The Branigan Cultural Center’s ongoing “Land of the People” exhibit allows various indigenous groups to go deeper into their unique stories.The latest installment, “Tierra Sagrada”, features the Tortugas Pueblo, and runs through March of 2026. Scott Brocato spoke with Analisa Torres, museum curator with Las Cruces Museums, about the exhibit.
Scott Brocato:
Before we dive into the current exhibit, “Tierra Sagrada,” give us an overview of the “Land of the People” exhibit at the Branigan Cultural Center.
Analisa Torres:
So “Land of the People” is a larger exhibit at the Branigan Cultural Center that focuses on six indigenous groups in the Mesilla Valley area. They both have historic and contemporary ties to the Mesilla Valley area. So through their own words and perspectives, they present information about their traditional and current life ways. And the six groups that are featured are the Isleta del Sur Pueblo, the Tortugas Pueblo, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the Piro Mansa Tiwa Indian Tribe, the Chiricahua Apache, and the Gila Apache.
So within the exhibit, there are two separate spaces. There's the front room that kind of talks about those overlapping themes that are both historic and contemporary, and each group kind of talks within those six themes. This includes origin stories, history and knowledge about movement and the homeland, relationships and stewardship to the land and resources, cultural practices that include food waste, family connections, ceremonies, traditions, and then we also talk about gender roles within the exhibit.
The back room is a rotation where each group gets to kind of delve more into their histories or stories for a three-month period. And so we'll be featuring the Tortugas Pueblo from December 20th to March 14th as they kind of talk about their histories, traditions, and continued presence in the Mesilla Valley.
Scott Brocato:
Let's talk about the current exhibit (“Tierra Sagrada”) and what it's going to be featuring.
Analisa Torres:
So “Land of the People, Tierra Sagrada,” that focuses on the Tortugas Pueblo, is a very unique exhibit. So the Tortugas Pueblo is featured in the Las Cruces region. Many people have heard of their Fiesta of Guadalupe, where they go up Tortugas Mountain for kind of a three-day ceremony and also dance at their own pueblo. So a lot of this exhibit goes over kind of the ceremony, those three days, and other traditions that they practice.
So one section specifically talks about the Tortugas Pueblo and the larger corporation. We have photographs from when they were originally incorporated officially with state around 1907, even though they've been here much longer than that; their history with St. Genevieve's Church; and kind of what they do today with the relationship with NMSU, other contemporary partners, and just their lives. We also include some historic photos as well as some regalia and ceremonial items.
And then we go into the rest of the exhibit and it features the other dance groups that dance with the Tortugas Pueblo. And within this group, we have the Los Desantes, which is a dance group within the Tortugas Pueblo that features these malinches, which are small girls who dance, and these other dancers who dance with the Tortugas Pueblo.
We're featuring two other groups. So the Los Desantes, the La Danza Azteca Chichimeca, which is also a separate group. that dances on these feast days, and the Danza Guadalupana Azteca. So each group kind of delves more into their histories, their traditions, older photographs and regalia.
Scott Brocato:
And what do you want visitors to take away from this exhibit?
Analisa Torres:
Of course, the main part of this exhibit is to let the public know that these groups have always lived here, they'll continue to live here, and that they're community members. They're all around us, and their histories are important and relevant to this area. So learning about them in this space and contributing to them being part of our society is very important; definitely for the front room.
And in the back room, same thing with the Tortugas Pueblo. They're a large part of our community here in the Las Cruces region and the Mesilla Valley and even the borderland. So just learning about them and understanding their importance and significance in their history. I would also say just learning about these important traditions that these separate dance groups share as well.
