About Nicholas 
Nicholas was introduced to art at a very young age by his family who strongly encouraged him to study art and make wonderful things with his hands. Since 1996, he has continued to develop the skills necessary to follow his dreams, that of making Spanish Colonial Art.
Inspired by the historical pieces of Art that are available throughout New Mexico and as a 15th generation New Mexican, he's studied what would be considered the great artists of Colonial New Mexico. Their use of natural pigments, local items and some ingenuity has taught him to do the same - Nicholas uses vivid colors and aspires to make each piece unique giving a true representation of his values and traditional beliefs. Nicholas explores ideas that are not always socially comfortable.
Nicholas is a product of his rural upbringing and community. He is the El Rito Santero!
Link to Video of Nicholas
Link to Nicholas Herrera's Book: Visiones de mi Corazon/Visions of my Heart
Major Collections Museum Collections:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington, DC
Smithsonian Institutions, Museum of Colonial Arts, Washington, DC
The Terra Museum of American Art Chicago IL
The Terra Foundation of American Art in Paris, France
Foothills Art Center Golden, CO
The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, IL
Luce Foundation Center for American Art Smithsonian Washington, DC
Autry Western Heritage Museum Los Angeles, CA
The Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, NM
Rockerfeller American Folk Art Museum in New York City, NY
Museum of International Folk Art Santa Fe, NM
DePaul University Museum Chicago, IL
Price Tower Arts Center in Bartlesville, OK
National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM
El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, New NM
Sheldon Museum of Art's Lincoln, Neb.
Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts Santa Fe, NM
Taylor Museum Colorado Springs, CO
Santa Fe Children’s Museum Santa Fe, NM
Sangre de Cristo Art Center Pueblo, CO
Regis University Santo Collection Denver, CO
Arizona State Museum- The University of Arziona
Espanola Convento Museum, Espanola New Mexico
Haggerty Museum of Art, Milwaukee, WI
San Andrea della Valle Theatine General House Roma, Italy
Flatwater Folk Art Musuem Brownsville, NE
Numerous New Mexico Churches and Private Chapels
Longwood Center for Visual Arts, Farmville, Virgina
El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY
The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Albuquerque, NM
Family History Nicholas ancestors played a key role in the founding, defense and settlement of New Mexico. Fifteen generations back the early settlers who came with Oñate in 1598 remained at what was then San Gabriel and later known as San Juan de los Caballeros. This area became the hub for settlement and growth throughout New Mexico. Settlers received land grants and moved into territories that were barely habitable and they thrived. They existed this way for almost 82 years. At that time Juan de Herrera, Hernan Martin Serrano, Juan Griego, Pedro Robledo and many others remained in New Mexico. The vast majority of wanna be settlers returned to Mexico as they could not live in such humble ways.
After the 1680 Revolt which took them to El Paso del Norte for 12 years, many of the original settler families returned along with many new ones from Mexico City. Here we see the Archuleta, Quintana, Ortiz, Tenorio de Alba, Lopez, Trujillo and Roybal families coming in and making a living in New Mexico. These groups of people were there to stay and they started receiving land grants from the Spanish government. All these families were grantees either private or as individuals. Today we still see the Jacona Grant once owned by Ygnacio Roybal.
These men were soldiers. They were paid by the government, lived in Santa Fe and fought to defend their homeland. They were also very religious. Many of them were members of the Conquistadora Confraternity in Santa Fe. They built churches and were buried within the floors. Some were alcaldes and some were War Captains, they did whatever it took to survive and keep their families safe.
In the next century, around 1801, the El Rito area was starting to form. Many folks had already been settling in areas at Abiquiu and Ojo Caliente mostly defending themselves from Comanche, Utes and Navajos. This land grant was more of a Hispanic Community Grant even though it had been granted to Joaquin Garcia. Not too many years passed and Garcia was selling his parcels off to different families who wanted to live in the area. As for Nicholas family we see them coming into this area in the early 1820s (Archuletas) and later by the mid-1850s his entire family going back about five and six generations were nicely settled at El Rito. Nicholas is the descendant of land owners, farmers, artists and soldiers.
These families were farmers for the most part, but also later became merchants and artists. They took advantage of the homestead law and received land in the El Rito area in the early 1900s. They were all proud to be El Riteños. Many of these descendants still live here today including Nicholas.
The ancestry of New Mexico is rich with history, it is complex because of the compradazgo and it makes one proud that they decided to make this their home. They traded, bartered and purchased land and goods to make a living. I see this in Nicolas: he is proud to be from El Rito, proud of parents and what they taught him and hes willing to do what is right to make a living for him and his family.
Henrietta Martinez Christmas
