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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).
Dr. C.L. Kieffer Nail is the registrar at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, a division of New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. She previously served the department as the Historic Preservation and Interpretation Specialist for New Mexico Historic Sites. Kieffer has nearly two decades of museum experience in collections and exhibitions from previous roles with the Autry National Center, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. She holds a bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of California Riverside, a master’s in anthropology from California State University Los Angeles, a master’s in Museum Studies from the University of New Mexico, and a doctorate in anthropology with an emphasis on Archaeology from the University of New Mexico.
New Mexico Historic Sites hired Dr. Oliver Horn as the new regional site manager to oversee the operations of Fort Stanton and Lincoln Historic Sites. Recently, Olivers at down with Historic Sites’ historic preservation and interpretation specialist, Dr. C. L. Kieffer, for a conversation about their shared passion for history, preservation, and interpretation at Fort Stanton—the largest historic site in the state. C. L.
By C.L. Kieffer When you walk the Los Luceros Historic Site property, the apple orchard is impossible to miss, and many understand the orchard has been here a long time—even if there are no signs to tell them it dates back to the mid-1700s, when it was Sebastian Martin’s ranch. We at New Mexico Historic Sites know that sometimes signs and labels distract from the natural beauty, so we invite guests to dive deeper with guided tours and supplemental reading about the different historic sites throughout the state.
By Carlyn Stewart and C. I. Kieffer Photographs by Carlyn Stewart On a beautiful fall day in Northern New Mexico, you can take an easy drive and visit Los Luceros Historic Site in Alcalde, just north of Española between Santa Fe and Taos. While you are there, make sure to pick an apple from the historic orchard. Walk among the golden cottonwood leaves, down the dirt road, until you come to a large two-story building.
![A man in a feathered headdress and camouflage jacket stands among a group of people, some raising fists, with a cloudy sky in the background. [gen-ai]](https://elpalacio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Friday-2256-400x225.png)
BY C.L. KIEFFER AND DEVORAH ROMANEK Most exhibits take years to plan, which is antithetical for museums that aim to be responsive to issues of contemporary urgency in today’s technologically-driven world. Take the issue of the protests at Standing Rock. (more…)
BY CHRIS CREWS AND C.L. KIEFFER Saturday, October 21 is International Archaeology Day. For the past few years the Department of Cultural Affairs has celebrated this day with an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Center for New Mexico Archaeology (CNMA). Last year, the focus was on maize, and this year, projectile points are in the spotlight.
![Several broken porcelain doll parts, including limbs, a torso, a head, and a fragment of an arm, are scattered on a flat surface. [gen-ai]](https://elpalacio.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/past_play-400x225.jpg)
