The Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor Welcomes you!

The Mission of the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor is to Protect the living cultural landscape of the Tijeras Watershed for current and future generations by creating a sense of place through oral histories, landscape, and relationships between land, animals, water, and people.

Water scarcity is an ever-increasing concern in our arid region. Protecting water has never been more important. As you spend time in the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor, consider how the presence or lack of water has created spaces for interaction, innovation, conflict, and adaptation for people, plants, and animals. How can you help protect the Tijeras Creek and other waterways and conserve this precious resource we all depend upon?

As you spend time in the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor, think about how the presence or lack of water has created spaces for interaction, innovation, conflict, and adaption for the people, plants, and animals here and how we can ensure a vibrant future for our communities by protecting Tijeras Creek and other waterways and in our day-to-day use of this precious resource. 

The City of Albuquerque Open Space Division developed the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor Plan, which includes two components focused on trails and interpretation in the Tijeras area. A desk and field assessment was conducted to identify the existing unofficial trails, opportunities for trail connections, and parking and trail access to City Open Space lands within the Tijeras Biological Zone and surrounding area. The plan includes linking Open Space trails from Eastern Albuquerque into the East Mountains, and invites locals and tourists alike to visit the sites along the TCCC to enjoy the open lands, flora and fauna, and vistas of the region.

The second focus of the project was to work across jurisdictions to develop an interpretive signage plan that captures the area's cultural, historical, and environmental significance.  The planning effort involved numerous partners and outreach efforts to the general public, both visitors and residents of the area.  

TCCC is a multijurisdictional collaboration between the City of Albuquerque,   Cañon de Carnué Land Grant  , Bernalillo County, and the Village of Tijeras.

Traveling the TCCC, you will have the opportunity to visit the homelands of many communities. Waves of different Indigenous communities have made a home in the region, starting over 10,000 years ago through today. Colonists, settlers, and immigrants arrived here starting in the 1500s, and newcomers continue to build lives in the area. The mountains, creekside, and foothills contain myriad habitat zones where plants, animals, and people come together, often around water sources.

As you visit, remember that this land is home to many and holds a wealth of traditions, species, histories, and resources. We hope you will find this place to be as invaluable as we do. Join us in building, protecting, and restoring the querencia and environment of the cultural corridor. You can do this in a few simple ways:

• Be Mindful & Observant: Listen for others around you, know where your feet are, and keep an eye out for fragile features like anthills, eroding slopes, or new growth at the edges of trails.
• Share Space: Always stay on marked trails, to protect life above, on, and below the surface. Allow faster travelers to go ahead. Pause and allow wildlife to cross the trail without crowding.
• Be a Steward: Educate your friends and family about the TCCCP. Share tips on how to preserve habitat and archaeological sites when visiting.
• Leave No Trace: Following  The Seven Principles  of Leave No Trace provides an easily understood framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors.
• Visit With Respect: Remember this landscape holds deep meaning for many people. Respect the rich, multifaceted history of our communities: their sacred places, solemn memories, and joyful celebrations are all part of our querencia, or sense of home.
• Get Involved: The  CABQ Open Space  and other local organizations and agencies welcome volunteers, visitors, school groups, and offer ways to play an active part in protecting the TCCC and all of our shared spaces.

• Explore the Interpretive Signs: Find engaging and educational content specific to the TCCC project in these six locations...
  •  Singing Arrow Complex  (City of Albuquerque)
  •  Route 66 Open Space  (the site of historic  Little Beaver Town ) (City of Albuquerque Open Space)
  •  Tijeras Bio-Zone Education Center  (City of Albuquerque Open Space)
  •  Cañon de Carnué Land Grant Hall  (Cañon de Carnué Land Grant)
  •  Tijeras Creek Remediation Site  (Bernalillo County)
  •  Camino Primera Agua Park  (Village of Tijeras)

• Explore the Trails:  Dozens of trails  provide hiking, biking, horseback, and other access to some of the most diverse environments in our region, as well as stunning views of the plains and the Rio Grande Valley. Use our  'Explore the Region'  tab to choose a trail that takes you up from the foothills through different ecological zones as you climb in elevation, or explore the region along the mountains or foothills. From short jaunts to rugged terrain, there is a route that meets your needs!
• Explore by Car: the  TCCC extends about 12 miles , and it has long been a connecting route by all manner of transport. Hop in the car and take a scenic drive, stopping at roadside signs and sites for an overview of the area.
• Explore the StoryMap: You've found it! This resource can be used as a companion guide as you explore the region and interpretive signs placed through the area or for further exploration from home.
•  Even More to Explore: Easily connect the TCCC with other interpretive trails and routes;  Historic Route 66 ,  the Salt Mine Trail ,  Turquoise Trail , and  El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro  all intersect with the TCCC.

