Friday, January 13, 2012

A vendor from Santa Domingo Pueblo

Christopher Chavez from Santa Domingo Pueblo is one of the vendors selling his jewelry. As I walked among the tourists looking for some interesting photos, he greeted me with "Welcome Back!"  Turned out that last summer he and I had had an interesting discussion about Pipestone, Minnesota, a source of some of the stones he uses for his designs. We also had a bit of a chat about Indian law, treaties, and some of the current case law about Indian land.

The other photo I'm posting today is almost a cliché of Santa Fe's Plaza.  I
often wonder if the Indians get tired of the tourist, but I'm afraid to ask since I'm not a citizen myself.

12 comments:

  1. Are you going to share his work? Hope so.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How nice to be recognized by someone you visited with a year ago. Good people are remembered.

    Probably the only time they become tired of the touristas is when the tourist is not appreciative and and becomes disrespective. After all, alot of exposure and sales comes from their place on the Plaza.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How nice to have someone remember you. They meet so many people, your conversation must have been interesting. The second picture is the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of Santa Fe. Your portrait is of a much more handsome man than the one I posted today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good portrait Kate, nice that he remembered you after all that time. Tourists can be a pain, but unfortunately a 'necessary' pain. Hope you have a lovely weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Kate, just checking in from Ca to see what you're up to in NM! Yes, I would imagine they get tired of the tourists, but I am sure it helps them to make a living, too. And, who does not get tired of their work sometimes, no matter what it is they do. I know I do!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a nice "welcome back!" He looks like a nice man. A steady stream of people all day, every day can be so tiring. But it can mean an income, and it's a lot better than seeing nary a soul.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Kate, I visited Santa Fe July 2008 and bought some jewelley with beautiful turqoise stones right there. Cliche or not, it was wonderful to see the market. Ps. Is the sky always so blue in Santa Fe:) ?Happy week end, Leena

    ReplyDelete
  8. How special that he remembered you! I'm sure Indians have a love-hate relationship with most tourists - they need them but they wish they'd stay away.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are a memorable person! And Mr. Chavez is a very smart man to remember his customers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. First, Kate, nice portrait. I am sure you will hustle back there to give him a copy. And, it is great that he remembered you and your conversation. I imagine the merchants have more generous attitudes toward the tourists than other comments are guessing. The merchants choose to set up in a heavily trafficked area where ONLY tourists shop, so they must know what they are getting into and must accept that it is how they want to live.

    ReplyDelete
  11. As usual, your portrait shots do not disappoint!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Christopher Chavez is presently working on his Masters Degree, American History, specializing in native property ownership issues. He has so much to say, and so much worth listeniing to.

    ReplyDelete

Happy that you have visited my blog. Come back often; I appreciate your comments! Thank you.