Northern New Mexico was settled by Spanish Conquistadors in the Seventeenth Century. New Mexico is a spiritual land with deep-rooted religious traditions. In the rugged isolated villages of northern New Mexico, the Hispanic people who first settled there developed a unique and passionate religious art, the art of the santero, or saint maker, that still flourishes today. They brought with them their families, soldiers, and Catholic Priests to settle the area. Once here they integrated and intermarried with many of the different Indian Tribes, thus providing New Mexico with deep cultural heritage. The early settlers of New Mexico started painting retablos many centuries ago as a form of expressing their Christian beliefs. This tradition has been carried and passed on from generation to generation, with each artist using his/her own style and technique.

The Montoya’s start the process of a retablo by getting a piece of pine wood, cutting and sanding the board into desired shape; painting a coat of gesso (gypsum and glue), with acrylic paint creating the border; and then painting the saint. These retablos do not become a religious article until blessed by a priest, once blessed they can’t be sold. Each Saint has a feast day, and represents certain occupations. People may purchase a retablo as folk art, by namesake, birth date, desired situation, occupation, hobby or illness. When an order is placed for a retablo the purchaser may request certain colors, size of retablo, and objects that may correlate with the saint.

See the samples

email: theresasartgallery@yahoo.com 

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