One of the outstanding things about New Mexico is its wealth of traditional arts, many of them unique to the region. It is a place where people continue to make santos (images of saints), create pottery with methods almost 2,000 years old and where arts like hand weaving and spinning never died out.

So perhaps it is not surprising that New Mexico has the highest number of National Heritage Fellowship recipients per capita. Only three states have more recipients: California (35 recipients, population 36 million), New York (27 recipients, population 19 million) and Louisiana (19 recipients, population 4 million). New Mexico and North Carolina both boast 15 recipients, but New Mexico draws that talent from less than 2 million people; North Carolina boasts a population of more than 9 million.

The $20,000 fellowship is awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the president of the United States. It is the highest national honor a traditional artist can receive, recognizing lifetime achievement, artistic excellence and contributions to the nation's traditional arts heritage. A Capitol Hill awards ceremony, a banquet in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress and the National Heritage Fellowship Concert pay tribute to recipients.

Despite national recognition, the recipients are virtually unknown in their home state. The Santa Fe County Commission decided to rectify that by declaring March 4 as National Heritage Fellowship Day in Santa Fe County. Florence Jaramillo, owner of Rancho de Chimayó, hosted a banquet for the recipients.

"We are so fortunate to have all this history carried on in such a wonderful area," Jaramillo said. "It's really miraculous. I think these people deserve recognition. I don't think the average people who live here realize what we have right at our hands."

An incredible and incredibly humble group of people was honored that day. Almost all, including New Mexico's first recipient, George Lopez, and Irvin Trujillo, our newest honoree, are sixth- and seventh-generation artists passing the traditions on to future generations.

Potter Margaret Tafoya refused to employ shortcuts like store-bought clay or machine tools, or to let her descendents do so. Cleofus Vigil preserved alabados (Hispanic religious chants) while Esther Martinez kept the Tewa language alive. Both passed on rich storytelling traditions. Eliseo and Paula Rodriguez revived the art of straw appliqué and Roberto and Lorenzo Martínez are determined to keep alive Northern New Mexico's unique music.

Others initiated innovations within traditions. Helen Cordero, using Cochiti Pueblo figurine techniques, created the storyteller figure so popular today. Ramón José López, accomplished in several traditional arts, combines them in unique ways. Emilio and Senaida Romero not only inspired a tinworking revival, they enhanced it by replacing the decorative wallpaper in the designs with Senaida's colcha embroidery.

Many of these artists, like Frances Varos Graves (colcha embroidery) and Charlie Carrillo (santero), have researched and revived lost techniques.

New Mexico owes the vitality of our cultural heritage to these artists' multiple contributions toward keeping these traditions alive. To learn more about them or to nominate someone making significant contributions to traditional arts, go to www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/index.html.