Los Luceros Historic Site News:
Create one of Northern New Mexico’s most enchanting arts, straw appliqué, with Northern Río Grande National Heritage Area (NRGNHA) at Los Luceros Historic Site this month.
What: Learn how to make straw appliqué art using wheat straw to decorate wooden decorative items. The workshop begins with participants carefully selecting wheat straw and preparing it by splitting, flattening, and burnishing it to enhance its natural golden sheen.
Participants will arrange the prepared straw into intricate designs such as flowers, vines, stars, sacred symbols, and geometric patterns and apply it with adhesive to a carved wooden surface. The finished pieces will be coated with varnish for protection and luminosity. Each workshop is $50 per person and includes materials.
- Who: NRGNHA and Los Luceros Historic Site
- When: Saturday, Jan. 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Where: Los Luceros Historic Site, 253 County Road 41, Alcalde, NM 87511
Why: This workshop introduces participants to one of Northern New Mexico’s most distinctive and enduring traditional arts, developed during the Spanish colonial period. Wheat straw was used as a substitute for gold leaf, allowing artisans in remote villages to decorate devotional objects without costly imported materials.