DepartmentTextiles-Hispano

Embroidery

NameEmbroidery

Artist Policarpio Valencia

CultureHispano

Date1927

Place madeSanta Cruz, New Mexico, United States, North America

MediumWool, cotton

Dimensions59 1/16 × 41 5/16 in. (150 × 105 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift of the Historical Society of New Mexico, A5.1954.3

Object numberA5.1954.3

ProvenanceIn 1953, E. Boyd (Curator of Spanish Colonial Arts at the Museum of New Mexico) purchased this embroidery from Valencia’s neighbor Tomás A. Valdez, who had acquired it from Valencia’s granddaughter. Using acquisition funds from the Historical Society of New Mexico, E. Boyd paid $50 (about $587 today).

DescriptionValencia used a handwoven Rio Grande blanket for the foundation of this artwork. The blanket is woven with handspun wool wefts and commercial 4-ply cotton
warp threads, construction details that suggest a creation date between the 1880s and 1920s. Like most blankets of its type, this one is two symmetrical pieces joined by a center seam. The two sides, however, do not match as was typical. It appears Valencia may have flipped one of the sides to intentionally disrupt the traditional symmetry.

Valencia’s embroidered text begins, “On December 15, 1926 I put these letters / for everyone to see.” At the bottom, he provided March 10, 1927 as the completion date, meaning it took him approximately three months to create this work. He also humorously concluded his message, “I’m not cheap with words.”

Transcription:
On December 15, 1926, I put these letters
for everyone to see. Let us look at what the world is [really] like.
We must
look out for ourselves. We must not be caught off guard and go
towards evil.
For we have a Shepherd who always walks with us and shows
us the way. We must not take the other path. Let us put aside
all the fi ghting, envy, hypocrisy. The three things are not only very
bad but pervasive.
If you want to see their effects, here I will take note of them.
Appearances deceive.
Envy is punished. Whether I say it or not, no one can deny this.
And the
uproar [it causes] serves to start the fi ght that I hereby call
attention to.
And I encourage everyone who touches this writing to carefully
examine it, and to
see if its explanation is true or false, among other harmful things.
Here I will explain pride and arrogance. You cannot
separate the two. Both were curable since the beginning of evil.
No wonder they ranked them fi rst in pure madness. Secondly,
greed.
That we will not be cheated is the major cause and will have no end
until the moment of Last Judgement. Thirdly, lust.
Generally, this occurs as a vice that drips like honey. If you don’t
curb it, it will change
the color of your character with hidden effects more bitter than
bile. Fourth
place, wrath makes man into a tyrant to inferiors, which is already
typical of animals, because it is not human affection. Gluttony has
a scale, and to
avoid its effects, temperance should be used. Envy brings with it
crookedness and punishment.
Sloth is a disease as bad as death, so there is no place for the lazy
in any
society. Let us move on to another important issue. All those living
on this earth are constantly wanting to outdo one another. They
continue their
perseverance, and the result will be that neither one nor the other
will succeed if the time comes to
lose hope. Because time is a good friend, and everyone has a
chance.
And I’m going to explain to you the world that we want; the world is
shaped like a ball and easy to roll.
This is how it is in the evil case where people in the world rise and
fall. Each one, exercising
their free will, chooses their own path and will have to go down it.
Because life
is very short and cannot be extended on this earth. There are
people who want us to
hold on, but that can never happen. There’s a limit, and you cannot
pass it. Because He who has the key does not want to trust those
who believe in extending
life here on earth. It cannot be proven, because it is a general
belief, and the laws
protect it. The people of the world cannot be wiped out like fi sh in
the sea.
The big one eats the little one and it is a world war. Others also
insist
on wanting there to be equality, and with there being big ones and
little ones, that is a necessity.
We all have what we have coming to us in this world. Everyone is
entitled to what he deserves
and that’s enough. In this world, there is no equal nor anyone who
can raise his fi nger alone.
The Trinity shaped a true God to be among the living.
In our time, no one wants to be the slave. We all want to be
masters, and we always go after everything we want. Everyone
should know their
size in life, otherwise they will go through it looking for a fi ght. I
don’t know why.
You cannot revise this painting knowing that
no one can change it. That’s how it is and that’s how it will be.
I’m not cheap with words.
March 10, 1927
Policarpio Valencia
Santa Cruz, NM

