Acrylic Fridge Magnet: United States. New Mexico. Santa Fe Souvenirs

The author of the photo: Jill Reed. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).

The Charm of the Southwest

Unsurprisingly, Santa Fe has a pretty considerable souvenir culture that does quite well for itself. This magnet souvenir from United States serves as a great example of this. By examining it, you can get a pretty clear idea of why the Southwestern arts are so popular, especially when taking about souvenirs. It's just so charming and unlike most of what you're able to find in the rest of the country. Here, souvenirs depict the elements of nature such as the sun and the moon, or their products such as the region's world famous chilis. Their vibrant colors can be found in the textiles and the pottery. At this point, the visitor might wonder if this kind of works attracted visitors in old times, or what kind of souvenirs they traded.

Santa Fe and its Trading Tradition

Santa Fe has served, even before its foundation in the Sixteenth century, as a pathway for Native Americans, Europeans and Americans in their way South, North, West and East. It is no wonder that Santa Fe Indian Market, a huge arts and crafts vending event, takes place annually attracting visitors from all over United States and the world.

Santa fe, as well, was the last stop North of the famous Camino Real de la Tierra Adentro which was envisioned by the Spanish Conquistadores to link old Tenochtitlan, namely Mexico City, and their Northeast enclave. This route was central in establishing an intense commerce and provided the basis for a fluid cultural interaction between the North and the South. Later, it set a reference to military interventions in Mexico and also during the Mexican Revolution as the Revolutionaries followed their markers to guide the soldiers South. This is a great travel souvenir to take back home.