ALPACAS DE SANTA FE. Once reserved for ancient Inca royalty in the high Andes Mountains of South America, the cashmere-like fleece of the gentle, camel-like animal known as the alpaca is now rapidly gaining worldwide recognition as the most ideal fiber to be found in nature.

THE COAT-HANGER GIRAFFE by Susan Basquin. Although Salvador Perez Park on St. Francis Drive does not support the vegetation favored by animals of the African savannah, a giraffe is there to nibble the resident trees. Citizens need not fear for the animal's health, however, because the giraffe is a 15-foot-high painted metal sculpture, designed for the delight of children and passers-by. MORE

SANTA FE'S LIVING TREASURES by Mary Lou Cook. The remarkable Living Treasures program, which originated in Santa Fe in 1984 and now has spread to dozens of American communities, is one of those simple ideas you wish you'd thought of sooner. MORE

ONE DAY, ONE NIGHT by Master Storyteller Joe Hayes. Here is a story that goes way back to the beginning of time. They say that way back then things were very different. There was not a steady rhythm of days and nights like there is now. Instead it might be dark for 10 years in a row. And then light for one day. And then it could be dark again for eight long years. And then light for one day. MORE

PUEBLO POTTERY BEYOND THE MILLENIUM by Michael Hice. A freelance writer specializing in Native American art and culture, other types of art, and travel in the Southwest, Michael Hice takes a glimpse at some early innovators and fundamental characteristics that have become associated with five pueblos famous for pottery. FULL ARTICLE.

Lowrider, Chimayo, New Mexico photograph courtesy Philip Greenspun

PEDRO AND DIABLO by Master Storyteller Joe Hayes. Once in a small mountain village there lived two men who were good friends. The one man's name was Pedro. The other? Well-no one remembered his name. You see, no one ever called him by his name. MORE

KOSHARES - THE SACRED CLOWNS by Michael Hice. At Taos Pueblo¹s San Geronimo feast day, five men, bodies painted in black and white stripes, dashed through the crowd. They wore moccasins, loincloths and black and white striped head gear. FULL ARTICLE.

SANTA FE ON FOOT by Elaine Pinkerton. Walking tours of Santa Fe. Several examples from the book. MORE

THE CHILE CHRONICLES by Carmella Padilla. Perhaps the only thing one can say about chile in New Mexico is that it grows successfully virtually everywhere, at practically every bend, bump and rise in the road. FULL ARTICLE.

SANTA FE'S STATUS SYMBOLS by Richard McCord
Each society has its own status symbols, and, of course, its status seekers. So is it also with Santa Fe—except that here, the status symbols are loony. REST OF ARTICLE.

A TRAGEDY AT THE PALACE by Marc Simmons. The date Sept. 6, 1844, was one that Santa Fe residents would long remember. On that day a bloody battle with the Ute Indians occurred on the Plaza, and New Mexico's Gov. Mariano Martinez narrowly escaped assassination. REST OF STORY.

TIO CELSO by Carmella Padilla. The photograph is faded and fuzzy. An elderly man of small stature, his hair and beard a shaggy gray, sits upright in a slatted wooden chair. In his knotty right hand, he clutches a cane carved to curl into the shape of a horse's head. His brown eyes sink like shadows between high cheekbones and bushy brows. And a gentle, jolly smile emerges from his lips. REST OF STORY.

THE DIFFERENT CITY by Richard McCord. Santa Fe: a city like no other. It's a state capital, but it barely has air service. It has 150 art galleries but only two public golf courses. It is notorious for a high cost of living and a low wage base. Its population includes a roughly equal number of dreamers and welfare recipients (they often overlap). Its major is government, followed closely by tourism-but there's virtually no manufacturing, and not a smokestack in town. REST OF ARTICLE.

PLAYING WITH FIRE by Carmella Padilla. The early morning sun is still mixing with shadows over Apodaca Hill when Tomas Arrey dons a pair of faded overalls, slides heavy black gloves over his weathered hands, and lights a pitch-and-kindling fire in his hilltop workshop. Cold hangs in the air from the winter just past, but before long, Arrey has perspiration dripping from beneath the blackened brim of his well-worn hat. "If you can't stand the heat," he says with a smirk, "get out of the fragua." REST OF STORY.

THE DANCING GRANDFATHER by Carmella Padilla. "Yee-Hah!" The cry rips through the crowd like a firecracker on the loose as the funny-looking figure who exclaims it skips madly between two rows of masked dancers. Their faces veiled in brilliant strands of jewels, beads, ribbon and fringe, the dancers move together in perfect rhythm, perfect step. REST OF STORY.

MEMORIES OF A MOVIEGOER by Richard McCord. There is talk of a brand-new 14-screen, state-of-the-art movie multiplex on Santa Fe's burgeoning south side. The news brought this writer a rush of memories about the "bad old days" of film-going in this town. And lemme tell you: They were BAD. READ MORE

THE ELDORADO HOTEL STORY by Malcolm Pynn. If a hotel is to be successful, it must be part of the community in which it is located. The Eldorado Hotel, since it opened its doors for business in December 1985, has worked hard to integrate into the mainstream of Santa Fe life and society. READ MORE.

MORE WRITING COMING SOON!