By Autumn Gray
Bien Mur Indian Market, which claims to be the largest retail arts and crafts store in the Southwest, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Owned and operated by the Pueblo of Sandia, the store has been an economic engine not only for the Pueblo but also for the broader Native community, while serving as a destination for locals and tourists alike.
The 8,000-square-foot kiva-shaped showroom routinely carries an inventory of more than 400 Artisans and crafts representing about eight of New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos. Items for sale include baskets, rugs, storytellers, kachinas, sand paintings, fetishes and moccasins. However, best sellers are the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni jewelry, as well as pottery from Acoma, Santo Domingo, Santa Clara, San Idelfonso and Zuni, said manager Paul Jones.
“We help the economy of the pueblos, and we educate people about Native culture when they come in to buy products,” Jones said. Bien Mur is translated as “big mountain.” It is located on Tramway Road, just east of Interstate 25, at the base of the majestic Sandia Mountains, which are considered sacred by the Sandia Pueblo.
Also of cultural importance is its 107-acre buffalo preserve, to the east of the shop and bordering Bien Mur’s parking lot. The picturesque herd, which is maintained at about 40 head, was established to promote the resurgence of the American bison after the animals were all but exterminated during the mass slaughter of the 1800s. Many indigenous people consider the buffalo a sacred animal and a symbol of strength and abundance for the clothes, tools, shelter and other life necessities it provides.
Today, the preserve is a magnet for locals and tourists taking seasonal photos of the magnificent animals against the ever-changing high desert landscape. Thanks to efforts such as the Sandia preserve, the buffalo are now thriving in herds across the West. However, it remains a rarity to have them located so close to an urban area.
In honor of its 50th year, Bien Mur plans to hold a celebratory event from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 17-18 in the parking area. About 30 vendors are expected to participate, along with food trucks serving traditional Pueblo-style food.
