
Tiva Trujillo, Old San Acacio in 1925, 1980. 29" × 40 ½". Collection of Hope Trujillo Hernandez
San Luis Valley
Colcha Embroidery
Project

Delores Worley, Randy, 1978. 15" × 19".
The San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project is a collaboration between HEART of Saguache, The Range in Saguache, Colorado, and artists in the Valley. Colcha embroidery is a textile practice that came to Colorado’s San Luis Valley from Northern New Mexico in the 19th Century and has been shaped by revival movements into a pictorial art that often illustrates local architecture, landscapes, community traditions, personal narratives, and folklore. The San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project supports artists to teach and tend to vital community connections while celebrating cultural traditions. The project supports exhibitions, workshops, and scholarship.

Donna Madrid Hernandez, S.P.M.D.T.U in Antonito, Colorado, 2023. 37" × 21".
Associated Links
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San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Exhibition at The Range, 2022.
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Colcha Embroidery of the San Luis Valley Exhibition, The Arvada Center​
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Embroidering the Story: A History of Colcha in Saguache County by HEART of Saguache for The Crestone Eagle (April 2024)
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A History of Colcha Embroidery in Saguache County (Full Text) by HEART of Saguache PDF (3.7 MB)
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Mi Vida en Colcha The Range exhibition page
Press
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The culture of colcha embroidery, alive in Taos
by Kate Perdoni (JUL 20, 2023) -
Lost art returns to the Arvada Center by Kate Perdoni (SEP 12, 2023)
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After 41 years, an artist reunites with missing work
by Kate Perdoni (SEP 18, 2023) -
National Endowment for the Arts Fellow Josie Lobato exhibits at Arvada
by Kate Perdoni (SEP 22, 2023) -
In the San Luis Valley, artisans paint pictures of everyday life using colcha embroidery
by Shana Lewis (SEP 27, 2023) -
Once missing San Luis Valley treasures now on display at Arvada Center
by Anna Alejo (SEP 27, 2023) -
Ghost, logging baron, burned-down mill: An enduring, lesser-known craft is keeping Colorado history alive by Parker Yamasaki (OCT 27, 2024)
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Josephine Lobato: Redeeming La Llorona by Caitlin Lorraine Johnson (NOV 7, 2024)

Patsy Garcia, The Turtle Storyteller, 2023. 10 ¼".
All Videos
Artist Josephine Lobato keeps tradition of colcha alive in Colorado


Artist Josephine Lobato keeps tradition of colcha alive in Colorado

Colcha Embroidery Expressions: Eufemia Barela
Puntada a Puntada

Threads of Tradition (1990)
Artists

Artist, Judy Vigil with her grandson and daughter, Anthony J Vigil and Heather M Vigil Romero

NEA Heritage Fellow Josie Lobato with Colcha Embroidery of the San Luis Valley catalogue

Members of the San Luis Stitching Group: Irene Medina, Julia Mondragon, Donna Madrid Hernandez, Connie Morrell, Maria Eufemia Barela