February 2024 NM History & Culture Opportunities

The Albuquerque Historical Society & the Historical Society of NM

Encourage your participation in the following history & cultural events:


BLACK HISTORY MONTH 

ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM.  February 18, 2 pm. Retired Asst. Chief Herman Bishop & historian of the Fire Retiree Assoc. tells about the history of the Albuquerque Fire Dept (AFD). The fascinating history begins in 1882 with horse drawn wagons and volunteer bucket brigades. Free parking & Free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. albuqhistsoc.org.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW MEXICO. New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912. Read about it, https://newmexicohistory.org/nm-journey-to-become-a-state/Visit – NewMexicoHistory.org to view thousands of entries: photos, videos, podcasts, Timelines for the five periods of NM History & More ! The New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez can be reached at 505-476-7911.

LUNAR NEW YEAR & VALENTINE ACTIVITIES, MUSIC, CONCERTS, CAREER EXPLORATION, COMPUTER TRAINING, COOKING, & MORE – ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES AT THE BRANCHES OF THE ABC LIBRARY SYSTEM, Go to abqlibrary.org to review listing by location, days and times! Be sure to look for all kinds of free family & children’s activities.

NEW MEXICO LEGISLATURE MEETS THROUGH 12 NOON FEBRUARY 15, More information at NMLegis.gov.


FEBRUARY 3, 10am-2pm, free. Youth Job and Volunteer Fair, Berna Facio Center, 3315 Louisiana NE. Sponsored by the City of ABQ.

FEBRUARY 3, 10 am, free. Edgar Romero Ramos, archivist for San Felipe Neri Church speaks on “Ecclesial Registry: Understanding the recording of Catholic sacraments in the 19th & 20th centuries. In the Salon Orgeta of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 4th & Bridge SW.

FEBRUARY 3, 11 am-3 pm, free. Pano Project community symposium. National Hispanic Cultural Center. 1701 4th St. SW at Bridge. nhccnm.org.

FEBRUARY 3, 3-5 pm, free. Movie Matinee at Special Collections Library. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Some scenes filmed in Chama, NM. PG 13. Special Collections Library, 423 Central & Edith NE. Watch for parking regulations.

FEBRUARY 3, 9 am. Come help clean up historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. Wear hard soled shoes and bring your own tools. Garbage bags provided. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present”.

FEBRUARY 3, 11AM-12, free. Learn more about Aldo Leopold and the Leopold Land ethic. South Valley Library, 3904 Isleta SW.

FEBRUARY 3/4, 12 noon, Cultural dances, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. indianpueblo.org.

FEBRUARY 3, 2 pm, free. Three people speak on “Growing up in Taos, El Prado & Questa”. Come hear Louis Gallegos, Questa; Telesfor Gonzales, El Prado; John Miera, Taos with moderator Carmen Martinez Lieurance, Taos. Sponsored by the Taos County Historical Society. More info at TaosCountyHistoricalSociety.org. Monthly programs at Kit Carson Electric Boardroom, 118 Cruz Alta Rd.

FEBRUARY 4, 8 am, free. Bosque Wild Guided Hike. Check in at the Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW. RSVP 768-4950.

FEBRUARY 4, free admission to the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum. 1701 4th St. SW at Bridge.

FEBRUARY 4, 3 pm, free. The Albuquerque Concert Band performs at Eldorado High School’s performing arts center, Montgomery & Juan Tabo NE.

FEBRUARY 6, free admission to the Albuquerque Museum on the first Wednesday of the month.

FEBRUARY 6, 10:30 am, free. AGS Military Research Group, New Mexico Forts of 1848. 2nd floor of Main Library, 5th & Copper. Free 2 hour parking across street in City lot. Contact stubucks@gmail for more info.

FEBRUARY 7, 5:30-7 pm, free. In connection with Valentine’s Day, make a valentine card wreath and sample chocolate at the Erna Fergusson Library, 3700 San Mateo NE.

