Have You Seen the New Mexico Hand Carved Caves by Ra Paulette?
Ra Paulette is an artist in New Mexico who has been hand carving caves since the 1990’s. He finds natural caves in the wilderness and spends a tremendous amount of time carefully digging into them, carving, and chiseling incredible works of art and scenic worlds underground. He’s turned more than a dozen desert caves into fantastical and mesmerizing settings with profound spiritual effects.
All of his masterpieces are located north of Santa Fe. Some are made in crevasses that were already there, while others were created by tunneling into sandstone cliffs. They are all different, and some allow for sunlight to enter through skylights and doors. Others include spaces for candles and beautiful benches. They all include incredible arches and sculptures, including almost natural looking designs, flowers, suns, and abstract creations. Ra Paulette didn’t do all of this for money. He considers this work to be a hobby and a service to the public.
Having said that, not all of the caves can be explored by the public. Some of them are on private lands. One is being sold for more than $1 million, and only a few can be explored legally by the public. Originally, they were not well protected, because the artist would leave his beautiful creations after finishing them. Yet, so many people were trespassing and vandalizing those that were on private land that the private land owners have installed doors and started keeping them locked up away from those would-be destroyers of this magnificent beauty.
Do You Want to See Ra Paulette’s New Mexico Hand Carved Caves?
If you want to explore these beautiful works of art in Ra Paulette’s New Mexico hand carved caves, you need to know how to go about it the legal way. His first completed project from 1996 is called ‘Windows of the Earth’ and can be viewed on a guided tour through Origin New Mexico. The tour requires a reservation to get into the gated community and it includes a catered meal. You can also learn more about the caves through the documentary, Cavedigger. It was nominated for an Oscar and is well worth watching. If you trespass onto the private property where many of the caves are located, you are likely to be prosecuted by the owners. And if you do go to experience the splendor of these New Mexico hand carved caves, remember to keep it clean and beautiful!
This is definitely a good experience to add to your New Mexico summer plans. Have you seen these amazing New Mexico hand carved caves by Ra Paulette? If so, share your photos and experiences in the comments!
