DepartmentTextiles-United States & Canada

San Luis del Rey

Namecolcha embroidery with pictorial narrative

Artist Josephine Lobato (born 1936)

Date2009

Place madeSan Luis, COLORADO, United States, North America

Mediumwool yarn on plain-woven cotton foundation

Dimensions35.5” x 23”

Credit LineGift of Josephine Lobato

Object numberA.2025.23.5

Collections

New Acquisitions: The Gift of Folk Art

ProvenanceGift of the artist

DescriptionDescription from artist as recorded by Suzanne MacAulay:

San Luis, Colorado is the namesake for San Luis Rey. The San Antonio River in the lower half of the composition was the site of battles between Spanish Conquistadores and Ute Indian tribes. Now it is called Rito Seco since water does not flow all year. A Ute encampment is on the left with wild horses in the background. Conquistadores are represented in the upper right with the Spanish flag signifying ownership. The adobe houses of San Luis are shown along the bottom border.

Geography depicted: Bluff overlooking town of San Luis, Colorado, in south central Colorado

San Luis Rey = Saint Louis IX, King of France and patron of the Secular Franciscan Order.