The  Tijeras Creek Watershed Collaborative  is an interagency initiative focused on preserving and improving the Tijeras Creek Watershed ecological and cultural landscapes through public education and on-the-ground restoration. It is a great resource for more insight into the ecology of the TCCC region!

Water is crucial to maintaining life, especially in our arid environment. Water creates community on cultural and ecological scales. When we protect water, we protect communities. Protecting water has been at the core of innovation, conflict, connection, evolution and growth.

Due to its location, Tijeras has been a site where communities have encountered each other over the ages. The corridor funnels water, animals, humans, ideas, and materials into a small intermingling space. The area is home to geological, hydraulic, faunal, floral, and cultural meetings, creating a zone of rich interaction, exchange, and diversity.

As a conduit, Tijeras Creek permits the flow of water, animals and people. It has been used for centuries as a passageway between the great plains to the east and river valley to the west. Indigenous peoples used it for seasonal migrations and trade. It was the route for Apaches and Comanches, Spanish colonial villages along the Rio Grande, and the Carnuel Land Grant which gave generations of Hispanic and Genízaro settlers land of their own. It also served as a major Long Walk route, when Navajos were forced from their home to Bosque Redondo at Fort Stanton. It was a place of respite and healing for “health-seekers,” who came to the Tuberculosis sanatoria in the early 20th century and decided to make it their permanent home.

Several ecological communities meet here as well. The mountain pass connects three different plant and animal communities: the Southwestern tablelands, conifer woodland savanna, and the Albuquerque basin leading into the Arizona/New Mexico Plateau. The creek itself contains riparian vegetation and provides forage and habitat to many migratory bird species.

The Tijeras Creek, or canyon, now serves as a major cross-continental travelway, still celebrated as a piece of classic Americana; Historic Route 66 (also known as New Mexico Highway 333).

Interstate 40, built in the 1950s, facilitated the increase of high-speed cross-continental travel. Visitors driving from west to east can take the 333, hear America the Beautiful on the “musical road,” stop at historic Molly’s bar, and visit the Tijeras Pueblo ruins. Visitors traveling west toward Albuquerque will pass Gordon Heuther’s Aluminum Yucca, a 22-foot yucca made from salvaged hollow aluminum fuel tanks, a nod to the city’s importance as a military base. And as they descend into Albuquerque, they will see the Rio Grande Valley open up before them. In this way, the Tijeras Creek corridor is a place where people can cross paths, share economic and social experiences, and learn about the landscape and cultural history of the area.

Querencia, or deep connection to place and people, is a framework to understand the connection the communities of the East Mountains hold with the region and landscape. Communities like Carnué and San Antonio, were once thriving villages of people living off of the resources and in connection with the mountains. These Genízaro communities reflect the meeting and merging of cultures and the creation of new identities, traditions and ways of being. Today, the ancestors of these communities remain in the Tijeras Creek region, maintaining strong cultural traditions-- like Feast Day dances-- connecting them to their past, and pointing them to a future that maintains connection to place.

Cañon de Carnuel Grant is located in Carnuel, New Mexico, and is a historic land grant community that originally began in 1763. Land Grants were a system of colonization installed by the Spanish Crown to establish settlers in the Northern reaches of their domain in the Americas. Beginning in the 15th Century, a person (or community) of significance would be granted land rights including land for farming and cultivation, in exchange for a commitment to stay on the land and maintain it as a holding of the Spanish Crown. Over generations members of land grants developed strong place-based and cultural connections with the land. The historical and cultural practices of land grant communities, like Carnué, continue into today throughout New Mexico. One such cultural celebration is the "LOS MATACHINES DANZANTES," a tradition of processing and dancing for special occasions like Feast Days and funerals. Dancers don ornate regalia and masks so that their identities are hidden. They move as a unit with rhythmic footwork, in time to fiddle music. Usually, the procession culminates at the community church. For more information on the folkloric matachines dancers of New Mexico, you can visit their  Facebook page .

