Santisima — Attraction in Albuquerque

Old Town Albuquerque is a fun place to poke around but after a few blocks you'll find yourself quickly bored by the same cheap touristy nick-knacks over and over again. There are only so many Kachina dolls or turquoise necklaces you can stomach in a day. And then, in the midst of all of these tourist traps is Santisima - the type of gallery I came to Old Town searching for!

Unlike most of the other folk art shops in the area, Santisima has truly unique artwork by exciting artists like Brandon Maldonado. It is art that's representative of the area and it's diverse culture but is also something that I would hang on my wall. The gallery is small but it hit the spot just right for me today. I easily could have scooped up 30 different pieces of art and left with a satisfied smile on my face. I will definitely be returning and grabbing a print or two before I head back home! The prices were reasonable enough to justify a spur-of-the-moment purchase for pretty much anyone.

I also want to mention that the owner was great while I was there. He was just the right amount of friendliness sprinkled with enough 'I'll leave you alone to browse' to make me feel welcome.

By far this was my favorite shop in the area and possibly the best I've been to...

I am not too big on buying art and craft items but this store is definitely something special. After looking through countless gift shops in Old Town filled with cheap t-shirts and what not we were literally blown away by the unique handmade pieces in this store and made some great purchase. Definitely will return on our next visit to ABQ. Owner was extremely helpful and explained a lot about...

We visited this unique gallery in Old Town Albuquerque on Monday the week of the Balloonfest. Johnny was very friendly, full of information, and welcoming. I wish we were rich, because I fell in love with so many pieces by so many artists! We walked away with nice wood print of Pamela Enrique-Court's "Frida...