Santa Fe is a designated UNESCO Creative City , and is one the best places in the world to shop specifically for Native American Indian arts and crafts. How to proceed depends on what your goals are and how much you want to spend. If your goal is to obtain mementos of no great intrinsic value, check out the Native American vendors on the "Portal" (accent on second syllable) in front of the Palace of the Governors; the jewelry and pottery is inexpensive (of course, you get what you pay for) and its authenticity is guaranteed. Pickings may be a bit thin on Sundays, and the vendors pick up and go home after 5:30. A word of warning: do not patronize the similar vendors on sidewalks out around town unless you know they're OK. If they're not on the Portal, there's a reason, and one common reason is that they're passing off non-Indian junk as authentic. Some authentic artisans may be off the Portal, but caveat emptor.
Vendors on the Portal at the Palace of the Governors
For higher-quality (and -priced) Indian art that you'll feel good about when you get it home, galleries cluster around the Plaza. Some reputable ones (there are more) are:
Allan Houser Gallery, 125 Lincoln Ave. Suite 112, +1 505 982-4705, ,. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Showcases sculptures, drawings, and paintings by Allan Houser. A sculpture garden south of Santa Fe with more work by Houser is open for tours.
Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery, 100 W. San Francisco, +1 505 986-1234, , . Summer M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 12PM-6PM; Winter M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su Noon-5PM. Museum quality Native American pottery.
Blue Rain Gallery, 130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite D, ☎ +1 505 954-9902, . M-Sa 10AM-6PM, closed Sun. Specializing in contemporary Native American art, including pottery, paintings, glass sculpture, jewelry and mixed media. �
Lyn A Fox Fine Pueblo Pottery at Traders Collection, 219 Galisteo St (between East Alameda and Water St.), ☎ +1 505-992-0441, . 10AM - 5PM. Specializing in fine historic Pueblo pottery from the eight northern pueblos, including Native American clay pots, dough bowls, vases, olla pots, and storyteller pottery. �
Packard's, 61 Old Santa Fe Trail (at the southeast corner of the Plaza), +1 505 983-9421, Toll-free: 800-648-7358, Fax: +1 505 984-8174, , . An old standard with an excellent, diverse collection and some "Anglo" work as well
Steve Elmore Indian Art, 839 Paseo de Peralta, suite M (between Palace & Alameda), ☎ +1 505 995-9677, . 10AM-5PM daily. Specializing in Native American antiques with an emphasis on historic Pueblo pottery, Navajo weavings, kachinas, and old pawn jewelry. �
There are other good ones as well; if you find one that you think offers particularly good value for dollar, please expand this list. You can spend as little as $100 for a small piece, or spend more money than you have for something that's literally one-of-a-kind.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Santa Fe (New Mexico)
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