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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 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 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 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).
Matthew Barbour is the deputy director of New Mexico Historic Sites, a division of New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. He has worked for the department since 2002 holds a BA and MA in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico. Throughout his decades-long career, he has published more than 200 nonfiction articles and monographs. In 2012 and 2014, he was awared the City of Santa Fe Heritage Preservation Award for Excellence in Archaeology.
![Aerial view of an arid landscape with a river on the left, a bridge in the distance, and a fenced compound containing buildings and vehicles on the right. [gen-ai]](https://elpalacio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/045345-400x225.jpg)
Almost eighty years ago, Coronado State Monument, now Coronado Historic Site, opened on May 29, 1940. At the time, much of the area surrounding Coronado Historic Site was undeveloped. Prior to the installation of Cochiti Dam, the Rio Grande Flood Plain was still active. The river was also much larger and wider. This aerial photograph, by Sargent Fullerton in around 1946, faces south.
![Six vintage glass bottles of various shapes, sizes, and colors are arranged against a plain white background. [gen-ai]](https://elpalacio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/That-Sink-of-Vice_2-400x225.jpg)
Santa Fe’s Fort Marcy Military Reservation BY MATTHEW J. BARBOUR On August 15, 1846, General Stephen Watts Kearny stood on top of a roof in Las Vegas, New Mexico. While an army from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, marched down the road in front of him toward the provincial capital of Santa Fe, he explained the intentions of the United States government to a crowd of local residents: “From the Mexican Government you never received protection.
![A person wearing sunglasses and a plaid shirt plays a hand drum outdoors, surrounded by rocks and trees with mountains in the background. [gen-ai]](https://elpalacio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Stories-to-Tell_3-400x225.jpg)
BY MATTHEW J. BARBOUR Dreams come true. Certainly mine did. In early 2013, I took over as manager of Jemez Historic Site. Now my job is to tell its story. I educate the public and preserve for the citizens of New Mexico and elsewhere one of the most remarkable historic sites in the country. [wonderplugin_slider id="137"] (more…)
![Black and white photo of ancient stone ruins situated on a hillside, surrounded by sparse trees and rocky terrain. [gen-ai]](https://elpalacio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/016523-400x225.jpg)
John K. Hillers, a German immigrant, became one of the greatest photographers of the American West. After serving in the Civil War he was hired as a general worker for the second Powell Expedition of the Grand Canyon in 1872. When the two photographers on the expedition left, he was made chief photographer. Armed with only the rudiments of photography, he quickly excelled in the role and won the deep friendship of Powell.
![A turquoise stone pendant with a small drilled hole, placed against a black background with a centimeter scale below showing 0 to 3 cm. [gen-ai]](https://elpalacio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Turquoise-at-Ogapogeh_5-400x225.jpg)
In October 2008, the Santa Fe Community Convention Center opened at the northeast corner of Grant Avenue and West Marcy Street, just a few blocks north of the plaza. The property has a long and vibrant history. Prior to the Convention Center, going backwards in time, the property housed the Santa Fe Civic Center, Santa Fe High School, portions of the Fort Marcy Military Reservation, portions of the Spanish presidio, and a large Pueblo village.
