2nd Saturday – Herreros: The Spanish History of Blacksmiths
By the ninth century, Moorish and Spanish smiths working together in the city of Toledo had perfected the art of tempering steel blades causing the city to become famous as the finest producer of steel in the world. Herreros, or Spanish blacksmiths, were highly valued members of Spanish expeditions to New Mexico. Their most common function was to shoe horses and repair armor, horse gear, firearms, and small tools. As more colonists arrived, blacksmiths turned their attention to providing domestic goods such like griddles, roasting spits, ladles, and knives. Domestic goods were then followed by artistic items for the home. Most of this iron would have come from the Basque Country between Spain and France. With the arrival of the railroad and machined products from the industrialized parts of the nation in the late 1800s, the need for locally forged iron goods declined along with the number of blacksmiths.
Dave Sabo is local blacksmith skilled in the traditional methods of herreros and will be able to tell you about some of the early iron manufacturing and blacksmithing practices that were used in New Mexico. Join us Saturday March 14th as Dave works the forge and describes the traditions of herreros.
Free 1:00 – 4:00 PM
