Gabriel Vigil

Gabriel Vigil has participated in Spanish Market every year since 1994. In 2004 Gabriel won first place in the small retablos category and has won an award every year since, including 2008 when he won the Spanish Market Poster Award sponsored by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society.

"Being a Santero is a blessing because it is an art of my culture, tradition, and my Catholic religion. I have studied the saints and their lives, and in doing so, I have learned that it is an honor to produce my version of their earthly being. I am fortunate to be a santero of present day because this art form originated centuries ago in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. There are only a handful of santeros today who produce this religious art in its traditional art form. It is my calling to keep this art form alive so that it is not forgotten or lost." (El Potrero Trading Post)