Known as the founder of the art colony in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Carlos Vierra was an early traveler throughout the West and was the first professional Caucasian artist to make Santa Fe his home. He is credited with the preservation of the city's unique atmosphere because of his insuring that the old style of pueblo architecture and historic landmarks were maintained.

Vierra was the son of a Portuguese sailor and was born and raised in Moss Landing, California near Monterey. He studied art in San Francisco at the Mark Hopkins Institute and with Gottardo Piazzoni, and determined to go to New York for further study, boarded an old wooden ship that sailed around Cape Horn. The trip took six months, and he stru...