The name of the Carnuel Land Grant has a distinct linguistic history. The root of the name, Carna, means “badger place” in Tiwa - the language of the original inhabitants of the lands of Albuquerque and the East Mountains. The name referred to the wealth of edible and medicinal plants and animals the East Mountains possessed. So the original name of the Genízaro Land Grant Community established on the Northern frontier of the Spanish colonial empire was, “Carnue,” a  Spanish misspelling of the Tiwa word. In the 20th Century, when the U.S. Highway Department was expanding roadways across the U.S. to connect the coasts for travel by automobile, the Historic Route 66 was built alongside the community of Carnue. The Highway Department made a spelling error on the exit sign for the community and added an ‘l’ to the name. Thus, since the mid-20th Century, the community has been known as ‘Carnuel.’ The original documentation of the Land Grant has no such ‘l.’ This demonstrates the sometimes power of misspelling to change the course of history.  For more information, go to:   http://www.canondecarnuelandgrant.org/   Address: The Land Grant Hall is located at 364 U.S. Rt. 66, Tijeras, NM 87059, United States

It may be hard to fathom today, but in the 20th Century, residents of the East Mountains were a day's ride from Albuquerque and a two-day's ride from Santa Fe. This meant that the people of the East Mountains had to build a strong community and be self-reliant to survive. Families lived close to nature, foraging plants for food and medicine, collecting timber for building materials and firewood from today's Sandia National Forest, raising sheep and cows for farm-power and meat, and keeping fruit orchards and growing pintos, corn, squash, and other vegetables

The independent nature of the livelihoods of the people of the East Mountains meant celebrations like weddings and Saint's Feast Days were big reasons for celebration. Residents walked to neighboring villages to dance all night to live guitar, accordion, and fiddle music, taking shifts with their children, which they put to sleep, safely under pews. Families made their own fruit wines and whiskey, and helped each other butcher their livestock at community "mantanzas".

The building of the historic Route 66, and later I-40 marked a shift towards modernity for the East Mountains. Today, the Village of Tijeras is a short 15-minute drive away from Downtown Albuquerque.

Sandra Lee, Village of Tijeras, NM -- Daughter of the village grocers, historian, and citizen of the East Mountains

The Armentas (Matt, Father, and Uncle) -- XX generations in the East Mountains, looking back and forward

A high diversity of species and habitat exist from the mountains to the Tijeras Creek and Rio Grande. Thus, this area holds great importance for supporting biological communities not found elsewhere in our region.

The Tijeras Corridor is a place of transition in many ways. It resides in an ecotone where several physiographic regions and biomes meet and blend (also called the “edge effect”): The Arizona/New Mexico Plateau from the west, the Southwestern Tablelands from the east, and Arizona/New Mexico Mountains from the north and south. These zones, each with their own particular assemblages of plants and animals, blend and intersperse in the Tijeras canyon, where beargrass and watercress may appear a few feet from each other and where upland creatures such as Hawks and Roadrunners share riparian cover with Tanagers and Whipsnakes.

Species of wetland plants in the creek-bed include cottonwoods, willows, rushes, watercress, and fescue and slender wheatgrass. Siberian elm, Tree of Heaven, Russian olive, and invasive grasses and forbes such as River cane, Sowthistle and Cheatgrass grow throughout the arroyo, especially in more disturbed areas. The upland slopes become short grass steppe dotted with juniper, cacti and desert scrub, although residential development has severely encroached on this biome. 

 The woodlands of Sandias and Manzano Mountains provide habitat to an abundance of wildlife. Tijeras Canyon’s pools and springs are an important source of water. I-40 construction in the 1970s added six driving lanes. This massive increase in high speed traffic increased wildlife vehicle collisions and prompted the New Mexico DOT to initiate the Tijeras Canyon Safe Passage Project. This project, which was completed in 2010, added electrified and metal game fencing to prevent wildlife from wandering onto the freeway and guides them to one at-grade crossing with an Animal Detection System (milepost 4.2) and three Concrete Box Culvert undercrossings (at mileposts 170.0, 171.0, and 173.8) where there are bridges over the creek . The crossings allow safe north-south movement. The Arizona Department of Game and Fish, which monitors the effectiveness of the crossings, reported use by 11 different species, including Mule Deer, Mountain Lion, Black Bear, Bobcat, Gray Fox, and Ringtail. The report determined that the crossings have not been effective in reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, and the DOT will replace the fencing and the ADS at the same time as a planned 2024 highway repaving project.

