"The Old Road" Mural: Route 66 Centennial Through an Indigenous Lens

On the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026, experience “The Old Road”—a mural that at once remembers the first major highway traversing the United States and gives emphasis to its impact on Pueblo communities and New Mexico. Through the eyes of artists Warren Montoya (Pueblos of Santa Ana/Santa Clara), Margarita Paz-Pedro (Pueblo of Laguna/Mexican American), Akilah Martinez (Diné), and Keith Scott (Pueblo of Laguna), this multi-dimensional installation travels through time showing Pueblo people and places along the “Mother Road,” otherwise known as Route 66. Explore the eccentric narrative created by these artists as they look at multiple roads simultaneously, from ancestral times to recent history, to glimpses of the present and future. Already a historic exchange route within Indigenous communities, Route 66 still echoes in the personality and culture of New Mexico byways. Journey through this mural located in the Art Through Struggle Gallery at the end of the IPCC’s permanent exhibition. The public reception is an opportunity to meet the artists and to learn more about the mural! Visitors get free admission when you mention “The Old Road Reception” at the IPCC East or South check-in desks. WHEN: Saturday, August 1, 2026, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. Image: Keith Scott, Laguna Pueblo Water Tower, 2023, digital photograph.