The New Mexicans: 1981-83

Historically, New Mexico’s cultural traditions, peoples, and landscapes have inspired photographers and artists, and Indigenous peoples throughout the Southwest have been some of the most photographed and documented people in the United States. Kevin Bubriski’s photographs of Pueblo dances and ceremonies are part of this long tradition of image making and image taking. With the publication of this book, they become an act of reciprocity, returning to the peoples and communities from which they originated. —Matthew J. Martinez This book is a gift to New Mexicans, holding up a mirror for us to see ourselves back in the day. The New Mexicans, 1981–83 will also captivate those not acquainted with the state, providing insight into the eccentricities and cultural richness of northern New Mexico and the diverse characters who call it home.—Don J. Usner This remarkable visual record documents Kevin Bubriski’s two-year stay in New Mexico in the early 1980s. As a filmmaking student and young photographer fresh out of the Peace Corps in Nepal, Bubriski fully immersed himself in this new, vibrant, and multifaceted place. From film school, he moved on to a job as still photographer on the set of the film The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez and then took on assignments as a local news photographer—work that would connect him to New Mexicans from all walks of life, both natives and newcomers to the state. With his camera always at the ready, Bubriski covered events from rodeos to mud wrestling matches to the solemn funeral rites of a murdered Santa Fe priest, always open to serendipitous encounters along the way. He followed several of New Mexico’s notable politicians on the campaign trail, including Toney Anaya in his gubernatorial bid and a young Bill Richardson’s congressional campaign. He also documents his extraordinary and insightful access to the residents of State Penitentiary of New Mexico, the local arts community, and public ceremonies and dances of the Northern Pueblos. With the fresh eye of a newcomer to the state who had already explored remote corners of the world, Bubriski has created a moving and evocative record of a moment in time in the northern reaches of the Land of Enchantment.