 Most large mammals of the mountains and canyon are nocturnal, crepuscular, or simply shy of humans, and tend not to reveal themselves when people are around. There are still many flowers to enjoy in the spring and early summer, and plenty of bird and insect species to see. A more complete list of plant and animal species that occur in the Canyon is available in the  Tijeras Ecological Biozone Resource Management Plan .

The tectonic history of the Tijeras Canyon laid the groundwork for everything that came after. By influencing the soils, hydrology and topography of the area, it created not only the contours of the mountains, canyon, and river basin, but also a dynamic place which gave rise to biologically diverse communities of flora and fauna and, much later, of human cultures.

The Sandia and Manzano mountains form the boundary between the Rio Grande Rift and the grasslands of the Great Plains. The Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor roughly follows the Canyon section of the Tijeras-Cañoncito Fault, a strike-slip fault that runs horizontally northeast to southwest. On the westernmost end of the TCCC, the bounding fault from the Sandia rifting process reveals Precambrian Sandia Granite. 

From the parking area of Route 66 Open Space, visitors can see exposed rock scarps of Precambrian Sandia granite. Further up the canyon, along the Tijeras fault line, layers of Biotite granite and Greenstone, all created more than 4.6 billion years ago. In and around the Village of Tijeras, it is possible to see newer formations: Pennsylvanian Madera limestones, and ABO sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate rock of the Permian period. The Madera limestones (also known as Los Moyos or Wild Cow members) contain fossils such as small foraminifera, echinoids and brachiopods, which remind us of the advancing and retreating sea bed that covered much of New Mexico during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. Nearly all of the streambed comprises Quaternary alluvium and Pediment deposits, indicative of a downward thrust in the landscape created by the Tijeras and Sandia faults and filled in by sediment.

The ancient bedrock provides parent material for surface soil which developed over time through a combination of chemical weathering from water and subsurface hydrothermal fluids, erosion, organic material, and human and animal use.  Five primary soils make up over three quarters of the area. The Rock outcrop-Orthid Complex, the exposed bedrock visible in upland areas, makes up about one-fifth of the soil surface. Carlito Complex, Seis Complex, and Salas Complex, all of which occur on mountainsides and canyons, and forms from igneous and sedimentary rock, together make up another thirty percent. All of these have a high or very high runoff and low infiltration rates. Tesajo-Millett stony sandy loam is the predominant soil in the streambed and nearby slopes. It is a highly permeable soil, with low to medium runoff and high infiltration rates. Due to the impervious nature of most of these soils, only the Tesajo-Millet is considered suitable for natural surface roadways by the NRCS. While the soils in and near the creekbed have been used for agricultural purposes in the past, upland soils are considered rocky and mostly impermeable to hand tools. Therefore normal Open Space management activities such as planting, hand-trenching for water lines, and burying fence- or signposts more than two feet below the surface is rated “very limited” by the NRCS.

Due to its location, Tijeras has been a site where communities have encountered each other over the ages. The corridor joins the plains to the valley, funneling water, animals, humans, ideas, and materials into a small intermingling space. The area is home to geological, hydraulic, faunal, floral, and cultural meetings, creating a zone of rich interaction, exchange, and diversity.

The Tijeras Creek was once a perennial stream that ran from the headwaters in Primera Agua Canyon and continued to flow approximately 20 miles into the Rio Grande. The entire watershed of Tijeras Creek covers about 76 square miles, and sits atop the Santa Fe Group Aquifer.  

In the past, numerous seeps or springs flowing down the steep slopes of the Sandia and Manzano foothills, as well as Hondo, Cedro, Corral and Apachitos creeks have contributed to its flows. Due to climate change in the past century, some of these springs and creeks have dried up. Now the creek is regarded as an “interrupted stream:”  a few perennial reaches up the canyon, interspersed with intermittent reaches, becoming ephemeral as it moves toward Kirtland AFB. During dry months, the seeps continue to fill small, disconnected pools of water in the vicinity of Carnuel, Coyote Spring Road and Seven Springs. Free water surface evaporation is around 50 inches per year, more during recent, hotter years. During periods of severe drought, even the perennial flows disappear.