FEBRUARY 7, 12 noon, free, virtual. Nick Pappas, long time journalist speaks about Crosses of Iron, the Tragic Story of Dawson NM & Its Twin Mining Disasters. Sponsored by the NM History Museum Friends of History. Go to the website FriendsofHistoryNM.org/lecture-series/ to watch this and the past lectures on their YouTube channel.

FEBRUARY 8, 11 am-12 noon, free but donations appreciated. Legendary Cowboy Singer Bob Bovee. Contact 243-6269 or leba4@aol.com to RSVP. Wheels Museum, 1100 2ndSt. SW.

FEBRUARY 8, 12 noon-1pm, free. Michael Anthony Trio performs at the Erna Ferguson Library, 3700 San Mateo NE. Michael Anthony has performed with many famous musicians & singers across the US.

FEBRUARY 8/9, $2. National Hispanic Cultural Center, tour of Torreon. nhccnm.org

FEBRUARY 9, 6pm, $10 includes drink ticket. “Science on Tap”, Nuclear Forensics: Science and Policy for a Safer World. Dr. Stephen LaMont, from Los Alamos National Lab and UNM. National Museum of Nuclear Science.

FEBRUARY 10/11, all day, free parking & admission. Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally. Rio Rancho City Center.

FEBRUARY 10, 1-4 pm, free. Casa San Ysidro reopens with an Open House. Old Church Rd., Corrales. Contact Aaron Gardner for more info. agardner@cabq.gov, 898-3915.

FEBRUARY 10, 2 pm, free. Salinas Pueblo ranger Alex Arnold speaks on “Diversity in the Heart of NM” and those who settled in the Salinas Pueblo area. Manzano Mountain Art Council, 101 Broadway, Mountainair, NM. ManzanoMountainArtCouncil.org.

FEBRUARY 10, 10 am-4pm, free. Regular monthly book sale by the Friends of the ABQ BernCo Public Library. Main branch, 5th & Copper NW. Two hour free parking across the street at the City garage. Bring your ticket in to be stamped.

FEBRUARY 10, 1-2:30 pm, free. LUNAR NEW  YEAR celebration of the Year of the Dragon. Outdoors at Chinese Culture Center, 427 Adams SECome very early to get a seat or bring your own lawn chair.

FEBRUARY 10, 11am-12:30pm, free. Celebrate Lunar New Year with activities at the Ernie Pyle Library, 900 Girard SE.

FEBRUARY 10/11, 12 noon, admission fee. Cultural Dance Program representing various pueblos. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Go to indianpueblo.org for more info.

FEBRUARY 10, 2 pm, free.  A Long Journey, the Hidden Jews of the Southwest” a one hour film of modern day NM Catholics whose secret was their hidden Jewish roots. Sandoval County Historical Society. Sandoval County Historical Society & Museum, 161 Homestead Lane, located between the Santa Ana Star Casino and Coronado Historic Site, just north of 550, turn at the dirt road by the IHOP. SandovalHistory.org. 505-867-2755.

FEBRUARY 10, 10:30 am, free. “Confinement in the Land of Enchantment. The Japanese American Citizens League presents a multimedia presentation about the 4500 Japanese Americans who were put in internment camps in Lordsburg, Santa Fe and Ft. Stanton during WW II. Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE at Edith. Watch for parking regulations.

FEBRUARY 10, 1 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, The Cautivo System through DNA. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

FEBRUARY 11, 2-3 pm, free. Come learn about the West African kora, a 21 string harp. Sean Gaskell will play and demonstrate. Pat Baca Central Unser Library at 8081 Central NW at Unser NW.

FEBRUARY 11, free. NM Japanese American Citizens League presents a multimedia program about the internment camps in Lordsburg, Santa Fe and Ft. Stanton during WW II. Speaker series “Resistance & Resilience” sponsored by the NM Holocaust and Intolerance Museum.  NM Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana SE.

FEBRUARY 11. Sunday morning admission free from 9 am-1 pm at the Albuquerque Museum. Go to cabq.gov/artsculture/albuquerque-Museum.

