近距离内射合集

Every day in Albuquerque鈥檚 Old Town, tourists bow their heads to look at blankets covered in turquoise and silver beneath the portal of the Armijo House on San Felipe Street.

In doing so, both the tourists and the vendors they buy from are carrying on a tradition of trade between travelers, settlers and Native Americans that is hundreds of years old. However, beneath the wooden awning, modernity and tradition are at odds.

The building鈥檚 current owner, George Cook, wants to convert the historic Armijo House, a 20,000-square-foot property facing the plaza from the east, into individual storefronts, which portal vendors say will displace and disrupt their business.

鈥淭hey want to take the old out of Old Town 鈥� it just makes no sense,鈥� said vendor Gregory Moquino, from the Santo Domingo Pueblo, also known as Kewa by its members.

Quick to crack a joke and recount his misadventures, Moquino proudly tells visitors that his grandparents and mother were among the first sellers to set up in the historic building's shade in the 1950s.

During his time as a vendor, Moquino, who鈥檚 now in his 60s, said he鈥檚 seen four different iterations of Old Town鈥檚 central gazebo and watched the historic district鈥檚 cottonwoods grow from saplings to towering giants.

Subdividing the historic building and putting in doors after hours unsettled the symbiotic relationship the vendors and previous owners once had, Moquino said while arranging his wares.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing but greed,鈥� Moquino said.

But according to Cook, it's the vendors who are being unreasonable. To him, the remodel is an economic necessity.

After La Placita restaurant closed during the pandemic, Cook said he鈥檚 been unable to find a tenant for the large space. In October, without proper permitting, Cook decided to take matters into his own hands, installing two sets of dark blue double doors.

鈥淩estaurants can鈥檛 afford to be paying $25,000 a month (in rent), not in this economy,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淪o I鈥檝e had to subdivide it inside to make multiple shops.鈥�

However, the doors eliminate several of the 15 designated spots of the Old Town Portal Market, which vendors say are highly coveted, especially during weekends and major events like the Balloon Fiesta.

In Cook鈥檚 opinion, the city should move vendors to the plaza, that way both parties can conduct their business in peace. However, Cook doesn鈥檛 get the final say. 

Cook鈥檚 double doors, and whether he can keep them, are currently under review by the city of Albuquerque鈥檚 Landmarks Commission, which governs development within historic districts, sites and buildings that have been designated as city landmarks. The commission will reconvene on the issue Aug. 12, a postponement caused by the sudden death of one of the appointed commissioners.

Still, Cook argues that neither the city nor the vendors have the right to keep him from using his building as he sees fit.

鈥淎 few vendors think that they own the property when they don't own the property and they don't (generate) city taxes,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淭hey don't pay anything to sit out there. And here, the city could be generating tax revenue from these shops if we could just get these shops open.鈥�

But, in actuality, the matter of ownership is more complicated. Previous owners of the Armijo House donated the walkway under the portal to the city of Albuquerque. After which, the city formally designated the area as the Old Town Portal Market, which is governed by an independent board and city ordinance.

Members of the Old Town Portal Market Advisory Board could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

鈥淭hey watch you make something from start to finish (to get a space),鈥� Moquino said. 鈥淏ecause this is an artists鈥� market, everything is handmade, this isn鈥檛 a flea market.鈥�

Though vendors may not be paying thousands in monthly rent, they pay a $12 day-use fee, as per city law. Moreover, vendors say their presence alone draws tourists, generating revenue for the entire area.

鈥淲e are part of the building,鈥� said Marylin Moquino, Gregory Moquino鈥檚 sister. 鈥淲e鈥檙e like a living museum exhibit, you could say.鈥�

And even on a sleepy midweek morning, the Moquinos drew in passing tourists, encouraging them to pick up 鈥渁nything鈥� they鈥檇 like and try things on for size.

One of those tourists was 12-year-old Z枚e Augustine from California, who stopped to look at the array of turquoise bracelets and silver rings with her mother.

鈥淚 thought it was really nice because in California or in San Francisco, the vendors aren't always exactly selling handcrafted (goods), more like stuff that you would get off Temu,鈥� Augustine said. 鈥淏ut here it's more authentic, and people are really nice and polite, actually.鈥�

When told about potential changes to the market, Augustine said she was disappointed. Though Old Town is filled with tchotchkes and trinket shops, she said that the portal market was by far the most unique.

鈥淚 feel like it's a tradition and new people who come from different places wouldn鈥檛 be able to experience it if things changed,鈥� Augustine said.

Gillian Barkhurst is a general assignment reporter for the Journal. She can be reached at gbarkhurst@abqjournal.com.