A CRAFTSMAN BORN AND RAISED in Albuquerque, Joey Trujillo was originally hired at the ABQ BioPark for horticulture and construction in 2001. But everything changed when Trujillo’s boss saw him weld a 9-foot-tall 3D sculpture of a Tyrannosaurus rex for River of Lights, the annual fundraiser for the New Mexico BioPark Society. Twenty-five years later, 98 percent of the holiday displays along the 1.5-mile route are crafted by Trujillo and his crew.

There are plenty of family photo spots. Photograph courtesy of New Mexico BioPark Society.

ALL OF OUR DISPLAYS ARE MADE HERE. River of Lights started in 1997 with about 26 rented sculptures.

WE COULD STRETCH LIGHTS from Albuquerque to Santa Fe.

WHEN I STARTED WORKING HERE IN 2001, I had two barrels of twinkle lights, extending from the BioPark Plaza to the main grass area. Now, we have sixty 55-gallon barrels of twinkles, with about 20 miles of extension cords.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE DISPLAYS is the brontosaurus, One-Ton. He weighs just over 2,000 pounds. He comes together in 18 pieces. Not only did we build him, we built this teeter-totter mechanism so we could put him together, since he’s so tall. 

One-Ton takes the whole crew of 13 guys.

I LOVE BEING AROUND ALL THE ANIMALS. We have a few sculptures modeled after the zoo animals. When we made the elephants, I went over to the zoo and got measurements of the actual elephants from the zookeepers. I did the same for the giraffe, the hammerhead shark, and the alligator.

2024 WAS RIVER OF LIGHTS’s first year in the Sasebo Japanese Garden. Through the Sister Cities program, we studied how they made their [bamboo lanterns] in Japan, including special patterns and symbols. This year, we added more to the Japanese Garden: a bigger sculpture on the hill and more patterns and bamboo.

IT FEELS GREAT to make memories for families.

SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY. I look and see people just the way they are. [My crew] Levi, Jacob, and I will walk around and listen to people’s stories—good and bad. I get my inspiration from the people. All the smiles and laughter inspire me.

RIVER OF LIGHTS

November 29–December 30
ABQ BioPark, 2601 Central Ave. NW, Albuquerque.

Thousands of farolitos light up the ancient ruins of Gisewa Pueblo. Photograph courtesy of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

 

OLD FLAMES 

No matter what you call them, these traditional light displays are worth a trip. 

In the spiritual heart of the Duke City, Old Town Albuquerque lights up for the Old Town Holiday Stroll & Tree Lighting on December 5. The lanterns come back to life for the Luminaria Walk on Christmas Eve.

The Jemez Historic Site, the 700-year-old home of Gisewa Pueblo and the San José de los Jemez Mission, glows with hundreds of farolitos for Lights of Gisewa on December 12 and 13. Each evening features music and Pueblo dancers between two bonfires. 

One thousand lights line the road to one of the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited communities, Sky City, during the Acoma Pueblo Luminaria Walk on Christmas Eve.

The village of 2,600 goes all out for Luminarias in Tularosa, when volunteers illuminate the streets, walkways, and shops with thousands of the tiny lighted bags on Christmas Eve.