At the TBEC, the bedrock begins to lower and the water travels underground, although discolored sand in the creek bed indicates water continues flowing just below the surface. Past this point, the creek is ephemeral, flowing—on the rare occasion even flooding—only during heavy storm events. Subsurface flows are made apparent by the green line of riparian and facultative wetland plant species, which continues for miles along the arroyo even where no moisture is visible. 

In the late 1970s, the rerouting and widening of Interstate 40 through the canyon necessitated explosions, deep road cuts and sometimes channeling (or narrowing) parts of the creek for overcrossings. The USGS monitored groundwater and surface water conditions during construction but, because of the dearth of continuous data before and after the project, it is unclear how this might have affected the water in the Tijeras creek.

While there are a dozen USGS stream gages in the Corridor, as well as many dozens of Groundwater monitoring wells, most are not actively monitored today, and data is sporadic and project-specific.

Looking at some of the inactive groundwater wells can tell us the approximate depth to groundwater at different times since 1949. Depth to groundwater measured anywhere between 2.36’ to 35’ throughout most of the canyon, with the water table dropping to between 48 and 62 feet where the bedrock begins to fall away at the edge of the rift (approximately at Four Hills Bridge), eventually dropping about 25,000’ at its lowest point in the valley. At Four Hills Bridge, where alluvial soils deepen, the creek flows underground most of the year, recharging the water table and, eventually, the aquifer.

The land we call New Mexico today has been home to Indigenous people for over 10,000 years. From early nomadic hunters, through Pueblo farmers, followed by waves of colonization and settlers, people have come through the area and many have made it their home. The Paleoindian and Archaic Indigenous communities that first lived in the TCCC hunted and foraged in the mountains and plains, traveling to seek out important foods, materials, and seasonal weather. Pueblo people began to farm and create the kinds of villages we know today as Pueblos over 3000 years ago. The first farmers continued to hunt and move across the rich landscape and up and down the slopes much of the year in pursuit of foraged and hunted resources found in different environments, returning to check on drought-tolerant crops they had planted. Gradually, Pueblo people focused more and more on growing corn, squash, and later, beans and chile and other herbs. Their villages grew in size and complexity, becoming the large clusters of adobe or sandstone buildings around central plazas with sacred, underground kivas.

With Spanish colonization, the Pueblos were faced with violence, loss of land, and enslavement. Many Spanish settlements were built over Pueblo communities and mission churches became a new way that communities organized on the landscape. Hispano and Genízaro villages were added to an area already dense with Pueblo, Diné, and Apache communities.

The Singing Arrow site, located outside of the community center, was built in the late 1700s-early 1800s by an Hispano or Genízaro community. The site contained a number of buildings made at different periods and reflecting different architectural styles, including stone foundations, sawn lumber, and adobe walls. Livestock corrals and the bones of sheep, cattle, and goats show the economic value of ranching even at this early date. Artifacts include stone tools, ceramics, and metal, indicating that the residents were connected to the extensive trade networks that linked Hispano, Genízaro, Pueblo, Apache, and other communities in the 18th century.

Water is crucial to maintaining life, especially in our environment. Water creates community, on cultural, ecological, and micro scales. When we protect water, we protect communities. Protecting water has been at the core of innovation, conflict, connection, evolution and growth.

Today, as water scarcity is an ever-increasing concern in an already arid region, protecting water for use by all has never been more important. As you spend time in the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor, think about how the presence or lack of water has created spaces for interaction, innovation, conflict, and adaption for the people, plants, and animals here and how we can ensure a vibrant future for our communities by protecting Tijeras Creek and other waterways and in our day-to-day use of this precious resource.

Water shapes the landscape and the ways plants, animals, and people use it, but is not always visible on the surface. The abundant springs in the mountains have drawn animals and people for generations. Whether for livestock, restorative soaks, or bubbling water for bottling, people have used, protected, shared, and fought over access to water, creating community bonds, long-lasting rivalries, and the occasional gunfight!

Fed by snowpack, springs, and small streams, Tijeras Creek was once a perennial stream that flowed all year round. Today, the threats of water use beyond the watershed capacity, a drying and warming climate, and invasive water-hungry plants are taking their toll. Tijeras Creek now flows only a few months of the year. As the creek bed moves through the Village of Tijeras, today the creek may flow after a big rain or snowmelt, but is often dry. At this point, the water travels just underground and roots easily reach the shallow groundwater. Can you trace the path of this underground stream by following the willow, cottonwood, and other riparian (riverside) plants? Further west it drops to a deep groundwater level, helping to recharge the aquifer Albuquerque depends on.

