Tlaquepaque


Your unforgettable Sedona experience must include spending time at internationally renowned Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tla-keh-pah-keh), Sedona Arizona's Arts & Crafts Village. Nestled beneath the shade of the sycamores on the banks of beautiful Oak Creek in Sedona,

Tlaquepaque is the most distinctive shopping experience to be found in the Southwest.
Authentically fashioned after a traditional Mexican village, Tlaquepaque, meaning the "best of everything," has been a Sedona landmark since the 1970's. Its vine covered stucco walls, cobble-stoned walkways and magnificent arched entryways give you the feeling that

Tlaquepaque has been here for centuries. Tasteful galleries and unique shops live in harmony with its lush natural environment where giant sycamore trees stand in testimony to the care taken in preserving the timeless beauty of the Tlaquepaque grounds.

It would be hard to find more beautiful surroundings anywhere to create a shopping experience like no other.
Originally conceived as an artist community, Tlaquepaque is a perfect setting to witness gifted artisans absorbed in their work. It's not uncommon to venture upon a well-known sculptor working on his or her latest piece right in one of the Tlaquepaque galleries.

With over 40 specialty shops and exclusive art galleries, shopping becomes a joyful revelation of fabulous art treasures and distinctive gifts around every corner.

Tlaquepaque is filled with spectacular one-of-a kind art expressions in every medium from Western and eclectic bronze sculpture, functional and traditional ceramics, breathtaking blown glass creations, contemporary and Southwestern fine art paintings, weavings, decorative arts, architectural décor pieces and stunning large format photography.

Fine contemporary jewelry, designer casual wear in silks, and leathers and unusual gift items all await the Tlaquepaque visitor.
Just walking around Tlaquepaque is an adventure in discovery.
Your senses will be delighted with the splashing sounds from a courtyard fountain and mouth-watering aromas wafting from a nearby restaurant as sumptuous feasts are prepared.
Spend the day at Tlaquepaque and enjoy excellent Mexican cuisine, fine French dining, and an on-site brewery and wonderful lunches in an intimate garden setting. Every palate will be satisfied at Tlaquepaque's four exceptional restaurants.
As far as the eye can see bursts of vibrant-colored flowers are everywhere, and if your timing is just right, you may hear the peal of the Chapel bells in joyful celebration of another Tlaquepaque wedding.
Today, Tlaquepaque is a place that visitors return to again and again - to look and wander, to sample and buy, to eat, drink and refresh body and soul.
If you have ever dreamed of having an intimate traditional wedding but wanted something romantic and truly memorable, then consider the non-denominational Chapel at Tlaquepaque.
The Chapel holds a very special place in the Tlaquepaque Village. It was built with love over 30 years ago. Stained glass windows and hand-carved leather pews, a stunning mural over the altar, and white-washed adobe walls evoke what it must have been like to be married in a quaint Mexican village long ago.
The Chapel seats 30 people comfortably in wooden pews; extra chairs can be set up in the back area for a maximum seating capacity of 45.

At the completion of your wedding ceremony we will ring the bells in the Tlaquepaque bell tower in celebration and commemoration of your special day.

The Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village charms visitors from all over the world year round.
This place, authentically fashioned after a Mexican village in every detail, transports you back in time. Vine covered stucco walls, cobble-stoned walkways and magnificent arched entryways that lead into magical garden nooks gives one the feeling that Tlaquepaque has been here for centuries.

Exclusive art galleries and shops cluster around tiled courtyards where giant sycamore trees stand in testimony to the care taken in preserving the stunning beauty of the Tlaquepaque grounds.

These richly colorful courtyards by day can be transformed into private patios at night that beg for celebration. Hanging colored lights with luminarias and beautifully adorned table clusters create the perfect outdoor setting for your wedding reception or rehearsal dinner.

The Tlaquepaque wedding consultant will assist you in choosing the best location for your wedding event. If you are planning an intimate wedding for 100 guests of less, Tlaquepaque is the venue for you.


Back in the seventies, Sedona had one stop light and most of the land was still open range. It wasn't uncommon to wake up and find cattle in your backyard munching on what little grass there was.
Just south of Highway 89A at the bridge crossing over Oak Creek, there was a nursery that was home to a distinctive sycamore grove on several acres of land owned by Harry and Ruby Girard.

