesia and I took a relaxing 460-mile multi-day drive from Estes Park, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The ultimate destination and event was my niece Nicole and Tyler’s wedding in Santa Fe. 

This post is the first of several documenting our interesting and illuminating trek. 

We visited Colorado in August 2022 and I wrote a post that also includes many bird and animal photos. 

I wanted to capture the lay of the land, from the many mountain ranges we would see…

…and the often fast-flowing rivers, creeks and streams…

…to the arid geography of southern Colorado and New Mexico.