El Rancho de Las Golondrinas Winter Lecture Series: #1 Diné History, Colonial Archives, and Oral History
All day
El Rancho de Las Golondrinas Winter Lecture Series: #1 Diné History, Colonial Archives, and Oral History
This presentation will focus on historical photographs of Diné as subjects and explore the workings of colonial archives and how primary sources such as photographs shape how we “know” people and places, thereby reinforcing stereotypes that have resonated across decades. Simultaneously, these same photographs become the vehicle for renewed storytelling for Diné. What might we learn, if anything, about Diné from photographs? What might photographs tell us about Diné history? How do photographs become a site for renewed storytelling?
Jennifer Denetdale (Diné) is a professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico. She is best known for her book, Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita, and has published two Navajo histories for young adults and a children’s book. She is the author of numerous book chapters and journal essays. Her research is focused in Diné Studies with attention to history, gender and sexuality, and theories of settler colonialism and decolonization. She co-curated two museum exhibitions of Milton Snow’s photographs, one at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology (2025-26) and the Navajo Nation Museum, which opened August 8, 2025. She is the co-author of a forthcoming book on Milton Snow’s photographs that are largely from the Navajo Nation Museum’s collection, which will be published in October 2026 by the University of New Mexico Press. She is from Tohatchi, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, and currently resides in Albuquerque. All Ages Event.
Date: January 27, 2026
Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm (Doors open at 5:00pm)
Location: St. Francis Auditorium, New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM, 87501
Cost: $11.83 general admission ticket; Museums of New Mexico Foundation Members are Free.
For Tickets, please visit: https://tickets.holdmyticket.com/tickets/456954?tc=hmt
Event Information
Location: St. Francis Auditorium, New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM, 87501
https://golondrinas.org/
Cost: $11.83 general admission ticket; Museums of New Mexico Foundation Members are Free.
Recommended Lodging
Rancho Jacona
Escape to the glorious New Mexico countryside at this guest ranch, with 12 vacation rental casitas on a 17th-century estancia, or homestead. Located just 15 miles northwest of Santa Fe on the road to Los Alamos, 20 minutes from downtown Santa Fe, Rancho Jacona is a peaceful retreat. Your casita features rustic viga ceilings, a kiva fireplace and other elements of New Mexico style. Stay for a few days or for a while, as lodging includes well-equipped kitchens and laundry facilities.
Yurts At Hyde Memorial State Park
Connect with the heart of nature in Hyde Memorial State Park's ponderosa pine mountain forest, where three yurts provide a unique lodging experience that's rooted in an ancient nomadic tradition. Each yurt contains six single beds that can be grouped together in various configurations. Kick back in your outside activity area, with a fire ring, dining table and food safe, to keep the critters away. Vault toilets and water are just a short walk away.