FEBRUARY 12, 11:45 am, free. Albuquerque Press Women & Friends. Speaker is Franz Joachim, general manager of NMPBS who will speak on “Challenges to public television in the age of streaming & social media. ” Joachim has 47 years in TV production and came to KNME in 1999. He became general manager/CEO of NMPBS in 2013. In-person at Weck’s Restaurant, 7301 Paseo del Norte NE.  (You may purchase food/beverage.) More info from lockettabq@comcast.net. Sponsored by Albuquerque Press Women and Friends.

FEBRUARY 12 LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY (1809-1865)

FEBRUARY 13, 7 pm, free. Dr. Siegfried Hecker speaks on Oppenheimer, The Rest of the Story. Los Alamos High School Duane Smith Auditorium, 1300 Diamond Dr. Los Alamos. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Historical Society. More information at losalamoshistory.org.

FEBRUARY 13, 6:30 pm, free but donations accepted. The Ownership and Management of Tijeras Pueblo: A History, presented by Jeremy Kulisheck. He has 40 years of archaeology experience with the Forest Service. Sponsored by the Friends of Tijeras Pueblo at the Sandia Ranger Station, just off I-40 in Tijeras.

FEBRUARY 13, 2 pm, in-person or virtual. free but $5 donation requested. Ears of Corn: Listen by Max Early (Laguna). IPCC Book Club. More info at indianpueblo.org.

FEBRUARY 14 VALENTINE’S DAY

FEBRUARY 14, 10 am-1pm, free. Love in the Archives, display of various books, collections and documents about love, Zimmerman Library Waters Room. Sponsored by UNM’s Center for SW Research.

FEBRUARY 15, 1 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, The Anza Expedition 1775-1776 from Tubac, Arizona to California. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

FEBRUARY 15, 5-8pm, free. 3rd THURSDAY AT ABQ MUSEUM. See “Coast to Coast” traveling exhibit of Indigenous art in Canada. Music performed by Alex Maryol, blues, indie rock, R & B.

FEBRUARY 16, 5-7 pm, free. Noche de Familia Fiesta del Baile, family friendly, dance party, art activities followed by 7pm showing of film Selena. National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th SW. More information at nhccnm.org.

FEBRUARY 16, 8-10 am, free. “Dancing in the Cave, Asian Spiritual Edition” at Maxwell Museum. In cooperation with the NM Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center. maxwellmuseum.edu.

 FEBRUARY 17, 2pm, free. Tiffanie Owen, speaks on The Real Story of Billy the KidManzano Mountain Arts Center. 101 Broadway, Mountainair. ManzanoMountainArtCouncil.org.

FEBRUARY 18, 2 pm, free.  Lenten Foods: Share Your Traditions. Bring your recipes and stories. Sandoval County Historical Society. Sandoval County Historical Society & Museum, 161 Homestead Lane, located between the Santa Ana Star Casino and Coronado Historic Site, just north of 550, turn at the dirt road by the IHOP. SandovalHistory.org. 505-867-2755.

FEBRUARY 18, 2pm, free. Valencia County Historical Society presents long time resident Ronnie Torres. Belen Public Library, 333 Becker. Belen.

FEBRUARY 18, 2pm, free. ABQ Historical Society. Retired Fire Chief Herman Bishop talks about the history of the Albuquerque Fire Dept. Free parking and free admission to the ABQ Museum. Sponsored by the Albuquerque Historical Society. albuqhistsoc.org.

FEBRUARY 18, 2 pm, free. Charles Seery speaks about the “Indian Detours Drivers of the Fred Harvey Company”. Sponsored by the  Corrales Historical Society, old San Ysidro Church, 966 Old Church Rd., CorralesCorralesHistory.org.

FEBRUARY 17/18, 12 noon, fee. Cultural dances, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. More info at indianpueblo.org.

FEBRUARY 19 PRESIDENT’S DAY, FEDERAL HOLIDAY &  PUBLIC SCHOOLS HOLIDAY

FEBRUARY 20, all day, free. Back in Time, learn about hieroglyphics.  Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE at Edith. Be aware of parking restrictions around the Library.

