The Renovation of Historic St. Antonio de Padua in Cordova

Photos by Victor Goler. Conservation work by Victor Goler, Felix Lopez, and Jerry Sandoval.

Article by Pete Warzel

In November 2021, Victor Goler, master santero and art conservator, along with fellow santeros Felix Lopez and Jerry Sandoval, began a project enabled by Nuevo Mexico Profundo, a non-profit organization focused on the historic, some forgotten and neglected, churches of New Mexico, for repair and stabilization. Tours and events held by Profundo raise money that goes directly to the churches for their care.

This project was quite something different. The altar screens and bultos, originally created by the iconic New Mexico santero José Rafael Aragón in the early 1800s, were in disrepair due to age and climate changes within the church at Cordova, New Mexico. It was not an instance of neglect or mishandling, rather the erosion by time. Profundo hired Victor and his associates, after fundraising for the project, substantially endowed by the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, and individual donors, to conserve and stabilize the important and beautiful artwork.

The project was completed in March 2022, with stirring results.

This is an endeavor that highlights community – the love of the church by the mayordomos, the caretakers, the villagers in Cordova, and the community of santeros who collaborated on the stabilization of the artwork. It is important to cultural history, and it is important to Cordova.

Two weeks ago, our Stewards Members were invited to see the results, with a presentation by Victor Goler on the work. We had visited in December 2021, as the work began, and Victor presented the process and steps he and his colleagues would be following for the next four months. In this piece are photographs of the completed project. You can see that the artwork, the space, the accomplishment, are very special and a testament to the longevity and continuity of Northern New Mexico.

The Albuquerque Journal published an excellent article on the restoration.