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"Preserving Architectural Heritage and Community Traditions in New Mexico and the Southwest"

Nuestra Seņora de Guadalupe Church, Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico

Originally constructed in 1629, the historic Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church, has had three cycles of building, destruction, and re-building. In the 1970's a Zuni artist initiated a monumental mural project consisting of oil paintings on the interior walls of the church depicting traditional ceremonial, kachinas, and elements of oral history.

Zuni Pueblo invited Cornerstones to conduct a conditions assessment and preservation plan for their historic Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church. The conditions assessment is the first step in the eventual preservation process. The process included a comprehensive photographic documentation and a number of tests and investigations to understand the current conditions of the church. In addition, an art conservator from Mexico City assessed the murals to develop a plan for their long-term conservation.