Culture Clash—2006 Live & Learn Conference Box

New Mexican architecture reflects a cultural history hundreds of years old. The buildings themselves tell a tale of the area’s oldest inhabitants, the colonial and territorial past and present day influences. Look and listen closely to hear what the walls are saying….

(*note: You may encounter new words in the clues below; the trick is to discover their meaning however you can. To solve this letterbox, it may be helpful to write the answers to the questions in the space provided, so you may use the answers to solve later clues.)

Our mystery begins in the doorway of the Grand Sala: count the vigas above you as you walk toward the fireplace.

How many are there?  ___________
What shape are they?  ___________

Observe the Grand Sala carefully: what building material do you see besides stucco and wood?  ___________

The railroad, which came through in the late 1800s, enabled the use of milled woodwork and brick, transforming the traditional Pueblo building style by incorporating design elements and influence from the Greek Revival style popularized by Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello back East, but with significant culturally influenced differences.

Territorial style—so named because New Mexico and Arizona where it originated remained U.S. territories until statehood in 1912—fuses Pueblo and Anglo styles and infuses the recent renovations of The Hotel Albuquerque.

Facing the fireplace, turn right 90 degrees and walk forward until you find the alphabet that begins with the letter “Q”.

Turn left 90 degrees and continue walking straight until you’ve passed 8 ristras. (*hint: count on both sides)

Proceed through the white doors—another classic feature of the Territorial style—directly in front of you, and turn 90 degrees counter clockwise and proceed to the center of the pergola where you will see the fountain to your right.

Walk around the fountain until you locate the arched adobe entry to a serene garden where you may rest for a bit on the banco nestled inside. Relax and have a sip of water to nourish body and soul in Albuquerque’s arid high-desert climate, which rises nearly a mile above sea level.

As you relax, notice the smooth, rounded corners of the sacred building beside you and the ways in which they contrast with the brick-lined, flat-roofed, angular façade of the hotel’s exterior.

What is this building? ____________

Once rested and hydrated, resume your search by walking out of the secret garden and turning right toward the Victorian pavilion, a characteristic blending of formal Victorian wrought iron elements into the later Territorial style.

Once through the pavilion, turn to the portales to your left. At the beginning of the closest portal, begin counting the hanging lanterns above you. Stop counting when you get to the lantern whose number is equal to the number of vigas in the Grand Sala minus 7. (lantern stop = total number of vigas – 7)

Walk through that door and proceed straight, past the display cabinets with the Santos until you come to the cabinet filled with Mexican folk art. Find an indigenous arthropod that is both venomous and the title of a New Mexico hockey team. Count the total number of appendages.

How many are there?  ____________

Go to the pillar closest to you and walk around it until you find the candelabra hanging on the opposite side. Counting each candle on the columns as you go, continue walking in the same direction you had been past the empty display cases. Turn at the end of the hallway, continuing to count each candle on your left until you arrive at the candle whose number is equal to the appendages plus 7.

Immediately to the right of that candle is a door. Walk through the door and look for a sign. Remember the banco? What was the sacred building you saw while sitting there? Find a sign that bears the name of a 300 year old building of this kind in Old Town and cross over to the sign, being careful to look both ways.

Once you’ve passed under the sign, proceed to the small, white Victorian circle bench around the tree in front of you in the plaza. Once again, sit, relax and observe. Whew! You’re almost there now! Notice the vigas protruding from the Pueblo style buildings around you as you move around the bench, taking in all your surroundings.

What shape are they? _________
How are they different from the vigas in the Grand Sala?  ___________________