This One is for the Tour Guides

One would think life on Canyon Road was all about the hustle and bustle of tourists walking up and down the street going from gallery to gallery hoping to find something worth taking home, or the people walking their dogs or running, but it's more that. There are many quiet residences scattered along the street. Some are enclosed by walls, some sit back nestled among the trees or some sit right on the street where every so often the Tourist trollies drive by, stop and make some observations.

It's all geared for the tourist and when I'm sitting here working I just have to laugh. Apparently, my house is only 50% adobe, and the blue window trim is because of the Moorish/Spanish culture from back in Spain to ward of the Evil Eye, the brujas and La Llorona. 

Ok. I will admit my ancestors and some of my present day relatives and friends believe in the Evil Eye. It's a common belief among Mediterranean  people- from Spain,  Italy, the Middle East, Morocco and other cultures believe in it. El Mal de Ojo . Perhaps when my ancestors were building this house and put up the wood windows they painted them blue to ward off the evil eye that they believed in but I think they just happened to like the Turquoise blue paint. Turquoise is plentiful here in the sky,  in the stones that have been mined here historically, the water of the rivers--- it was a logical color to use, plus it really stands out against the earthen color of the stucco of the house. I think it was more about the ascetic than the "mythos" behind it. Of course, tell a tourist guide that and he or she wills stammer and continue on as if nothing was said to contridict the story being told. 

I got a kick out of the guide who felt it necessary to correct me when I said my house was approximately 90% adobe. Where he got the notion it was only 50% is beyond me. Every exterior wall is adobe, most interior walls are adobe, with the exception of a few modern walls that were additions for bathrooms. 

These were some of the bricks taken out of the wall in the kitchen that came down. These were newer.  But you can see the straw that was mixed in with the mud to give each brick support. The construction here was a bit more perfect, there were wood lintels every four feet or so for added support. I still need to find a place to use these bricks. I'd love to save one as it is for history.

It's really quite amusing to hear the various information the guides give as they drive past our home. I thought I'd prepare a bit of history for them, so that they can choose to use it or not next time they drive by and stop and talk about the house with the blue windows. 

I thought I could send each of the tour guide companies a blurb something like this:

The house on the right is constructed entirely of adobe, with the exception of the wood floors, ceilings which are wood with vigas, and the wood windows. The original structure is at least 200 years, through the years rooms were added as needed, but the building has maintained in its present footprint for at least 100 years. 

For the last 26 years, the building was leased out commercially and during that time three galleries made use of the space. In 2014, the owners decided to return the building to back into a residence, ending the building's presence on Canyon Road as a gallery. The building has also been maintained and kept in the same family since the early-to-mid 1800's, making it one of the few residences in the area that is still owned by one of Santa Fe's historic families. 

The blue windows have been a trademark of this home for generations. While there is some "mythos" attached to their significance, the present owners think their ancestors happened to like blue and probably weren't thinking about warding off the Evil Eye when the windows were painted. Though, it's entirely possible. There are no family stories circulating about the blue windows. 

Anyway, honestly, what I'd like them to see when they drive away is the pretty blue cat in the window, not the stories about the Evil Eye.

Luna Blue sitting pretty in the window. Photo credit: David Duran.