FEBRUARY 21, the University of New Mexico “Big Give Day”. More information at unmbiggive.unmfund.org.

FEBRUARY 22, birthday of President George Washington (1732-1799)

FEBRUARY 22, 6:30-8 PM, free in person and virtual. Annual “Ancestors” Lecture-Becoming Human, The Early stages from Ape to Hominin by Dr. Sherry Nelson. Hibben Center, Room 105. More info at maxwellmuseum.unm.edu.

FEBRUARY 23, 4-7 pm, free. UNM Art Museum in Popejoy Hall hosts an opening reception for “Hindsight Insight 4.0 Portraits, Landscapes & Abstraction”.

FEBRUARY 24, 1-3 pm, free. Moriarty Historical Society & Museum presents  Phil & Rosanne Archuletta describing  “Women Marked for History: New Mexico Historic Markers”. They will also sign their book on the same subject. Co-sponsored by the Historical Society of NM Speakers Bureau.  202 Broadway S. in Moriarty, NM.

FEBRUARY 24, 10 am-12 noon, free. Ancestors “Family Day” with kid friendly activities and crafts. UNM Maxwell Museum. More info at maxwellmuseum.unm.edu.

FEBRUARY 24, 10am-12 noon, fee. Local historian Joe Sabatini reviews the history of the Albuquerque Indian School, 1881-1981 from its beginnings then describes its closure, deterioration of the property,  its eventual demolition, reaction of nearby neighbors, development agreements and redevelopment now. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. More info from IndianPueblo.org.

FEBRUARY 24, 2 pm, free. Dixie Boyle speaks on The History of Cowboy Art & Joe Brazil. Manzano Mountain Art Center, 101 E. Broadway, mountainair.

FEBRUARY 24, 2 pm, free. Dirk Van Hart speaks on New Mexico’s Magnificent Sandia Mountains, the Complete Geological StoryPlacitas Community Library, 453 Highway 65 east from I-25, 867-3355. PlacitasLibrary.com.

FEBRUARY 24, 2-3 pm, free. The Sandia Mountain Dulcimers play a variety of music at the Lomas Tramway Library.

FEBRUARY 24, 1 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, The Villa de Alburquerque 1775-1776. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

FEBRUARY 25, 2-4 pm, free. Phil & Rosanne Archuletta present “New Mexico Historic Markers”, 12 Camino Municipal, Tijeras Village Hall. sponsored by the East Mountain Historical Society.  eastmountainhistory.org.

FEBRUARY 25, 2pm, free. Deborah Blanche presents a Chautauqua performance of noted NM photographer Laura Gilpin. Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo, 145 Calle Malinche. Sponsored by the Friends of Coronado & Jemez Historic Sites.

FEBRUARY 27, 10am-2pm, free. “Last Chance” book sale of genealogy related books. Only cash or checks. Main Library Genealogy Center, 2nd floor, 5th & Copper NW. Free parking across the street at the City garage. Bring your parking ticket for validation.

FEBRUARY 27, 5-6 pm, free. Concert by Sun Sounds, folk inspired & includes hip-hop. Lomas Tramway Library.

FREBRUARY 27, 6-7 pm, free. Tracey Whitney sings jazz, classical, soul and blues. International Library, 7601 Central NE.

FEBRUARY 27, 6-7 pm, $10. Of Noble Kings Descended: Colonial Documents of the Ancient Southwest. Winter Lecture Series sponsored by El Rancho de las Golondrinas. NM Museum of Art in Santa Fe.

FEBRUARY 29 LEAP DAY (occurring every 4 years)

FEBRUARY 29, 1 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, The Founding of California and the connection to Spain and Russia. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.


Closed until Feb. 1, Randall Davey Audubon Center and sanctuary, 1800 Upper Canyon Rd. in Santa Fe. Tour the gardens and historic Randall Davey house. Fridays @ 1 pm are docent led house tours, $5. Saturdays @8:30 am are guided bird walk. More info at RandallDavey.audubon.org. Monday – Saturday, 8am-4pm.

