Curator Talk - Creating a Monster: Origins of Zozobra
Schedule
Sun Jun 07 2026 at 02:00 pm to 03:30 pm
UTC-06:00Location
113 Lincoln Ave , Santa Fe, NM, United States, New Mexico 87501 | Santa Fe, NM
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Join Hannah Abelbeck, co-curator of "Zozobra: A Fire That Never Goes Out," at the New Mexico History Museum on Sun., June 7, 2 - 3:30 p.m. for a talk about a few of the collaborations, historical moments, and folk traditions that inspired Zozobra.In particular, she will dive into how Zozobra was cooked up by Santa Fe artists who wanted to inject a sense of play into things they found dreary, including didactic observations of Santa Fe Fiestas. Zozobra emerged from the same brainstorming sessions that produced 1924’s Pasatiempo parade. The 1926 Pasatiempo parade that followed was a staged public protest against the head of the Museum, Edgar Lee Hewett.
Through puppets, performance, and spectacle, the collaborators created a watershed moment. Their intervention helped shape beloved traditions and revitalize Santa Fe’s identity without fully resolving cultural conflicts at stake in the controversy.
Hannah Abelbeck is the Curator of Photographs and Archival Collections at the New Mexico History Museum. She has worked in archives at the museum since 2013, including in past roles as digitization specialist and photo archivist. In addition to overseeing archival and library collections, she has curated and contributed to the museum's exhibitions and programs through the years.
Today is the last day to see "Zozobra: A Fire That Never Goes Out." Admission is free to New Mexico residents. Talk is included with admission for non-residents.
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Where is it happening?
113 Lincoln Ave , Santa Fe, NM, United States, New Mexico 87501Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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