Santa Fe Walking Tours
 
Meet the Guides
Contact Historic Walks of Santa Fe

 

 

 

Meet our Santa Fe Tour Guides
Santa Fe Tour Guides

 

Carol
Imrie-Mui
Owner

 

Born and raised in the wine country - Napa Valley, California. Carol graduated from the University of the Pacific with a major in history. She moved to Santa Fe and began working as a professional guide and then formed Historic Walks of Santa Fe. Carol Mui is a member of the Santa Fe Tour Guides, LLC and Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.
Bilingual: English/Spanish.

Our company Historic Walks of Santa Fe is a leading tour operator that can provide destination planning and historic & cultural tours for groups and individuals visiting our unique city of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico.

Lisa
Valdez Bonney

 

Native New Mexican traces her ancestry to the mid-1700s. Her great great grandfather was killed in 1844 by the Piute upon his return from California on the Spanish Trail. For over a decade, Lisa has been a professional guide and lecturer for Historic Walks of Santa Fe focusing on the history, cultures, language and religion (early 16th century) of New Mexico and is chosen by Historic Walks to conduct special presentations for corporate & private groups. Lisa is a museum docent for the Palace of Governors and Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts. Fluent in Spanish (her first language), she leads tours for Spanish-speaking groups and is a member of the Old Spanish Trail Association.

Len Alaimo

Long-time student of New Mexico history, in particular, the history of Santa Fe. He is a veteran tour leader of the City of Santa Fe as well as other historic sites in the area. Len has served as a docent at the New Mexico Museum of History, Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts and the Santa Fe Opera. Len currently works for Historic Walks of Santa Fe conducting tours & special events for select groups.

Maria Martinez Felt

Maria is a native New Mexican who traces her New Mexico ancestry back to the early 1700s. She has a vast knowledge of New Mexico history and is also a docent at the NM History Museum - The Palace of the Governors. Maria enjoys genealogical research and has had a family Church History -El Santuario de Chimayo published. She's the great, great, great granddaughter of Don Bernardo Abeyta, the founder of El Santuario de Chimayo, a church which is world famous for its healing dirt and known as the "Lourdes of America." Maria's also an aspiring artist who has been painting for 20+ years.
Edward Ortega Member Franciscan Order 1947 - 1954. Student at Old Mission Santa Barbara, CA. Served in the US Air Force 1954 - 1966 mostly in Europe. Awarded B.A. in History, University of Maryland. Employed by the  Southwest Regional Office, US National Park Service, Santa Fe, NM. Worked in various management capacities covering a six state region and training rangers in how to prepare and give talks. Served on the Board of Directors of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation.
Donna Padilla I have resided in Santa Fe for the past 50 years. In the past ten years I have worked as a tour guide in the area. My family ancestry dates back to the 17th century in Santa Fe. I specialize in history, ghostwalks, Bandelier and Taos.
Joel B. Stein Joel is the author of the recently published guidebook Santa Fe in a Week (more or less). He is a docent at the Palace of the Governors and the Santa Fe Opera, as well as a member of the Santa Fe Guides, LLC. An avid worldwide traveler he has become steeped in the history and culture of New Mexico since moving here from Colorado seven years ago.
Allan "Tex" Wheeler Professional guide for Historic Walks of Santa Fe conducting Ghostwalks and special tours for major tour companies. Reenactor of the founder of the Santa Fe Trail- William Becknell for Historic Walk's signature "Spirit Walk of Old Santa Fe". Former reenactor with "Santa Fe Wild West Group" entertaining guests at local movie ranches and other venues. Teacher of local and New Mexico history to schools and special interest groups such as the Santa Fe Trail Society. Specializes in recreating the life and historical context of Captain William Becknell, "Father of the Santa Fe Trail".
Kay Barber Being a tour guide in Monterey, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico has been a wonderful life of meeting interesting people from all over the world and sharing my passion for history! Kay moved back to Santa Fe and became a tour guide in 2001. She has worked at the Palace of the Governors Museum and volunteered for the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Fe. Kay specializes in O'Keeffe history & Abiquiu Tours, Bandelier, High Road to Taos and conducts customized events & tours for Historic Walks' select corporate groups and established tour companies.
Lou Ann Shurbet A native New Mexican who has called Santa Fe home for the last 40 years. Lou Ann was the Educator/Docent Program Coordinator at the Palace of the Governors and is very involved in the New Mexico Historical Society. As a professional auctioneer, Lou Ann knows Santa Fe's fine art and shopping as well as its fascinating history.
Phill Westen Phillip L. Westen is a native of Santa Fe, having attended Wood Gormley Elementary School and Santa Fe Prep School. He has a bachelor's degree in Biology with a Masters in Ecology. Phillip retired from government work in January of 2008. He was employed by the New Mexico Environment Department's Solid Waste Bureau, followed by work with the Los Alamos County Solid Waste Division and finally as Solid Waste Director for Santa Fe County. Phill has also taught college courses in environmental studies. He currently does photography which he combines with his love of history of Santa Fe and New Mexico.
Arlene Ory Raised in Palos Verdes, southern California.
Arlene graduated from Northwestern University, Chicago, in Speech Communication. She lived in Annecy, France (French Alps) for six years. Arlene is fluent in the French language. She has an M.A. from the University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland in International Business and worked at the Geneva U.N. headquarters.
Arlene spent several months recently in Guinea, West Africa, as a founding Board member of Lanyi Fan Foundation aiding African girls in completing high school. Arlene is a graduate of the International Guide Academy, Denver.

Arlene has been guiding visitors from all over the globe, through Northern New Mexico and Santa Fe, for 12 out of the 19 years she has resided here since moving from San Francisco. Arlene specializes in bringing the ancient, deep cultural histories and arts of this High Desert region of the world in custom, individual or corporate group format.
Jerry Nelson I was born and raised in Minnesota, graduated from U. of M., Duluth, and served in the military at White Sands Missile Range. I went into the Coca-Cola family business. The business was sold, but I stayed in the business for 40 years. I served in various management positions with other independent Coke bottlers in Denver, Houston, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, and finally finishing here managing the local plant. I retired, but presently serve as Executive Director of the New Mexico Beverage Association on a part time basis. I love golf, being a dog shelter volunteer, playing in my Dixieland Band, and of course being a tour guide. My wife Martha and I have 6 children and 11 grandchildren, who all live elsewhere.


Historic Walks' Staff

Trish Quintana
 

Trish is the Manager of Tour Operations. Trish is a native New Mexican raised in Nambé, located just north of Santa Fe. Her ancestry dates back to the early 1700s. She grew up in the adobe house her Grandmother Sofia bought in 1909 and learned to speak Spanish from her beloved Grandma. Trish's career history has spanned 25 years from Office Manager in a CPA firm and insurance company to Sales Manager in the hospitality industry. Trish's responsibilities include the planning, scheduling, and implementation of Historic Walks of Santa Fe's customized tours, "signature" events and activities for private and corporate accounts in addition to the 30 plus Historic/Cultural daily tours the company runs weekly.

Marcos Maez
 

Marcos is a proud native of Santa Fe and has lived in the capitol city his entire life. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Communication & Journalism from the University of New Mexico. Marcos is the Tour Coordinator for Historic Walks of Santa Fe, responsible for scheduling the Ghostwalkers Tour and other customized events and tours for private and corporate groups. Marcos is passionate about family, life, and community.

Phone: 505.986.8388
Email:
historicwalksofsf@earthlink.net