El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-01-25
Santa Fe PerbetuateS Typical Architecture
Of The Pueblo; 4 Style FL PaSO Might Adopt
Moorish and Mission Blend
In Architecture That
Makes New Mexico
Capital Famous.
By PAUL A. F. WALTER.

| every other type Of architecture ex-
/ cept a type that is American. native
to the soil, fitting in the environment
/ New York sky scrapers come nearest
to that ideal, perhaps; the Colonial.
while an echo Of an English past.
I does fit into its environment occa-
/ sionaily. II is the southwest alone.
where an American type Of architec-
ture has evolved. has grown out OF
the soil. is part OF the environment
( has its roots in the dim. prehistoric
past and has the flavor. the feeling.
/ the atmosphere. 10 be found only in
! those things that belong"
But few American cities have in
dividuality. You can take a dozen OF
the average ones. shake them up and
set them down in another place and
they are just as much in place. or
rather out Of place. as where they
are now. They are a conglomeration
Of architecture lacking originality.
very seldom fitting into its environ
ment There are exceptions. of course.
for lower New York IS developing
an Individuality: Boston has q little
flavor OF the soil and Of its history:
Germantown is unique: Santa Bar
bara is largely its own beautiful self.
but OF all the state capitals and bet
ter known towns. Santa Fe alone is
developing along historical and ar
tistic lines in accordance with its
natural background.
Only Recent Accomplishment.
Il is, however. only the past ten
years. since the School Of American
Research and the Museum OF New
Mexico, have preached this gospel in
and out OF season. that New Mexico is
self sufficient unto itself. need not
borrow art. architecture. background
or architecture. but need merely TO
use what il has in material in eN-
ample, 70 set the pace in city build
ing and architecture for the rest Of
the southwest.
Centuries. even mflIeniums ago. the
Pueblo Indian developed a religion. a
ceremonial. an art system. If you
please, that accumulated the fact that
the Indian seeks to set himself in
harmony with the elements. with the
nlgner powers. with his environment
and with the traditions Of the An
clients, trend Of mind the reverse
that Of the paleface who seeks mas
terry rather than harmony in dealing
with nature. with life. with art. AS
q O.
modified by material climate. stone
implements. lack of metal. and other
obviouS limitations, the Pueblo In
dian evolved an architecture which
is in reality part Of the soil. was
constructed Of the clay or the rocks
on which it stood or which surrounded
it. which assumed the protective
coloring one finds in animal and plant
life, especially in the desert: which
was home. castle. fortress and sane
tuary. The house pyramids OF Taos
are fine example Of this Indian ar
chitecrure, as truly American as the
Indian himself Its application in al
most pure form. is found in the inn
pressive School for the Deaf and
Dumb built by. the state at santa Fe.
Moorish ard Indian Meet.
As early as 1893, more than eighty
years before the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth Rock. came the Francis
cans and brought the light of the
Cross 10 the Pueblos. They brought
more. They had memories Of churches
and cathedrals in Andalusia. of the
Alhambra, Of the lovely buildings
reared by the Moor at Seville and
so a strange thing happened. The
Moorish and the Indian met in the
mission churches built by the Indians
under the direction Of the Francis
cans.
The women were the masons
reared the walls OF the missions
At PecOs. ut AcOma. at AbO, ut
Cuarai. at Tabira and elsewhere.
their dreams. their traditions,
their sense Of harmony with en-
vironmcnf, went uncOnscfOusIy Into
the walls, the towers, the inter
fOrs of the huge structures
planned for them by the Frun-
cfseans, who in turn had visions
of the Alhambra.
When you come to Santa Fe, in the ]
part Of town opposite from that in !
which the purely Pueblo type Of the /
Deaf and Dumb school is reared, you I
viii find a replica Of the Court OF
Lions Of the Alhambra- It is the 4
Scottish Rite Masonic Cathedral It, /
too belongs in the frame Of the Blood /
of Christ mountains-its color is red I
and il. too. snuggles close to the /
foothills and does not disturb the I
harmony Of the old Santa Fe res
licences which crawl up the slopes OF .
historic Fort Marcy and surround the .
ancient Garita. the customs house. Z
the capilla, the cemetery and the place .
of execution. while above are the old
Qualifications.
The New Museum.
Then in the center Of the city. close +
to the pulsing heart Of the commun-
ity. is the building which is the type
of the wedding Of the Pueblo and the
ciscans in the arid southwest In
its plastic outlines. in its color Of the I
foothills. in its lovely patio, its ma
jestic towers. its glowing interior, it
has been pronounced enthusiastically
the finest building in the southwest
by artists and architects from New
York. from san Francisco and from
CHICAGO 4 few have gone so far as
10 say they know Of no building so
satisfactory or which gives them as
much joy It has given Santa Fe,
New Mexico and the southwest more /
favorable publicity than any other
one factor
Magazine after magazine. newspa-
per upon newspaper. pamphlets one
after another. have pictures and are
picturing this superb building, and
incidentally are persuading people OF
visions and means TO come to Santa
Fe TO see and learn what is being
done there for American art. music,
literature and architecture.
Dedicated To Martyrs
The new museum is dedicated to the
Franciscan martyrs It is a monu-
ment to the ancient races and their
Spanish conQuerors. It is the home
Of science. art. music, literature. and
those finer things which are the
blossom OF civilization. il is the cap
stone. the crown Of New Mexico's
educational system; the peoples uni
versity where young and old may en-
joy beauty, may drink In Inspiration,
may have those beautiful attributes