Transcripción:
Diciembre 15 de 1926[,] me puse a poner estas letras a di…
disposesion de todos[.] Beamos lo que es el mundo[.] Nos
debemos
de cuidar[.] No nos pesquen descuidados y nos ballamos al mal[.]
Pues tenemos un pastor que siempre anda con nosotros y este
nos trajo un camino[.] No debemos hir por otro[.] Dejemos los
alborotos[,]
envidia[,] el proquesia[.] Las tres cosas son muy malas mas si son
endema[.]
Si asi quieren ber sus efetos[,] aquí los boy a notar las[.]
Apariensias engañan[.]
Y la enbidia se castiga[.] Nadyen lo puede dudar esto sin que yo lo
diga[.] Y los
alboro los sirben para prensipiar la riña aqui llamo la atension[.]
Y encargo a todo le torque en este escrito y fuere que esa mi ni
con cuidado
y bea su esplicasion si es sierto o es engaño y otras cosas que
ase
daño[.] Aqui las boy a esplicar el orgullo y la soberbia[.] No se
podan
apartar pues los dos[.] Fueron curables desde el prensipio del
mal[.] Y
con rason la pusieron primero en loca pura[.] Y en segundo la
abarisia[.]
Que no nos gantaran mal pues la malloria causa y no se
podrá acabar
hasta llegar el momento dando la cuenta fi nal[.] En tersero la
lojuria[.]
Esta cure general es bisio que estila miel[.] Si no se le pone freno
cambia
de color la piel y otros efetos ocultos mas amargan que la
hiel[.] Cuarto
lugar la ira esta hase al hombre un tirano de inferiores y de cuales
la lla es
propia de animales porque no es afeto umano[.] La gula tiene
balansa y para ebitar
sus efetos sea de uso de la templanza[.] Y la enbidia tiene
consigo su torsedos y cas
tgo. Pereza es enfermedad tan mala como la muerte así no cabe el
ynerte en ningunas
sosiedad[.] Pasaremos a otro asunto que también es
importansia[.] Los bibientes en el
mundo todos biben con costansia queriendo uno ser mas que
otro[.] Siguen su perseveransia
y el resultado sera que ni uno ni otro se alcansar si a llegar
el momento de perdder
la esperanza[.] Porque el tiempo es buen amigo y pa todos
tiene chansa[.] Y del mundo
que se disea que les boy a explicar[;] el mundo fi gura bola y
muy fasil para rodar[.]
Asi es en el mal caso las donde subir y bajar las criaturas en el
mundo[.] Usa
de su libertad cada una acaba su rumbo y en el tendran que
pasar[.] Porque la bida
es muy corta y no se puede alargar en el mundo[.] Hay quien
se atreve a querien
nos la araigar pero eso nunca podran[.] Pusieron una amedida y
no se puede pasar[.]
Porque el que tiene la llave y a nadien la quiere fi arlos que
crellen a la largar la
bida aquí en este mundo[.] No se les pordra pribar pues es crensia
es general y las leyes
la protegen[.] Y no se puede acabar los vivientes en el mundo
como peses en el mar[.]
El grande se come al chico y es una guera mundial[.] Otros
enstisten tambien
en querer que hayga ygualidad y abiendo grandes y chicos eso
es un necesidad[.]
Las criaturas en el mundo todos tenemos la norma[.] Lo que a
cada uno le toca y
con eso se conforma en el mundo no hay igual ni quien pueda
alsar el dedo solo[.]
Aquellas tres personas formando un dios berdadero sebe que lla
en los bibien-
Es[.] En la epoca que estamos nadien quiere ser el pion[.] Todos
queremos ser ammos[,]
y siempre andamos atrás de todo lo que desiamos[.] Dicada
uno conosiera su tamaño
en esta vida de otro modo la pasara y no buscando la riña[.]
No se porque[.] No se
puede rebise esa pintura sabiendo que
Nadien puede añedir[.] Asi es y asi sera[.]
Un codo no soi de la escritura yo[.]
marso 10 de 1927 el
Policarpio Valencia
Santa Crus N.M. TDNO