171. Zozobra
Will Shuster moved to Santa Fe in 1920 to recover from being gassed during WWI. His doctor told him he’d die within the year in Philadelphia, but in some high, dry place, he’d probably die of snake bite or whiskey instead. He banded together with other young painters—the “wild harem-scarems”—calling themselves the Cinco Pintores. They were perennially broke, so on Christmas Eve 1923 when Shuster sold a painting, they headed to La Fonda to celebrate with tequila. But the other artists were glum. Shuster demanded everyone write down whatever was bothering them, then he lit the papers on fire.
The following year, inspired by the Yaqui tradition of burning an effigy of Judas on Good Friday, Shuster built the first Zozobra, a 6-foot figure in his yard. His friend Dana Johnson, editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican, found the name, which means “anxiety,” in a Spanish-English dictionary.
A century on, what started as an artist’s joke, a simple backyard burn, has grown into a city-wide ritual of renewal. Every year, Santa Feans deposit their gloom—divorce documents, eviction notices, bills, parking tickets, hospital gowns, even an unworn wedding dress—inside Zozobra and burn the 50-foot-tall marionette. Children audition to be Gloomies, Zozobra’s small, tormented minions. As the crowd chants “burn him, burn him,” a Fire Spirit materializes, dancing in battle until Zozobra explodes with fireworks and is set alight. The town watches him—and all the gloom they've stuffed inside him—go up in flames.
Links:
Photo Essay: The way we were: Burned into memory – Santa Fe New Mexican, August 25, 2024
For 100 Years, Santa Feans Have Burned New Mexico’s Boogeyman in a ‘Sacred Rite of Purification, Laughter and Rebirth’ – Heather Mundt, Smithsonian Magazine, August 13, 2024
Gallery: Scenes from the 100th Burning of Zozobra – Santa Fe New Mexican, August 30, 2024
Oral history interview with Will Shuster, July 30, 1964 – Smithsonian Archives of American Art
This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary. 250 words on 250 works, from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
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