The Adolph Bandelier ExhibitSee Adolph Bandelier’s illustration collection, sourced straight from the archives of the Vatican, as well as a bronze bust by the sculptor of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
Beginning his studies in Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico, Adolph Bandelier became the leading authority on the history of this region. With F.H. Cushing and his successors, he was an expert in prehistoric civilization, at a time when archeology and ethnology were new fields of study
Archbishop Salpointe of Santa Fe conceived the idea of an illustrated History of the Southwest and commissioned Bandelier to produce an original and scholarly gift for the celebration.
Opened in November 2025, Miramont Castle’s Adolph Bandelier History of the Southwest Exhibition Phase II, featuring Bandelier’s illustrations from The Vatican’s archives and a bronze bust on loan from the New Mexico Museum of Art of Bandelier, modeled by Gutzon Borglum, famed sculptor of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. This will be the first-ever public exhibition of a curated set of Bandelier’s illustrations presented to Pope Leo XIII, as a gift for his Golden Jubilee celebration on December 31, 1887.
Archbishop Salpointe of Santa Fe conceived the idea of an illustrated History of the Southwest and commissioned Bandelier to produce the most original and scholarly gift for the celebration. Bandelier delivered a 1,400-page manuscript with over 500 illustrations of his archaeological discoveries in the U.S. desert southwest and northern Mexico. Included in this installation are twenty-five pieces directly sourced from The Vatican, thirteen of these have never been seen in public until now! And, we are proud to have on loan a bronze sculpture of Bandelier by Gutzon Borglum, creator of Mount Rushmore.
