Contributors

For over a century, El Palacio has been a forum for voices exploring New Mexico’s art, archaeology, history, and landscape. Explore the writers, photographers, historians, and scientists whose perspectives have defined the magazine’s pages—past and present.

Arthur Sze

Arthur Sze is the current U.S. Poet Laureate. Sze is a poet, translator, and editor. He is the author of twelve books, including Into the Hush, Sight Lines, and others. Sze’s poems have been translated into fifteen languages, and he is the recipient of the National Book Award among many other honors. He lives in Santa Fe.

Deborah Jackson Taffa

Deborah Jackson Taffa is a citizen of the Quechan Nation and Laguna Pueblo. Her memoir Whiskey Tender was a 2024 National Book Award Finalist and was longlisted for the 2025 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. Taffa serves as the director of the MFA in creative writing program at the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Cara Romero

Cara Romero is an award-winning contemporary fine art photographer. An enrolled citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Romero’s expansive oeuvre has been informed by formal training in film, digital, fine art, and commercial photography. She maintains a studio in Santa Fe, regularly participates in Native American art fairs, and was featured in PBS’ Craft in America (2019).

Dominic AZ Bonuccelli

Dominic AZ Bonuccelli (opens in a new tab) is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker who has travelled to more than eighty countries – from Cuba to Cambodia and Kiribati to Tibet – capturing images as the lead photographer for Rick Steves’ Europe and Lonely Planet travel guides.

Four dancers on a stage with a black background in various poses, several with arms extended wide.

“¿Tecolote d’ónde vienes?”

Four dancers take the stage. Their headpieces cast a striking resemblance to the headdresses of los soldados from the tradition of Los Matachines. Long colorful ribbons flutter down their backs and fringe covers their eyes. The vocals of Lia Martinez, Jordan Wax, and Shae Fiol of Lone Piñon hauntingly narrate the movement of messenger birds on stage with the opening words: “¿Tecolote d’ónde vienes?” or “Where do you come from, little owl?” A keen eye will quickly notice the contrast of brown bodies against brightly colored costumes.