Early in July, we left Santa Fe to go to the next stop on our vacation, Pagosa Springs. On the way we passed through the town of Espanola where I was born. I was on the lookout for Cerro Pedernal. A flat topped mountain that Georgia O’Keefe painted over twenty times.
And hey we found it along with a handy oversized parking lot right off the highway. Cerro Pedernal is close to the place where I have my earliest memories. Coyote, New Mexico. A village up in the mountains where my father was the Coyote District Ranger of the Santa Fe, National Forest. I don’t remember the mountain at all. We had lots of mountains up there.
O’Keefe liked to claim that because she painted the mountain so many times, that God gave it to her and it was hers. I read a story somewhere, I can’t find it to confirm it. that she climbed the mountain once. It stands at 9866 feet above sea level. The last segment, I read, involves scrambling up a steep slope with and hand over hand climbing. So kudos to her. The trail up there is about 7 miles so I don’t think I’ll be making the trek anytime soon. Upon her death in 1986 at 98 years of age she was cremated and her ashes spread over the mountain.
Cerro Pedernal in Spanish means flint hill. The Tewa people call it Tsi Ping and it is sacred to them. There is an ancient village nearby, Tsi’pin-owinge—translating to “Village at Flaking Stone Mountain,” occupied from 1275 to 1450 AD that housed about a thousand people. They still call the mountain Tsi Ping. It was renamed by the Spanish when they explored the country and claimed it for their country and renamed everything they could. Earlier in our trip, at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, they had an exhibit of art by Tewa members. One of them was on a project to paint Tsi Ping 30 times and thus reclaim the mountain for his tribe from O’Keefe. I find this all fascinating. There seems to be a movement by indigenous Americans to reclaim their history, including place names, as a way of reestablishing and confirming their identity under their own terms.
Georgia O’Keeffe. My Front Yard, Summer, 1941. Access O’Keeffe, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, https://access-ok.okeeffemuseum.org/object/1020. Accessed 19 August 2026
Here is one of O’Keefe’s paintings of the mountain. (You can see their entire collection online and download many of the works, subject to their terms of use at the museum web site.) It looks to be close to the same vantage point as my photographs. Both live and in the art, the mountain seems like a living being and just dominates the whole landscape.
I ran my first photo above through the Dynamic Auto Painter Program and it came out like this. No match for Georgia O’Keefe but hey, it’s mine. I cropped it to make it the new header for the blog.
We stayed for a little while and then drove on.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
You were born in an interesting area and love the connection to O’Keefe. I thought you were born in Oklahoma!
I can see how your dad must have influenced your love of nature. Absolutely gorgeous mountainscape! It makes a wonderful new header.
,,,Georgia O’Keefe is one of my favorite artists, I;d love to go to the museum.
Wow! Intriguing that you were born in New Mexico and great photos and post about it ~ I loved Santa Fe and the outskirts of the Native Americans homes ~ pueblos etc.
Georgia O’Keefe was a fascinating person and awesome artist ~
Thanks for commenting on my blog and have a great weekend ~ Hugs ^_^
Very interesting story. I like your painterly image.
Very interesting place.
Hope you had good recap of your birth place. Beautiful photos indeed
Amazing place, Glad to read your post.
Awesome pics.
Oh, I’m a great Fan of Georgia O’Keefe. Thank you for sharing and for hosting. Have a wonderful week ahead. Greetings by Heidrun
Hello
Beautiful views and landscapes. I would like to visit the Georgia O’Keefe museum, I am a fan of her art work. Take care, enjoy your day and happy weekend!
It’s beautiful country, and fantastic that you were able to visit near your place of birth. And that you knew the rich story of what you were looking at. Thank you for sharing. Alana ramblinwitham
Stunning landscapes and O’Keefe information.
Fascinating story about Georgia O’Keeffe! The West and the National Parks are definitely on our list of places to visit.
Lovely view of Cerro Pedernal! O’Keefe’s painting shows it with a very green landscape while the present is all brown from the long drought. It still makes a lovely header, Yogi! Love O’Keefe’s paintings –we saw a wonderful exhibit a few years ago at Denver Art Museum of her work.