Albuquerque, New Mexico – December 1999

By: Miriam Schacht

You will know that the holiday season has begun in Albuquerque by the luminarias. The University of New Mexico campus was covered in them on December 3rd, and many houses and stores line their roofs, if not their walkways, with them.

Luminarias (also called farolitos) are small brown paper bags filled with sand and a small candle placed in the sand. These luminous brown lights are ubiquitous in New Mexico around Christmastime, and although some stores now use plastic versions with lightbulbs inside, there are still plenty of places that go through the trouble of using the real thing.

There are several different stories about how the luminarias came to be; the Navajo writer Luci Tapahonso includes one version, “Skradena and the Candles”, in her wonderful book Blue Horses Rush In, though the most well-known version is the one related by Rudolfo Anaya, The Farolitos of Christmas. It’s worth looking at one or both of these stories if you’re going to be in the Southwest at this time of year, to get a sense of the sources and stories behind this tradition.

And while you can see luminarias everywhere you turn these days, on December 24th there is a special luminaria tour that shows off the most spectacular displays. Call (505) 842-9918 for more information. The Botanical Gardens also offers its Rivers of Light show, which includes “millions of twinkling lights, large fantasy light sculptures, holiday decor, carolers and holiday entertainment” – probably a nice place to go if you’re traveling with children. The Botanical Garden ((505) 764-6200), set along the Rio Grande, is located at 2601 Central NW (past Old Town), and is closed December 24-25.

The Pueblos around New Mexico celebrate Christmas with a variety of traditions, and some of these are open to the public. From December 24-29, you may attend a Spanish dance-drama Los Matachinas at Picuris and San Juan Pueblos; pine-torch processions at San Juan and Taos Pueblos, with a Kachina Dance at Taos; and Basket, Buffalo, Deer, Harvest, Rainbow and Turtle Dances at Acoma, Cochiti, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara and Taos Pueblos. Laguna Pueblo has Feast Days from December 25-28, including the Harvest Dance. Please keep in mind that these are community events that are open to the public, not tourist events, and that you are guests in these communities. Call (505) 843-7270 for more information on these events, and please see the October listing for more information on Feast Days.

Throughout the month, there are several free Sunday concerts, beginning at 4pm in the San Felipe de Neri Church, Old Town. Since San Felipe de Neri is one of Albuquerque’s oldest buildings, the concerts offer a nice way to combine your touring with a time to simply sit still and listen.

If, for reasons I personally do not understand, you are spending New Year’s Eve in Albuquerque or the surrounding area, there are, of course, several events. The most interesting of these is the Millennium Train Ride, sponsored by the Santa Fe Southern Railway. What better way to say goodbye to the 1900’s than on the trains that so dramatically affected the Western U.S. in the last century or two? The train ride, from Santa Fe to Lamy, begins at 9pm and lasts until 1:30am. Tickets and further information are available by calling (505) 989-8600.

If you’d rather not literally be moving into 2000, there are festivities in downtown Albuquerque beginning at 8am (yes, 8am – to coincide with New Year’s in New Zealand, of course) and lasting through midnight, Mountain Time. Downtown Albuquerque will be blocked off between 2nd and 7th streets and various festivities will be held throughout the day.

For those people not interested in getting up quite so early, the main events begin at 8pm, with the “Musical Celebration” on the Civic Plaza. At 10pm, the laser light show begins, the countdown clock starts counting (with plenty of time left) at 10:45, and at midnight, a “millenium fireworks show” begins. More information is available at www.abq2000.com or by calling (505) 842-9918.

General Info Section

Albuquerque, on the Rio Grande, is the largest city in New Mexico (pop. 600,000), and the most popular summertime activity is finding things to do in air conditioned spaces. Nonetheless, it’s still worth visiting (though if you have your choice, you might try for September or October instead, when the heat dies down a bit).

If you drive into Albuquerque – Interstates 25 and 40 intersect here – don’t be put off by the ugly parts of the city you’ll see. If you do plan to drive here, be aware that New Mexico has some of the worst drivers in the world: assume that the guy next to you has no clue what he’s doing, and drive defensively.

If you’re flying in, the Albuquerque International Airport is not far from town. It’s a 15-minute drive from the airport to Central Avenue (which offers some cheap motels – my personal favorite is the funky decorated Aztec Motel, 3821 Central NE, $22/single – and a youth hostel, at 1012 Central SW). Some buses service the airport.

Albuquerque’s public bus system isn’t totally hopeless, but forget going anywhere after dark (most buses run from 7 am to 7 pm).

Useful links:

Public transportation:

Bus routes, schedules, fares.

Lots of general area info (events, maps, history etc) and many useful links.

The Alibi, a free weekly local paper with all the nightlife info you’ll need.