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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).
Mark Crawford (opens in a new tab) is a writer in Corrales, New Mexico. He has written five books, including the Encyclopedia of the Mexican-American War and Confederate Courage on Other Fields: Overlooked Episodes of Leadership, Cruelty, Character, and Kindness.
By Mark J. Crawford Although new to America and often struggling to find work, Italian immigrants Joe and Dominica Cresto Curbis felt extremely grateful for the opportunity to settle in the United States in the early part of the twentieth century. They were further blessed when their son, Dominic Sebastian Curbis, was born on July 20, 1921, in Ridley, Kansas. The family soon moved west to work in the New Mexico coal fields.
