By the time 84-year-old Leopoldo Trujillo learned the traditional art of colcha embroidery, a popular type of embroidery in New Mexico, he had been around the world a few times. He was a flight attendant for the now-defunct Pan American Airways for more than 25 years and traveled regularly to Europe, Asia and Africa.

In 1983, Trujillo and his partner of 59 years, Beryl D. Stewart, moved to New Mexico to take over the Chimayó Trading Post in Española, which his father, E.D. Trujillo, founded in 1926.

"When Beryl and I opened the store, some of the local women started coming over and taught me how to make colcha," says Trujillo.

"Beryl was the one that encouraged me to move back to New Mexico," he adds. "I wanted to retire in Portugal."

The interest in colcha that Trujillo took up in retirement is one of the many types of weaving that have been part of his family's legacy in New Mexico for hundreds of years. Trujillo is kin to the Ortega and Trujillo family of weavers from Chimayó. He was born in Chimayó on Sept. 21, 1924, and was one of eight children born to Esquipula de Agüero (E.D.) Trujillo and Romanita Ortega Martínez.

As a young child, Trujillo lived with his grandparents, Gavino Trujillo and Ursalito Deguerro, in Chimayó. Then he was sent to boarding schools sponsored by the Presbyterian Church — Allison-James, which in Santa Fe, and later Menaul School in Albuquerque. Trujillo graduated from the Normal School in El Rito in 1942. After graduation, he was sent to the U.S. Naval Academy. "Senator Dennis Chávez helped me get into the academy," he says.

After attending the academy, Trujillo moved to Florida to work for Pan Am and was later transferred to New York. "Since I could speak Spanish, I was sent to Cuba, Puerto Rico and all over South America. Then I learned Portuguese and started traveling to Brazil and Portugal," says Trujillo.

While working at New York's Kennedy Airport, Trujillo met his lifelong partner, Beryl D. Stewart. "Beryl was a flight attendant for Air France, which was located close to Pan Am, so we kept bumping into each other," Trujillo says.

When Trujillo was based in London, he and Stewart got their first set of Bennington terriers, which they trained and entered into dog shows. According to Trujillo, one of his terriers won first place in the Westminster Dog Show in the 1970s.

Trujillo and Stewart also became avid collectors of art and furniture through their international travels. "We had to make several trips back to New York to bring all of our furniture from England and France to New Mexico," says Trujillo.

The two men had many adventures and accomplished much in life, including getting the Chimayó Trading Post listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Stewart died this past June of complications from a stroke.

"We were a great team. I really miss him," says Trujillo. Trujillo is having a hard time adjusting to life without Stewart, but he's grateful to his nephew, Patrick Trujillo, who is helping him keep the business going. He's also grateful for the community that has not only rallied around him in his time of need, but also has taken the time to teach him how to make colcha, which keeps him busy now.

Ana Pacheco is the founder and publisher of La Herencia, a culture and history magazine (www.herencia.com, 505-474-2800). Her weekly tribute to our community elders appears every Tuesday.