HISTORICAL STRUCTURES RESTORATION

The CCPA works in partnership with other nonprofits to restore important historic structures in the Plaza del Cerro, recognized as the most intact Spanish Colonial plaza in New Mexico and one of Northern New Mexico’s most important historic sites.

PAST CCPA INITIATIVES

The Acequia de los Ortegas Project
In 1995, the CCPA received a grant from the McCune Charitable Trust to stabilize the upper sections of the historic Ortega Ditch. Before the work was completed in 1997, this area of the ditch was frequently obstructed by rockslides, willows and floods that clogged it with debris. The flow and health of the ditch was greatly improved, and gardens and orchards benefited.
The Oratorio de San Buenaventura Restoration Project
In the 1980s and before, this chapel in Chimayó’s Plaza del Cerro was suffering structural damage due to a leaking roof and other threats. With help from the Thaw Charitable Trust and Cornerstones Community Partnerships, the chapel was saved from collapse.
“Chimayó Revisited” Photograph Archives and Exhibit
Under the leadership of past CCPA board member Peter Malmgren, the association with the support of its members began collecting vintage photographs depicting life in Chimayó and surrounding communities at the turn of the twentieth century. The collection traveled to several locations before becoming the core of our exhibit at the Chimayó Museum. The project also included conducting oral history interviews.
The Greenways Project
CCPA board member Don Usner initiated this survey of “greenways and open space” in the Chimayó area. A final report and map reviewed the condition of the two rivers that flow into the Chimayó Valley and the five acequias in the upper valley and catalogued the trails and dirt roads around Chimayó. The work led to the permanent protection of a key historic property in the Potrero neighborhood.
El Potrero Project
With a start-up grant from the Thaw Charitable Trust, the CCPA began looking at possibilities for preserving the vegas/potreros behind the Santuario de Chimayó. This pastureland is one of the largest pieces of traditional farm and grazing land left in Chimayó. With the active participation of Santa Fe County and the Trust for Public Land, most of the open space was rescued from development and is now owned and managed as open space by Santa Fe County.
The Chimayó Weaving Project
Lucy Collier, past CCPA board member, led the effort to recognize the accomplishments of Chimayó’s weavers. The project was funded by grants from the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities, the McCune Foundation and private donations. The project included an inventory of old weavings, oral histories from elderly weavers, lectures, workshops, weaving classes for children and an exhibit.
The Española Valley Student Art Show
Andrew Ortega, CCPA board member, spearheaded this project for 20 years. The first six years were facilitated through the Española Valley Chamber of Commerce and for the last 14 years, this student art show was run under the auspices of the CCPA. Art students from area high schools were given an opportunity to show and sell their work and to receive recognition for their outstanding efforts.
The Chimayó Festival Studio Tour
Sponsored in part by the CCPA, this annual studio tour provided the opportunity for people to visit the homes and studios of local artists and craftspeople. Local businesses, including galleries and weaving shops, held special events. It was an economic benefit to the community and an opportunity for locals and visitors to get to know Chimayó’s creative side.
Chimayó Preservation Plan
In cooperation with the Chimayó Citizens for Community Planning, the CCPA administered this project to develop a Chimayó Preservation Plan, a guide to preserving Chimayó’s historic and cultural resources. It is part of the effort to create a community development plan for Chimayó. The preservation plan was funded in part by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Office.
Chimayosos: Portrait of a Community
This collection of framed photographs by Don J. Usner was donated to the Chimayó Museum and is now part of its permanent collection.
Restoration of the Casita Martina
During the summer of 2017, the Chimayó Cultural Preservation Association collaborated with Cornerstones Community Partnerships and the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, to begin restoration work on the historic Casita Martina on the Plaza del Cerro. By the end of 2018 the Casita was stabilized, plastered with mud inside and out, fitted with a new roof and repaired canales (roof gutters) and a new earthen floor; doors and windows were completed by 2020.
Restoration of Casa Desiderio
Partnering again with Cornerstones, the CCPA lent logistical support to a private landowner’s efforts to restore another historic structure on the west side of the Plaza del Cerro, the Casa Desiderio.