Orlando Romero remembers the very first Las Posadas on the Santa Fe Plaza nearly 50 years ago.

Originally from Nambé, Romero maintained close ties with many Northern New Mexico villagers who had practiced the Christmas tradition for centuries. Meaning “the inns” in Spanish, Las Posadas reenacts Mary and Joseph’s attempts to find shelter ahead of Jesus’ birth.

Romero helped the Santa Fe version of the event find its founding organizers in the congregation of Holy Cross Catholic Church, also known as La Iglesia de Santa Cruz de la Cañada. And thanks to their work, the very first Las Posadas on the Plaza was a success, Romero remembered.

“You couldn’t walk. It was elbow to elbow. It was packed with people,” he said.

Forty-nine years later, hundreds of onlookers braved chilly temperatures

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