Celebrating Our Southwest Heritage A Talk With Khristaan Villela

The Southwest was once part of Mexico. Before that, it spent centuries under Spanish colonial rule. And Native groups have lived in the area for thousands of years before that. These roots continue to influence the Southwest’s art, music, stories, architecture, and other aspects of its culture.

To learn more, talked with Khristaan Villela. He is executive director at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The museum’s mission is to help visitors