Chicano cultural icon Carlos Cervantes receives award!
Muralist Carlos Cervantes went from serving a life parole sentence to receiving the Santa Fe Mayor’s Excellence in the Arts Award thanks to a story by Gustavo Martínez Conteras.
Santa Fe’s Chicano cultural icon and muralist Carlos Cervantes has one more thing to celebrate.
After winning his satisfactory discharge from life parole, Cervantes has now been awarded the 2025 Santa Fe Mayor's Arts Award in the category of Heritage Arts. This category recognizes an artist or organization doing exemplary work in New Mexico-rooted heritage arts, craft, and folk arts, in honor of Santa Fe's 20th anniversary as a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts.
Cervantes’ life turned around in less than five months. After serving more than four decades of a life parole sentence stemming from a 1978 drug conviction, the New Mexico Adult Parole Board satisfactorily discharged him from parole on Feb. 12, 2025. His parole officer would not give Cervantes his discharge documents until 14 days later, on Feb. 26.
He won his freedom thanks to an outpour of community support that grew after Analco’s Gustavo Martínez Contreras wrote a story about his case for Prism, a prominent social justice news outlet. In the announcement, city officials said the following:
“Among the ample praise and abundant examples your many community nominators shared with us: 'Legendary.' 'Iconic.' 'Carlos is a respected elder, artist, community activist and an inspiration to the younger generation who learn first-hand the importance of family values, community service and cultural resilience.' 'Cervantes is a staple of Santa Fe and he has done an incredible amount of work with so many underserved people here in town. His hand is on the fabric of the downtown area. His work is a testament to his commitment to the culture and history of this city.’"
Gustavo recently visited Carlos to deliver the news about the distinction. The 71-year-old artist slowly read the email from the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and the Arts & Culture Department. It was the first time in a long while that he received official correspondence that highlighted his artistic contributions to the so-called City Different instead of emphasizing on his drug convictions and his life parole sentence.
“We are thrilled to inform you that you have been chosen to receive the 2025 Santa Fe Mayor's Arts Award in the category of Heritage Arts,” he slowly read out loud.
After a pause to take it all in, he said: “This is great. It’s something I didn’t expect but it makes me feel good. I was down for a while there, but I’m back up. And together we got to keep on with what we’re doing here: helping our people.”
Cervantes will receive the award at a ceremony that will be held at SITE Santa Fe between 5 and 8 p.m. Oct. 7, 2025. The free event is open to the community and will feature video profiles of Cervantes and the six other honorees.
As of this writing, the event is listed as sold out but people still interested in attending can sign up for the waiting list here.
2025 Santa Fe Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts Honorees
- Godfrey Reggio, Arts Award
- Jason S. Ordaz, Arts Educator Award
- Brandee Caoba, Arts Innovator Award
- Indigenous Ways, Culture Connects Award
- Rune Shultz, Melissa Engestrom Youth Artist Award
- Marilynn and Carl Thoma and Thoma Foundation, Philanthropy Award