She made her first visit to Taos out of curiosity in 1917. The morning after her arrival, Mabel Dodge Luhan signed a six-month lease on an apartment. From that day onward, she worked tirelessly on her new mission -- bringing the world's attention to the magic of Northern New Mexico and particularly to its Pueblo culture. A new documentary, Awakening in Taos: The Mabel Dodge Luhan Story, premieres on November 18 at the Lensic Center in Santa Fe.
Mark Gordon, the film's writer and director, says that Mabel's 45 years in Taos had an impact on Northern New Mexico that is still being felt today.
In this longer version of the interview, Mark Gordon discusses the involvement in the documentary of the great-grandson of Tony Lujan, Mabel Dodge Luhan's husband. Blue Spruce Standing Deer shared with the filmmakers his recollections of growing up with Mabel and Tony in Taos; he also supplied the voice for his great-grandfather in the film, speaking in Lujan's native Tiwa.