Even when the Tijeras Creek and other streams were more reliable, East Mountain residents dug acequias, community-managed irrigation ditches, to bring water where it was most needed for crops. They also relied on wells and streams for drinking, home, and agricultural water. It’s more important than ever to do all we can to protect our water and the communities it supports. What are some steps you are taking to conserve, reuse, and protect our water?

Markets and transportation routes have continued to emerge through this cooridor, taking on different forms with changing landscape use and technology. Technological, cultural, and political changes over time have affected these routes.

The Sandia Mountains stand high above the city of Albuquerque, visible for miles around, towering above the ribbon of green and gold defined by the Rio Grande and its bosque. Further east lie the plains and vast mountain ranges of the Rockies. Reaching Albuquerque from these regions has driven travelers through the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor for generations, with each wave of transport bringing its own flavor to the journey.

Indigenous hunters, including Genízaros, traversed the mountain passes to hunt buffalo herds and trade with Comanches in the Plains. Spanish colonizers and Hispano villagers also made use of these important passes for trade and travel. Much later, the advent of car culture allowed Route 66 to transform the economy of small mountain villages as Americans took to the highways in droves. People living in the small mountain villages were suddenly meeting tourists from Chicago, Los Angeles, and other far-flung destinations. Gas stations and convenience stores sprung up to meet the demand created by tourism in the West and East Mountains communities adapted to new opportunities and challenges, as they have for generations. Tourism and the film industry both rely on the iconic landscapes and deep cultural traditions of the Southwest to draw travelers and viewers. Little Beavertown was one of many ways in which local history and culture were marketed to a local and broader world, with varied outcomes.

• Explore the Interpretive Signs: Find engaging and educational content specific to the TCCC project in these six locations...
  •  Singing Arrow Complex  (City of Albuquerque)
  •  Route 66 Open Space  (the site of historic  Little Beaver Town ) (City of Albuquerque Open Space)
  •  Tijeras Bio-Zone Education Center  (City of Albuquerque Open Space)
  •  Cañon de Carnué Land Grant Hall  (Cañon de Carnué Land Grant)
  •  Tijeras Creek Remediation Site  (Bernalillo County)
  •  Camino Primera Agua Park  (Village of Tijeras)

• Explore the Trails:  Dozens of trails  intersect the Cultural Corridor, providing hiking, biking, horseback, and other access to some of the most diverse environments in our region, as well as stunning views of the plains and the Rio Grande Valley. From short jaunts to rugged terrain, there is a route that meets your needs! Check out our interactive map in the 'Welcome!' section for trail descriptions and maps.
• Explore by Car: the  TCCC extends about 12 miles , and it has long been a connecting route by all manner of transport. Hop in the car and take a scenic drive, stopping at roadside points of interest and sites for an overview of the area.
• Explore the StoryMap: You've found it! This resource can be used as a companion guide as you explore the region and interpretive signs placed through the area or for further exploration from home.
•  Even More to Explore: Easily connect the TCCC with other interpretive trails and routes, including  historic Route 66 ,  the Salt Mine Trail ,  Turquoise Trail ,  El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro  all intersect with the TCCC.

Deborah Jojola explores the unique position held by Native women artists as essential keepers of tradition and cultural identity. Deborah introduces innovations in subject, form and techniques, while connecting and utilizing centuries-old art forms. Her focus in frescos has meant building a relationship with the land, and a deep respect to all that it offers us. 

Deborah uses natural pigments, soil and willow reeds in a continued exploration of using the natural landscape.  In her work, she brings the past into this life in a journey of visual storytelling. Deborah connects elements of printmaking, art installations, murals and frescos as healing stories of a struggling earth. 

Deborah’s work has been exhibited within national and international museums, including Museum of Fine Arts in Yekaterinburg, Russia; Sydney, Australia; and at the International Symposium in Tokyo, Japan. Gallery shows include School of Art, Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX),  516 Arts  (Albuquerque, NM),  Kimo Gallery  (Albuquerque, NM), and  Poeh Arts Center Museum  (Pojoaque, NM). Her work is also included in many private, museums and Public Art collections. Currently she shows at major Native artists market in the Southwest, including the  SWAIA Indian Market  (Santa Fe, NM) and the Heard Guild Indian Fair & Market (Phoenix, AZ).