Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

Tag: San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas

Cottonwood Colors. Random Black and Whites. 10-25-2023.

Greetings from San Cristobal. This week, my favorite cottonwood tree in all the state, and random black and whites on the road in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

I think the colors on this cottonwood peaked this morning. I never tire of seeing it whenever I commute to or from Taos, in all seasons.

Cottonwood tree, Arroyo Hondo, NM
Arroyo Hondo, NM.

It’s that time of year when shadows return and traverse the adobe walls of the Saint Francis Church in Ranchos de Taos.

Shadows at Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos.
Shadows at Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos.

And again in an alleyway in Dixon, NM.

Alleyway and shadows, Dixon, NM
Alleyway and Shadows, Dixon, NM.

Simplicity in the shadows, San Jose de Gracia, de Las Trampas, on the High Road to Taos.

San Jose de Gracia, Las Trampas, NM
San Jose de Gracia, Las Trampas, NM.

The light and the darkness.

San Jose de Gracia, Las Trampas, NM
Under the portal, Las Trampas, NM.

The church of San Jose de Gracia in Las Trampas is one of my favorite stops on the High Road to Taos. I’ve made many trips there over the years. Last week I watched a number tourists pull over, wind down their windows and take a glance or a quick cellphone photo and immediately drive off. Sometimes I wonder what it’s like being a tourist snap-glancing their way around the planet?

Las Trampas church, on the high road to Taos
Adobe, Las Trampas Church, on the High Road to Taos.

In the following image I cut out any distractions. Unlike this image where the moon completed the shot.

On the High Road to Taos, NM
On the High Road to Taos, NM.

A few days ago I was on the road in another favorite location, on the state line in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

Abandoned adobe, Costilla, NM
Abandoned adobe, Costilla, NM.

Click on the image to expand.

Abandoned homestead, Colorado.
Abandoned homestead and potatoe bunker, Colorado.

As always thank you for looking and all the comments and compliments. G

Las Trampas Church Through The Big Doors

Las Trampas Church, the view through the big doors. I’m on the High Road to Taos often on photo tours, that it is hard to pass up another picture opportunity of this beautiful mission church of San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas. Thanks for looking and all the wonderful comments and support over the years. I’m very grateful. Thank you. Geraint.

Las Trampas Church, the view through the big doors.

San Jose De Gracia De Las Trampas, NM

San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, on the High Road to Taos, NM. On a little safari today, we stopped at the mission church and set up to photograph the adobe building with the fast-moving clouds. We spent a few hours in the location waiting as the clouds built and disappeared before our eyes, only to billow up again and vanish once more. Eventually, they returned and became thick, heavy storm clouds and the cold drove us back to Dixon on the Rio Embudo for coffee and snacks. Thanks for looking. G

San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM

Raindrops, San Jose De Gracia De Las Trampas, NM

Raindrops, San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM. Through the looking glass, flashing back to a body of work I did in 2009. Spending more time this last week organizing my hard drives I came across this image I shot of the Las Trampas Mission Church on the High Road to Taos. An image of the St. Francis Mission Church made the exhibit in Taos back in 2010 but as I review my files this image grew on me. Thanks for looking. G

Raindrops, San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM.

Truchas, Trampas, Ranchos De Taos, NM

Truchas, Trampas, Ranchos De Taos, NM. High Road photography convoy tour continued form my post a few days ago. It was a little too much editing to do all in one go. There is no order of importance or favorite, I posted these and the previous images in the order we discovered then. Enjoy! And thank you for joining me virtually here on my website. G

Truchas Mission Church
Tin roof with crosses, Truchas Mission Church on the High Road to Taos.

 

Gated door filigree Truchas
Gated door with metal work filigree, Truchas Mission Church.

 

Wooden cross, Morada, Truchas
Wooden cross with Penitente Morada, Truchas, NM

 

Window, Truchas Morada
Window at the Penitente Morada, Truchas.

 

Woodpile House roof Truchas
Wood pile as big as a house up to the roof in Truchas, NM

 

Steer on a Deer skulls, Truchas
Steer skull on a deer skull, on a ladder in Truchas, on the High Road to Taos.

 

Las Trampas church adobe wall
Las Trampas Church belfry seen peeking over the adobe entrance wall.

 

Las Trampas church
San Jose Church seen over the wooden gate in Las Trampas on the High Road to Taos.

 

Big doors Ranchos de Taos
Big doors on the St Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos.

 

Church of San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas

Church of San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas on the high road to Taos. Also known as the Church of Santo Tomas Del Rio de Las Trampas, is one of the most beautiful adobe mission churches in all of New Mexico in my humble opinion. Thanks for looking. G

San Jose de Gracia de Las Trampas

Church Yard, Grave Marker, New Mexico

Church yard, grave marker, Las Trampas, on the High Road to Taos, New Mexico. I made this toned black and white from an older color image. I like the way the brightness of the high desert light reflected off the ground on to the ornate, filigree design of the cross with the rim light setting off the edges of the stone. Those two little clouds caught my attention as I laid on the ground in the old church yard. Thanks for looking. G

Las Trampas Church, New Mexico

Adobe Corner, Las Trampas Church

Adobe Corner, Las Trampas. The most beautiful and authentic mission Church of San José de Gracia de Las Trampas, on the high road to Taos. Click on the links below to see more images. Thanks for looking. G

Adobe Corner, Las Trampas Church

https://geraintsmith.com/san-jose-de-gracia-de-las-trampas-2/

https://geraintsmith.com/las-trampas-church-high-road/

https://geraintsmith.com/san-jose-de-gracia-de-las-trampas-nm-2/

https://geraintsmith.com/las-trampas-grave-marker-high-road-taos/

https://geraintsmith.com/potd/pages/archive/december_15/dec_06_15.html

New Mexico Culture, Las Trampas Church

New Mexico Culture, Las Trampas Church, San José de Gracia on the High Road to Taos. A continual restoration and mudding project. One of the most beautiful and possibly the most authentic adobe mission churches in all of New Mexico. I visit this location about half a dozen times a month and I always see something new. I am always glad to see how many people get out of their vehicles to gaze on and explore this historic building. I am surprised to see how many people cruise into the parking lot, point their cameras out of the car window, and drive away having bagged another location on the bucket list. I am evening more surprised how many people pull into the parking area and leave, experiencing no further encounter with this New Mexico cultural icon, on the historic mountain highway route to Taos. Ah well… each to their own. Thanks for looking. G

New Mexico Culture San Jose de Gracia Church

Here’s another view from 2016

Some more information on the San José de Gracia Church

Las Trampas Grave Marker, On The High Road To Taos

Las Trampas grave marker, on the High Road to Taos Historical grave marker in Las Trampas at the San Jose de Gracia Church on the High Road to Taos, New Mexico. The top decoration has since vanished. I’ve added a link below to an Ansel Adams image of the same grave marker entitled “Grave Railing, Las Trampas Church, N.M., c. 1958. Thanks for looking. G

Las Trampas grave marker, on the High Road to Taos

Link to Ansel Adams image of the same cross


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