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Santa Fe Exchange

Santa Fe Exchange

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Today is Indigenous People's Day (no, not Columbus Day. F*ck that guy), and I thought it was a good opportunity to talk about one of the few positive outcomes of Native American contact with Spanish colonizers, the masterpiece of Navajo design and silversmithing known as the Squash Blossom necklace. Originally created by Navajo silversmiths in the late 19th century, the squash blossom necklace is a large, beautiful, often ornate piece of jewelry featuring a central "naja" (pendant) of a crescent moon, and a fringe of blossoms up each side. Despite its name, these probably weren't intended to be squash blossoms at all, but rather, pomegranates! Both the crescent moon and the pomegranates would have originated with the Berber and Arab Moors who ruled Spain, making their way to North America along with the violence and destruction of Spanish conquistadors and colonizers. Now a recognizable symbol of the Southwestern United States, and adopted by many tribes alongside the Navajo, the squash blossom necklace is a fantastic example of how jewelry can represent cultural dialogue across space and time, and carry out motifs and ideas from one group of people to the next. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #navajojewelry #navajosilver #squashblossomnecklace #moorishspain #moors #ancientjewelry #jewelryhistory #conquistadors #nativeamericanjewelry #fblifestyle 10/14/2025

A good post about squash blossom necklaces. Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!

Today is Indigenous People's Day (no, not Columbus Day. F*ck that guy), and I thought it was a good opportunity to talk about one of the few positive outcomes of Native American contact with Spanish colonizers, the masterpiece of Navajo design and silversmithing known as the Squash Blossom necklace. Originally created by Navajo silversmiths in the late 19th century, the squash blossom necklace is a large, beautiful, often ornate piece of jewelry featuring a central "naja" (pendant) of a crescent moon, and a fringe of blossoms up each side. Despite its name, these probably weren't intended to be squash blossoms at all, but rather, pomegranates! Both the crescent moon and the pomegranates would have originated with the Berber and Arab Moors who ruled Spain, making their way to North America along with the violence and destruction of Spanish conquistadors and colonizers. Now a recognizable symbol of the Southwestern United States, and adopted by many tribes alongside the Navajo, the squash blossom necklace is a fantastic example of how jewelry can represent cultural dialogue across space and time, and carry out motifs and ideas from one group of people to the next. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #navajojewelry #navajosilver #squashblossomnecklace #moorishspain #moors #ancientjewelry #jewelryhistory #conquistadors #nativeamericanjewelry #fblifestyle

Photos from Rui Galopim de Carvalho FGA DGA's post 08/06/2025
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Vintage Stores

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+15059832043

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525 West Cordova Road
Santa Fe, NM
87505

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Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm