Photo: The Rocky Mountain News.

Rubel Jaramillo was a nationally known santero, Spanish for maker of saints, crafting wood native to the San Luis Valley, in a little house where he was born, where he grew up, in essence where he was born again and where he died. He was born on October 31, 1930 in Las Mesitas, where he attended elementary school and went to the University of Maryland in 1961-62 for military training.


[left] Photograph ©1990 by Chuck Rosenak from the Smithsonian Archives of American Art Collection. [right] La Virgen de Guadalupe by Rubel Jaramillo courtesy the O'Sullivan Arts Center.

Rubel learned how to carve from his grandfather, Marcellino Martinez, a coffin maker in the San Luis Valley who predated the existence of any mortuary or professional mortician in the Valley. He was a fifth generation santero and was a member of La Hermandad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno. His work was shown internationally, including at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

For some travelers passing through Conejos County, a photo opportunity often inspires a bit of whimsy, such as seen in the corner of this photo of the old church at Las Mesitas.

"We've covered almost 3,000 miles on our cross-country bike ride so far, and I don't remember any place as unique as this. I almost feel like I'm in a different country." Read More...

"...I rode in the middle of on an empty Colorado Highway 17 between Fox Creek and Antonito when I passed a farmer making hay while the sun did shine. Had I been remotely hydrated, I would have shed a tear at the sight." Read More...

Fred Haberlein created many murals throughout the San Luis Valley over the years.

A wave cloud hovers over the church in Las Mesitas on a cold mid-February dusk. Thanks to Jay Packer for the photo.

Los Caminos Antiguos has put up its first interpretive sign near Las Mesitas.

Photograph of burnt church is Las Mesitas by Alan Ross from the Andrew Smith Gallery.

Flat-topped hills surrounding the village of Las Mesitas, west of Antonito and Mogote, give the place its name and its unique landscape.

Rubel Jaramillo, a fifth generation santero from Las Mesitas, uses traditional methods and materials in making his santos. He uses traditional pigments, pine wood, cottonwood root, and other woods such as cedar. Jaramillo mentors students who seek him out.

SLV Dweller is calling upon local photographers and videographers to submit content for on-line publication. Photographs may be contemporary or historic but must offer a unique and diverse perspective on the San Luis Valley, the land, it's people and the culture. Photos and/or video may be emailed to info@slvdweller.com. We hope you will share your unique perspective with the dwellers of the San Luis Valley.

The late afternoon sun is captured by the ruins of the Catholic Church in Las Mesitas, a small village west of Mogote in Conejos County. Photos courtesy of Mark Dierker of Rushville, Illinois.