The historic court case involving Isleta pueblo member Miguel Trujillo and voting rights for Native Americans. To request traveling exhibit contact tasneem.bsaies@dca.nm.gov. There is a six part podcast available at podcast.nmculture.org.

DOZENS OF ACTIVITIES & PODCASTS DESCRIBED ON THE WEBSITE OF THE NEW MEXICO HUMANITIES COUNCIL, NMhumanities.org.

INDIAN EDUCATION AT UNM, iaie.unm.edu. Watch several previously recorded programs about Native American education, the Dine language and more.

HISTORIC SANTA FE FOUNDATION (historicSantaFe.org) offers many free programs to watch: Ron Duncan Hart speaking on the Early Jews in NM; Rob Martinez – The Enduring Hispanic Music of NM.

The Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW is open. Times are Sunday-Thursday, 9 am-12 noon. Call first to confirm, 243-6269 or info@wheelsmuseum.org.

MURALS OF ALBUQUERQUE (www.murosabq.com) This shows over 130 murals in the ABQ metro area. You click on each picture and it shows the mural, gives its title and address, describes the image, and the artists.

ONLINE TOUR OF THE 15 HISTORIC MURALS AT THE INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER The tour gives details  of the artist and the dance or ritual illustrated in the mural. https://indianpueblo.org/pueblos-pigments-and-prominence-the-murals-of-ipcc/

Virtual Tour of the Downtown Main Library, 1975. Presented by Modern Albuquerque and sponsored by the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund. More information including the YouTube link to the live stream is on their Events page. See www.modernabq.org/events

Cibola County History Museum, 525 West High St., Grants NM. Go to the museum’s Facebook page for more information.

NUCLEAR MUSEUM – The Museum has a huge collection of oral history interviews (also transcribed) called Voices of the Manhattan Project. There are some 600 interviews of individuals who were either at the Manhattan Project or a family member who worked there. The  interviews are organized into 39 categories such as: Internment of Japanese Americans, Life in the Secret cities,  Hispanic employees, Native American. https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/educate/atomic-heritage-foundation  https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. invites anyone to come and hoe tumbleweeds and goat heads. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. Wear hard soled shoes & bring your own tools.   www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present.

*****AMAZING HISTORY / CULTURE OPPORTUNITIES ONLINE*****

Many of the museums and cultural centers in the ABQ metro area have put programming on their websites, Facebook pages or YouTube links. This includes everything from:

  • concerts, history lectures, video tours of various museum collections,
  • photograph pod casts, curriculum and study guides for children, audio interviews,

All of this is free and even “low tech” individuals can navigate these websites. There are YouTube channels available at no cost to watch to all. You are urged to explore many websites but especially these:

  • CORONADO HISTORIC SITE – Watch numerous programs from the website of the Friends of Coronado Historic Site. Kuaua.org/presentations. All info on their website.
  • NEW MEXICO HISTORY IN TEN MINUTES (newmexicohistory.org) On the home page, go to the bottom and click on Video of the Month. The entire list of episodes will appear by clicking on the corner of the video. NM State Historian Rob Martinez is most engaging and informative and there are more than 40 Episodes. The episodes may be heard in chronological order or by topic which is introduced in the first minute or so of the episode.
  • CIVIC AUDITORIUM HISTORY VIDEO (1957-1986) www.modernabq.org. Go to the Resources Tab, then the drop down to the three Civic Auditorium videos. They tell the story of the structure: why it was built, how it was used and why it was ultimately demolished.
  • HOLOCAUST MUSEUM and GELLERT EDUCATION CENTER NM, 616 Central SW. Go to the website nmholocaustmuseum.org. Questions call 247-0606.
  • ALBUQUERQUE OASIS LIFELONG LEARNING PRESENTS VARIOUS NM TOPICS www.albuquerque.oasisnet.org  or 884-4529.

ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVED VIDEO PROGRAMS

The Albuquerque Historical Society provides videos of scheduled program presentations. The videos are linked to from the appropriate AHS Program pages. Presentations captured on videos to date include: