Santa Fe Highlights - Day 3

The big event for the third and final day was the Tesuque Pueblo Flea Market. This is unlike any flea market you have ever visited. The vendors bring goods from all over the world. There is no junk here, no resale/garage sale merchandise.


From this inauspicious entrance lies one of the five best flea markets in the world. There is no entrance fee, and no cameras are allowed, so I don't have pictures of the inside. I do have pictures of the many treasures I picked up.


Clockwise, starting from the left: a hand carved angel, a collage, two cards with additional collage images, a blue and purple fabric pouch from Guatemala (my new camera bag), a piece of religious folk art from Ethiopia, the stamp (from the Santa Fe stamp store and not the flea market), fabric stamp from India, shivalingam stone from Laos, tin assemblage (Love is the Key), a fabric pouch from Guatemala, a blue glass door knob. They are all resting on a piece of kuba cloth. I bought a few other things, but these are the highlights.

I spent time talking with several vendors, including a man from Syria selling rugs who talked to me about Islam, a vendor selling wall embroidery panels from Peru, a woman selling textiles from Guatemala, a man from South Africa selling kuba cloth and sculptures, a man from Ethiopia selling religious folk art, a man from Gilbert, Arizona selling rocks (a weakness of mine), and lots of southwestern jewelry vendors.

I spent much more time at the market than I planned, so I had to eliminate the road trip to Taos I had planned for the afternoon. Instead, I returned to the Plaza to hit a few more shops and find a delicious dinner.


I was walking past the Inn of the Anasazi and noticed their outdoor patio was adorable. I figured it was expensive (it was) but decided to eat there anyway. I had a luxurious time sitting there in the late afternoon, enjoying the best chicken quesidilla ever with a spicy mango margarita.

When I was ready to leave, something really amazing unfolded. I was waiting for my check when a woman was seated at the next table. She had wanted a table in the shade, but the only ones left were in the sun. My table was in the shade, so I spoke to her and invited her to join me at my table because I was leaving. She accepted. In the few minutes between her joining me and my check arriving, we discovered that we do the same kind of work in two different cities. The coincidences only got better from there. I ended up spending the rest of the evening with my new friend, Marlowe. She went with me to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum and then we sat in a Starbucks until they kicked us out, gabbing the whole time.

I ended my evening by packing for my return trip and scheduling a few stops for the drive home.

Don't miss the rest of my journey on day 4.