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Our Guarantee: If you are dissatisfied with any purchase we will gladly take it back in the original condition accompanied by our receipt.

Stop by and come in to see our exceptional selection of fine Native American weavings, pottery and jewelry, as well as contemporary and historical paintings, sculpture and jewelry.

Our store front located in the St. Francis de Asisi Church Plaza in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico.

 

A recent article written about our gallery.

Chimayó Trading del norte

Quality Navajo Weavings
and Pueblo Pottery

By Jai Cross

The recently opened Chimayó Trading del Norte gallery is located in Ranchos de Taos within the shadow of the famous Church of San Francisco de Asís built in 1772. The gallery sells original Native American art in both traditional and contemporary styles. In addition to relying on the seasonal pulses of the tourist trade, many of the sales thus far have been to locals who appreciate fine artistry.

Chimayó Trading del Norte exhibits a surprisingly wide variety of art, which include Navajo rugs, pottery from many New Mexican pueblos, Native American jewelry and a large collection of other fine arts. The majority of the merchandise is hand-made, much of it created according to the time-honored and labor-intensive traditions particular to a specific tribe or region.

Gabriel Abrums and his wife Alicia run Chimayó Trading del Norte as a family business. And this is a family whose roots in the Native American and fine arts market run deep. His grandmother, Louise Abrums, owned and operated the famed Brandywine Gallery in Albuquerque for 40 years.

“My great-grandfather was a doctor on the Navajo Reservation, and he amassed a collection of Navajo weavings and arts,” said Abrums. “My grandfather on my mother’s side was a skilled turquoise cutter. Many of the stones that I work with now, originally came from him because most of the good quality natural turquoise in the United States was mined out by the mid-1970s.”

Abrums collaborates with Sunshine Reeves, the only silversmith in 75 years to win the coveted Best of Show award at the Santa Fe Indian Market. Their work combines deeply stamped intricate traditional designs with tasteful turquoise inlay. A highly decorated vessel begins as flat sheets of silver that are hand-stamped, each individual mark requiring a separate hammer stroke. As many as 10 silver sheets are then hand-shaped and soldered together. Turquoise is then shaped, inlaid, and polished to create a unique work of art.

Chimayó Trading del Norte offers numerous Navajo weavings. “A big rug can represent two or three years of work, and the floor rugs last forever,” said Abrums. “My great-grandfather purchased some rugs 100 years ago that were on the floor for 90 years and are still in good condition.”

Many of the displayed Navajo rugs are made according to family traditions that have been passed down directly from one generation to another. The children grow up in an artistic atmosphere and learn the techniques at an early age. Until the 1960s, it was difficult for Native Americans to make a living by weaving, but now the best artists are doing very well. The new economics have thereby increased the quality of artistry.

“Most of our stock comes directly from the artists,” said Abrums. “I personally like to specialize in contemporary work because you can learn the whole story of the artist and their art. Then you are really helping a family to continue their traditions.

“We carry rugs made by the Laughing family that are among the best Navajo weavings. They raise their own sheep, sheer their wool, spin their yarn, and weave on a traditional stand-up Navajo loom.”

Chimayó Trading del Norte also has an extensive inventory of Pueblo and Casas Grandes pottery. Most of the pottery is contemporary, yet the gallery also carries examples of the old masters including Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso, Lucy Lewis of Acoma, and Terasita Naranjo of Santa Clara. Maria Martinez is credited with the rediscovery of the ancient techniques for making black pottery: outside firing in a pit, smothering the fire with horse manure, and allowing reduction to blacken the piece. The contemporary pots are still hand-coiled and hand-polished to produce the desired sheen.

Santa Clara Pueblo remains one of the most active pottery pueblos and is known for its deeply incised pots. It currently supports 200 to 300 artists, and Chimayó Trading del Norte carries many of their best traditional and contemporary artists. San Ildefonso Pueblo still produces its famous black-on-black pottery, and pottery continues to thrive there. In comparison, San Juan Pueblo only has about five active potters, and its pottery is on the verge of becoming another lost indigenous art.

Mata Ortiz is a small modern village located near the old pueblo site in the Casas Grandes area of northern Mexico. In the late 1950s, Juan Quezada rediscovered its ancient pottery techniques from a thorough study of prehistoric pots and by trial-and-error experimentation. Now his work is acknowledged as among the best hand-coiled pottery in the world with pieces in the Smithsonian Institute, the Los Angeles Museum of Art and Chimayó Trading del Norte.

The gallery also carries a wide sampling of other fine arts as seen in the stone sculptures by Lori Engler, life-sized bronzes by Steven Maddock, concha belts by Sunshine Reeves, Zuni fetishes, Santo Domingo multi-strand turquoise necklaces, Hopi kachinas, and Navajo silver bracelets. The painters include well-known southwestern artists, such as Pablita Velarde, Harrison Begay, and R. Brownell McGrew. Chimayó Trading del Norte also exhibits some up-and-coming artists like Nate Tafoya and Michelle Tsosie Sineros.

“There are many galleries in this area, but we’re different,” said Abrums. “Our selection and prices cannot be beat for this type of art, especially the Navajo weavings and Pueblo pottery.”

Abrums’ father, John, started into this line of business in high school. He cut turquoise after school and traded for jewelry and weavings on the weekends. After developing a deep understanding of Native American artists and their artistry, he opened Chimayó Trading and Mercantile seven miles east of Española. That gallery was well received, and its 15 successful years inspired the new Chimayó Trading del Norte.

“This is a family business that now has two locations,” said John Abrums. “We buy weavings on the Navajo Reservation for both stores. Our stores also carry fine Hispanic weavings from Chimayo.”

Much of the art offered in both Chimayó Trading del Norte and the original Chimayó Trading and Mercantile has emerged from ancient indigenous cultural traditions and techniques. This is enduring art, and it will continue to endure.