Around that time, Abe Miller, a successful Nevada businessman, started coming to Sedona on vacations. Being in the real estate development business he had an eye for possibility.
Abe was a traveler and he loved Mexico. He also fell in love with Sedona and specifically the beautiful creek side property of the Girard's. It was his heart's desire to build, someday, somewhere, a beautiful place reflecting the charm and mood of old Mexico.
After traveling the entire Southwest, Abe knew he found this to be the perfect site for his plan.


The conceptual history of Tlaquepaque is truly a story of this man's love for beauty and perfection. Under the influence of the lively creative arts scene in Mexico, it struck him that Sedona was a natural location for a living arts community…a village where artisans work out in full view and live on-site as well. It worked in Mexico; it could work here.
He'd call it Tlaquepaque after the colorful Mexican city on the outskirts of Guadalajara. Tlaquepaque is a word from the Nahuatl Native Indian language - the ancient language of the Aztecs meaning the "best of everything".
So Abe began a courtship with the Girard's to acquire the property.
It took two years of quiet persuasion and absolute assurances to Harry that the beloved sycamores would remain untouched and healthy. And finally the Girard's said yes.

Today, after years of growth, Tlaquepaque is graced with climbing vines of sweet scented honeysuckle, purple clematis, ivy trumpet vine and silver lace. Pansies are everywhere in early spring and remain until late April when the Arizona sun becomes too strong for their survival.
Summer at Tlaquepaque is inundated in color in every nook and flowerbed. Fountains are perpetually decorated with fantastic floral creations in celebration of a wedding or private event.
Often the measure of a person is how they are with others in everyday life.
Abe was known for his humility.
It was quite common to see Abe in blue jeans, a work shirt and his signature baseball cap just walking the property. He totally downplayed his part and his role at Tlaquepaque.
Abe didn't just tell people what to do. He would help them and work right alongside them. He was quick to give credit to others rather than keeping it for himself.
Map
Getting Here
"This is such a great place, and Abe was a wonderful man with a big vision.
He created Tlaquepaque as a labor of love and it shows. It was not a commercial venture, which made it incredibly special. If you ask me how to describe Abe, I would tell you that you need to read the words on the plaque which hangs on the chapel that says:
"Some men only dream. Others make dreams come true."



Christmas At Tlaquepaque
The Floods Of Tlaquepaque

Tiffany Campbell and her sister Tabitha were rescued from the flood. Tiffany Campbell said she hung onto a tree and starting talking to God when she saw the water rising to her sister's neck.
“I was afraid my mom would lose two daughters today,”
she said Thursday night. Sedona brought in the Flagstaff Fire Department to help. “This just happened so quick,” Johnson said. “I took and handled these cars just like they're almost like beach balls.”

Vehicles were strewn across the swamp of red mud as if they were toy cars, most stuck and many crunched or even totaled.

About 20 people were rescued from their vehicles at Tlaquepaque after getting trapped as water levels rose within minutes and four cars were abandoned under a bridge near Oak Creek.
Firefighters rescued an unknown number of people who were trapped in a home off Brewer Road by breaking a window, he said, but no one was injured.
While Johnson said there were no injuries as a result of the storm, about 12 vehicles couldn't be driven once water levels subsided and had to be towed. Another 10 or 20 cars are left in the parking lot at Tlaquepaque, but will likely have problems.
Reports said many cars floated away or were overturned and large boulders were washed into roads.

Johnson said the rain caused one driver to hit the wall of a retail store in the village, which caused a gas leak.

“The car ended up in the middle of the courtyard,” he said. There was no injury, except to a life-size statue of an elk that was knocked down in the incident.

Flagstaff-area Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Rod Wigman said water flowed into the city from the north and washed toward the creek, causing the water to rise, but the creek itself didn't flood.

“All of the small city washes that usually don't have much water flooded,” he said. “Some water drained into the creek but never caused it to flood.”

An ADOT bridge in the area that is under construction wasn't affected by the flooding and is still on track to be completed at the end of the year, authorities said.

Rain was falling at a rate of nearly four inches per hour and residents also experienced up to two inches of hail, according to the National Weather Service.



















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1 comment:

FraSiec said...

Great job with the photos. You really showed the spot as it is, then transitioned to the flood. Ironically, I was supposed to be in Sedona but couldn't make it due to the fact my wife was ill. Guess we lucked out.

September 12, 2009 at 9:53 AM

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