There have been a number of wonderful articles written about Madrid's Christmas light show. Here's a bit from Collier's Magazine, 1940 written by Jim Marshall :
"In a grim canyon in northern New Mexico there is a blaze of light. On the steep hillsides are illuminated scenes from the Nativity of Jesus. The Star of Bethlehem shines down and high on a peak stands the tall figure of the Christus bringing peace and goodwill. This is the setting of one of American's most unusual Christmas festivals -- a month long celebration of the coal miners working in the pits around the little town of Madrid, high in the Ortiz Range.
"In the village, where the four hundred miners and their families live, every home is outlined by lights. The baseball park has been converted into Toyland for the kids, with a miniature train, a Ferris wheel and other amusement devices -- all homemade -- operating. There are hundreds of lighted Christmas trees and on the mountain tops twinkle little cedar fires to El Santo Nino, as they did in the days of Spanish rule.
"On the hillsides above the village are built twelve Biblical scenes telling the story of Jesus' birth. There is a tiny village of Bethlehem; the Virgin and Joseph with Child; the Shepherds and the Star; the Flight into Egypt.
Although some of the miners tinker around all year with the mechanized displays, most of the work is done just before opening day. The last Sunday before this day is a sort of homecoming, and miners who once worked in Madrid drive up to the little own from far and near, help put up the decorations and wind up in the annual party. Workers are divided into crews and there is great rivalry among them.
Meanwhile, the women have decorated homes and the kids have brought in cedar brush from the mountains and piled wood for the fires on the hilltops. Everything is ready when the first visitor's show up, and from then on it's open house. You may walk into any home and be welcomed. There is a curious combination of old Spanish and Mexican and Yankee customs -- the fandango and the modern dance; the American "party" and the old fiesta. But the spirit behind it all is universal."
To see many more of these photos please click on the Madrid Christmas photo album -- I will updating these daily for a while.
