Mr. Rainbow

As I left the Plaza in Santa Fe (NM), I passed a row of shops along East Palace Avenue. Some of the shops opened into a courtyard, e.g., Sena Plaza or a dining area for a cafe or a display area for their merchandise.

I found one example of the latter group when I passed through the shadows along the sidewalk.

What greeted me was a small world of color in a store called The Rainbow Man.

Opened in 1945 in "the remains of a building that was damaged during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt," The Rainbow Man specializes in authentic Indian and Hispanic arts and crafts.

The original owners enjoyed good relations with Native Americans (the Rainbow Man is known as a protector in Indian mythology).

The current owners, Bob and Marianne Kapoun, have built up an impressive collection of older Indian jewelry from the 1800s to the 1940s: coral crucifixes, silver and turquoise bracelets, rings, belts and amulets ranging in price from $50 to $5,000.

I didn't move into the enclosed galleries that displayed these valuable items. Instead, I spent my time studying the colorful Oaxacan folk animals that were arranged in the open courtyard.

The weathered shelves, tables, and wagons provided the perfect background to show off the colorful artwork.

This army of lizards seemed to be aligned in the perfect formation to begin an assault on anything that was not ceramic.

Several folks with cameras were lined up around me to get just the right shot of this rainbow of flowers in the entryway.