Pecos Sunflower Festival Blossoms

A SCIENCE TEACHER in Santa Rosa for 25 years, Estela Tenorio-Thompson has always had an affinity for local flowers—especially the Pecos sunflowers, which only grow in seven areas in New Mexico and Texas near saline or alkaline wetlands. In 2021, Tenorio-Thompson founded the Pecos Sunflower Festival, a community gathering with a mission to raise awareness and highlight conservation efforts for the bright yellow blooms. “I thought we really needed to promote this unique gem we have here in Santa Rosa,” she says. Now in its fifth year, the festival draws a diverse crowd with a lineup of events aimed at folks with many different interests.  

New Mexico Magazine: What are some highlights of the festival?  

Estela Tenorio-Thompson: We have a paint party, bird-watching, live music, great vendors, a treasure hunt for the kids, a craft show, and a quilt show. We also have a local tattoo artist doing sunflower-themed tattoos. My favorite thing is having the community come and enjoy one another.  

NMM: Why do these flowers thrive in Santa Rosa?  

ETT: The Pecos sunflower thrives in alkaline soil. It’s very unique in where it can grow, and the ciénega in Santa Rosa is one of the last remaining wetlands [like it] in the Southwest. I believe it’s one of only seven left. You won’t find the flowers other places. They’re not like regular sunflowers you see on the side of the highways. They are specific about where they grow.  

NMM: What’s unique about the 2026 festival?  

ETT: We are working with the Route 66 Centennial committee, so our T-shirts will have a 66 theme, and the paint party is Route 66 themed too.