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 Nina is the daughter of Ralph Meyers,
the "Good White Trader" in Frank Waters Classic, The Man Who Killed The
Deer. In 1909 Ralph opened The Mission Shop, the first Indian
curio shop in Taos.
He traveled to the surrounding
reservations, buying and trading with knowledge and understanding.
Few white men were as well loved and accepted by the Taos Pueblo
Indians. But this was not always the case.
When Ralph first arrived,
he spent his days at the Pueblo, causing great suspicion among the Indians. They wondered
who this strange white man was and what he wanted. Some believed
that he must be after their women, so it was decided that they
were either going to castrate him or offer him a bride. Fortunately
for they chose the latter which he politely declined. He wished
only to observe and enjoy the timeless and beautiful surroundings.
Ralph's descendants still
maintain friendships and enjoy feast days with the descendants
of the same families he befriended long ago.
 When Ralph arrived,
Taos was forming a colony of artists, writers and other people
in search of a life of unhurried simplicity. He easily found
his place among them.
In these early years Ralph
worked as a photographer and taught himself to paint. He loved
color, painting dramatic landscapes and romantic images of the
Native and Hispanic peoples whom he understood and loved so devotedly.
Through his art, he captured a rapidly disappearing way of life.
In the opinion of Russian artist Leon Gaspard, Ralph was one
of the finest colorists of the period.
(Click
to visit The Ralph Meyers Gallery)
In his shop he made reproductions
of Spanish-Colonial furniture, executing large orders. One such
order was commissioned by oilman Waite Phillips for the Philmont
Ranch in Cimarron and the Philbrook Estate in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
He had a reverence for
Indian culture and arts, studying and learning many of their
traditional techniques. Driven by his love of the past and need
to create, he mastered the art of weaving, spinning and dyeing
wool in the old way. He tanned deerskin and learned to do beadwork,
fashioning fine clothing and ceremonial pieces.
He was a self-taught silversmith
and in his shop he trained and employed Navajo and Taos Pueblo
Indians where they made jewelry and native craftworks for the
growing tourist trade. Their customers included Millicent Rogers,
Mabel Dodge Luhan and Queen Marie of Romania.
Ralph corresponded with
well known German author, Karl May,
supplying him with items for his museum collection and study
in Radebeul, Germany.
 In 1933, Ralph
married beautiful, young, Rowena Matteson, twenty five years
his junior. In 1936 they had a daughter, Nina Cristina, and in
1938, a son, Ouray Emerson, named for Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre
Utes. Together they ran the  trading post, and opened La
Doña Luz Restaurant, which they operated together until
Ralph passed away in 1948.
Ralph was a close friend
of Mabel Dodge Luhan and was part of her inner circle of friends,
artists and writers. She is remembered as a facilitator and patron
of the arts, bringing together creative people and introducing
them to this magical place she loved so much. Georgia O'Keeffe,
Ansel Adams and D.H. Lawrence were among those she lured to the
area.
Ralph and Mabel often joked
about being buried together. Years later when Mabel passed on,
Frank Waters recalled their playful banter and remarked, "I
don't think Ralph would mind moving over a bit for Mabel".
And with Rowena's approval, it was done. Mabel was the last person
to be interred in The Kit Carson Memorial Cemetery.
 After Ralph's death in 1948,
Rowena closed the shop and married J. Paul Martinez.
Paul was a direct descendent
of Don Severino Martinez, builder of the Martinez Hacienda in
Ranchitos, the best preserved Spanish Colonial hacienda in North
America. Don Severino was a successful merchant who imported
goods from Mexico over the Camino Rael.
Through this marriage Rowena
inherited the legacy and historical items from the Martinez family,
many of which are on display in the Trading Posts' museum.
They both worked for the
Forest Service, and at the time Paul was a ranger in the El Rito
District. Knowing this, Georgia O'Keeffe asked Paul and Rowena
if they would show her around the area to help her find the place
where she would build her home. They spent several days driving
around the area until she fell in love with the area near Abiquiu,
a landscape very familiar to those who know her work.
Rowena "retired"
in 1970, and reopened the old trading post, renaming it "El
Rincón", the inside corner, reestablishing the tradition
of trading, historic preservation and education begun by Ralph
many years earlier.
Over the years, she  generously
shared her collection of vintage Indian, Spanish and American
Colonial clothing and artifacts, staging historical fashion shows
for the Martinez Hacienda Trade Fair and many other special events.
(Click to view images
from The Historic Fashion Shows)
In the trading post, she
added a museum to display the diverse collection of items acquired through many decades of trading with
the Native and Spanish people. Rowena once said it was her "gift
to the public".
Rowena passed away
March 5, 2000.
 Today, the day to day
operation of the trading post is overseen by Nina, and managed
by her sons, Paul and Estevan.
Estevan is also a guitarist
and song writer with internationally known recording artist,
Robert Mirabal. The award winning and critically acclaimed group
 has been a top seller
and their video, "Music From A Painted Cave" is the
second highest grossing PBS fund raiser.
Together the family carries
on the tradition established by Ralph and Rowena many years ago. |
