Zozobra and Santa Fe 1924 - 2024: 100 Years of Burning Gloom and Loving a Monster in The City Different

This profusely illustrated book tells the story of Zozobra, Santa Fe's 100-year-old, 50-foot-tall effigy known as "Old Man Gloom." The annual "Burning of Zozobra" event is a cherished community tradition marking the start of the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe. The effigy Zozobra represents gloom, anxiety and anguish, and the community is invited to project all their personal glooms onto the gloom-monster, which is publicly burned each year to extinguish Darkness and bring Light into their lives. Produced for the Zozobra Centennial in 2024 and published by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe (the event sponsor since 1964), this book presents a comprehensive history of Zozobra, the meaning of the "Pageant of Gloom and Joy," and the cultural connections to the community of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Started by painter Will Shuster and his artist friends to liven up Fiestas, Zozobra is now inextricably linked to Santa Fe's identity and culture. Using historic and contemporary photographs, "Zozobra and Santa Fe" shows how the Gloom Monster has changed over the years, from a 6-foot-tall backyard party effigy in 1924 to 2024's giant marionette on a city park hillside. Scores of photographs from the archives of the New Mexico History and Art Museums -- along with historic material from New Mexico Magazine and the Santa Fe New Mexican (local newspaper) -- show a rich history of this weird and wonderful tradition, a ritual of renewal that has stimulated the imaginations of the creative Santa Fe community for a hundred years. "Zozobra and Santa Fe 1924 - 2024" answers these questions (and many more): How did a 50-foot monster named Zozobra come to be celebrated (and burned) each year in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the “City of Holy Faith”? What is it about “Old Man Gloom” -- this beloved, scary, slightly goofy yet powerful effigy -- that has endeared itself in the hearts and minds of Santa Feans for a hundred years? The author, Daniel Clavio, is a long-time Santa Fe resident and former member of the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe. CONTENTS Foreword Introduction Prelude: Defeating Darkness Section 1: Zozobra Beginnings Origins Creator Evolution Through the Years Turning 100 Battling Gloom The Pageant The Players Building the Beast Zozobradores Intermission: Rogues Gallery Section 2: SF OMG Loving a Monster Community Kids & OMG Zozobra and Me The Art of Zozobra Around Town Framed Little Zozos In the Press New Mexico Magazine Santa Fe New Mexican Finale: Viva Zozobra