By Ana Dickerson
For nearly a century, Route 66 has endured both as a vital commercial corridor linking the western United States and as a cultural touchstone connoting a bygone era of idealized Americana. However, as the Mother Road approaches its nationwide centennial celebration in 2026, for documentary photographer Donatella Davanzo the iconic highway serves mainly as inspiration for exploring the concept of connection.
“When I document buildings, I document the heritage of Route 66 in its reality, not just based on nostalgia or its imagery in popular culture,” Davanzo said. “Route 66 has always been a connector of people, places, and ideas, retaining its historic function as the ‘Main Street of America’ but also showcasing a melding of cultures among Hispanic, Native, African American, and Asian American influences.”
Davanzo is the creator of “Route 66 Connected,” a photographic survey and documentary project she began in 2022 and expects to complete this year. Including both photographs and personal interviews, the comprehensive project details structures existing on Albuquerque’s stretch of Route 66 between Tramway and Atrisco Vista boulevards during that period. It resides as an interactive online exhibit at https://donatellaabq.wixsite.com/route-66-connected, as well as in the archives at UNM’s Center for Southwest Research.
As a member of the board of directors of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, in preparation for the upcoming centennial, Davanzo has been expanding and updating her previous work to include Route 66’s entire stretch through the state of New Mexico. In anticipation of the tens of thousands of tourists expected to visit the state for the year-long celebration, she also has been working to enhance her online gallery with an accompanying map and travel guide, adapting the presentation for social media platforms.
“The virtual exhibition is the perfect medium for my work as it gives prospective attendees the option of viewing it from anywhere,” Davanzo said. “The multimedia platform gives room for an efficient display of not only images but other information about the properties to create an immersive environment” – including explanatory texts, voiceover interviews, and a color-coded map showing both the historic and current use of every building.
Beyond the online presentation, Davanzo is helping to organize live panel forums during the centennial that will bring together virtual and physical attendees, humanities scholars, and Route 66 communities. They will gather at public libraries in the Albuquerque area and in conjunction with public exhibits to discuss and promote Route 66 history and its contemporary significance. Among the goals is to stimulate future efforts of preservation and investigations of the historic corridor in New Mexico.
The City of Albuquerque plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with a variety of programs, including a comprehensive event website, immersive art installations, cutting-edge augmented reality (A/R) experiences, and a host of special events that will bring the iconic route to life in new and innovative ways.
“Route 66 is an iconic part of Albuquerque’s story, and when you see the revitalization happening along Central in Downtown today, that story is as much about our future as it is our past,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a news release. “This centennial gives us a chance to showcase our identity and celebrate what’s so special about our 18-mile stretch of the Mother Road.”
Davanzo travelled the entire 400-plus miles of Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica, in 2006, as a tourist, but it was her later visits as a documentarian when she realized that the Mother Road was not just a snapshot in time but “a living link between places, local traditions, communities, and different ethnicities in present-day America.” Her scholarly investigation includes research into archival and photo collections, and surveys of the entire road in New Mexico, to complete the examination of status, ownership, symbolism, and ethnicity of all the historic properties included in the project.
Route 66 Connected is organized into three core themes – tangibility, symbolism, and ethnicity. Tangibility conveys the aesthetic elements of the buildings, including architectural styles and designs, historical clustering, and modern uses. Symbolism refers to Route 66 iconography and focuses on murals, signage, and the road’s iconic black-and-white shield. Ethnicity examines the preservation of regional designs and Native symbols to reveal the current multicultural identity of Route 66.
Despite its ongoing obsolescence caused by the construction of Interstate 40 and more recently by the Covid-19 pandemic, Davanzo believes Route 66 continues to epitomize a fascinating transportation corridor and a unique, appealing travel experience to motorists across the United States.
“Mom and pop stores have struggled a lot, but interestingly enough, the majority of owners have a very optimistic view of the future and the importance of preserving Route 66 and its heritage,” she said.
Davanzo is an Italian American anthropologist and documentary photographer, awarded her doctorate in American Studies at UNM in 2018. She earned master’s degrees in cultural anthropology and communication, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in Italy. She is also a published author.
