'I’ll stop when I’m buried': Santero Charlie Carrillo brings his blend of whimsical saints and vehicles to Winter Spanish Market

Months of work goes into getting ready for the Winter Spanish Market.

For the Atrisco Heritage Foundation, who presents the annual event, it spends months whittling down the number of artists who will take part in the event on Saturday, Dec. 7, and Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. The event is free to attend.

'I’ll stop when I’m buried': Santero Charlie Carrillo brings his blend of whimsical saints and vehicles to Winter Spanish Market

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the Winter Spanish Market and highlight the exceptional talent of these artists who keep Spanish Colonial traditions alive,” said Brissa Garcia, Spanish Market program coordinator for The Atrisco Companies. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the community to experience the beauty and cultural significance of these art forms and to support our talented local artists.”

Garcia said this year’s market will feature the works of over 50 adult artists and nearly a dozen youth artists, showcasing a variety of traditional Spanish Colonial art forms, including retablos, weaving, tinwork, colcha embroidery, ironwork, straw applique, pottery, precious metal jewelry and furniture.

The Atrisco Heritage Foundation has breathed new life into Winter Market since taking it over a few years ago.

Over the years, the location has moved between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and Garcia said it makes sense to keep it in Santa Fe because the Traditional Spanish Market is held there in July.

Just as Garcia and the Atrisco team diligently get the market ready, artists such as Charlie Carrillo keep up with the schedule.

The Abiquiú-based artist is currently in the midst of his 12-hour days — finishing up art pieces for Winter Market.

“I got behind for a lot of reasons,” Carrillo said with his Norteño accent. “I’m working on a lot of my saints, pick-up trucks and vintage cars. I’ll have at least 12 of those.”

Carrillo is a decades-long participant of Spanish Market.

He is known not only for his depiction of saints, but taking a whimsical look at the same saints and putting them into vehicles.

“The vintage cars and trucks take longer to create,” he continued. “I can finish three retablos in the time that it takes to do a vintage truck. With those, I have to make templates. I can’t just pick up a piece of board and cut out a ’57 Chevy.”

When it comes to the details of each piece of work, Carrillo puts on the heaviest form of criticism.

“I’ve had scholars who understand iconography and color, they can be cruel,” he said. “All I have to do is meet some car collectors and they will look at the details on my pieces and rip me to shreds. I sometimes omit the gas tank in my pieces because it will cause some sort of concern.”

Though doing art is a full-time gig, the 68-year-old artist does find the time to give back to his community in Abiquiú.

He used to be the Hermano Mayor for the Penitente in Abiquiú — this is the first year he’s stepped back from that role, acting in a secondary role.

“I’m super involved in Catholic traditions here in Abiquiú,” he said.

Carrillo is a nationally recognized santero, specializing in carved Catholic saints and painted wood retablos.

While working on his Ph.D. in anthropology, he discovered his Jewish roots and embarked on a journey of self-discovery.

This led to the incorporation of Jewish themes and iconography in his creative work.

“We recognize that’s our ancestry. But I claim to my Catholic faith. My message is that I understand it’s part of my ancestry. I embrace it only to the degree that I recognize. I chose to remain Catholic.”

Carrillo said he does incorporate Jewish symbols and images with Old Testament figures.

“It relates to the Jewish faith,” he said.

Carrillo also finds himself doing research alongside fellow artist and historian Felipe Mirabal.

The pair worked on a 450-page book on the history of Chimayó.

“This is the first time there is a complete list of all the saints in the Santuario,” he said. “Felipe and I spent the last 15 years producing the book.”

The pair have pulled in fellow santero Vicente Telles who is helping them dig into an unknown santero from the 1790s, who has an art piece at El Santuario de Chimayó.

When Winter Market arrives in Santa Fe, Carrillo will be done with the collection.

He will have 12 vehicles done, with an additional 13 retablos.

“I’m in the process of painting another 15 retablos,” he said. “I’ll have 40 pieces of art that I will have created since early August.”

Carrillo, like many artists, rely on the annual markets to make a living.

He wakes up by 8 a.m. each day to create and will have his head hit the pillow by 11 p.m.

“This is the life I’ve chosen,” he said. “I have friends who are retired and bored with their life. My retirement plan is a sepulture plan. I’ll stop when I’m buried. This isn’t a job for me, it’s a vocation.”