A journey through New Mexican ethnic heritage: The fresco imagery of Federico Vigil, with Christopher Gibson

Christopher Gibson is an award-winning artist, writer and arts educator who makes his home in Albuquerque. His work includes the Cuentos del Camino series on lower Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe and his papel picado has been a part of mixed-media installations at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe and the National Hispanic Culture Center in Albuquerque. Over the years he has written several articles on Hispanic arts and culture for the magazines Tradición Revista and Imagen. Christopher’s family background is representative of the unique blend that makes up the ethno-history of New Mexico. He descends in part from Portuguese Jews who sought refuge in the Papal States of France in the early 16th century. He was raised with a Navajo great-aunt and Hispanic padrinos (godparents) who had strong influences on his choice to study anthropology and ethnology, specifically the anthropology of New Mexico.