GRANDDAUGHTER ABOUT HOW THE
TRADITION BEGAN.
SHELBY: THE YEAR, 1920, WORLD
WAR I OVER.
THE U.S. ECONOMY IN A DEPRESSION
AND WILL SCHUSTER HAD JUST SHOWN
UP IN SANTA FE.
>> HE COMES BELIEVING HE HAS A
LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME LEFT.
SHELBY: WILL WAS SUFFERING FROM
TUBERCULOSIS.
THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBED HIM SOME
GOOD OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHWEST
AIR.
>> GRADUALLY GETS BETTER.
HE GOES HIKING, INCREASES HIS
LUNG CAPACITY AND GOES ON TO
LIVE ANOTHER 44 YEARS.
SHELBY: STARTING OVER IN THE
LAND OF ENCHANTMENT, WILL
DECIDED TO BECOME AN ARTIST AND
FOUND HIMSELF A GROUP OF FELLOW
FREE SPIRITS WHO CALLED
THEMSELVES THE FIVE PAINTERS.
>> I HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS A
BARTENDER AT THE MATADOR, AND
I’M TOLD THEY STILL LEAVE A SHOT
GLASS ON THE TABLE FOR WILL
SCHUSTER EVEN NOW.
SHELBY: HOW DID A LOVE OF
DRINKING, PARTYING AND PRACTICAL
JOKES LEAD TO THE BURNING OF A
GIANT MONSTER?
IT ALL STARTED ONE CHRISTMAS
EVE.
TIMES WERE TOUGH, NO ONE HAD ANY
MONEY AND WILL WAS NOT HAVING
ANY MORE OF HIS FRIENDS’ GLOOM.
>> HE DECIDED THAT EVERYBODY
NEEDED TO WRITE DOWN WHAT WAS
BOTHERING THEM, AND HE GATHERED
IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLE
AND SET IT ON FIRE.
SHELBY: AND SO IT BEGAN.
WILL WAS STILL DEALING WITH HIS
OWN PTSD FROM WORLD WAR I.
>> HE HAS A DEPRESSION HE IS
STRUGGLING WITH FOR MUCH OF THE
1920’S.
I THINK ZOZOBRA WAS REALLY A WAY
FOR HIM TO EXERCISE THAT
DEPRESSION.
>> ALSO, IT IS REALLY FUN TO
DRINK AND BURN THINGS.
SHELBY: THAT IS WILL’S
GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER.
>> THERE ARE MANY OF LEGENDS
THAT FLOAT AROUND IN FAMILY.
SHELBY: A WAY TO CELEBRATE THE
HISTORY OF HOW TE CITY CAME TO
BE BECAME AN EVENT WHERE YOU
PNEEDED TO BUY A TICKET.
>> HE AND HIS ARTIST FRIENDS,
BOHEMIANS AND SANTA FE, THEY
FOUND FIESTA VERY STUFFY.
SHELBY: THAT IS WHEN ZOZOBRA
EXPANDED FROM THE BAR TOP THAT
FATEFUL CHRISTMAS EVE.
AFTERWARDS, WILL TRAVEL DOWN TO
MEXICO AND WITNESSED THE BURNING
OF AN EFFIGY.
THEY WANTED TO BREAK AWAY FROM
FIESTA AND START THEIR OWN
TRADITIONS.
YOU CAN SEE HERE SOME OF THE
VERY FIRST DRAWINGS OF ZOZOBRA’S
HEAD.
IN THESE WRITINGS, WILL TALKS
ABOUT THE MATERIALS HE WOULD USE
AND HOW IT WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED.
>> JUST POURING KEROSENE ON THIS
THING IN YOUR BACKYARD.
AND THEN THEY MOVED IT CLOSER TO
THE PLAZA AND THEY WERE STILL
POURING KEROSENE ON IT.
SHELBY: THAT FIRST BACKYARD
BURNING WAS IN 1924.
BY 1930, LEGEND OF ZOZOBRA
SPREAD.
WILL PUBLISHED A SERIES OF FAKE
NEWS STORIES ABOUT THE GIANT
MONSTER ON A RAMPAGE THROUGH THE
COUNTRYSIDE AND FINALLY BEING
CAPTURED, BROUGHT BACK TO SANTA
FE AND BURNED.
AS HIS GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER TOLD
ME, WILL MAY HAVE SPENT THE BACK
HALF OF HIS LIFE CREATING THIS
LEGEND AS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO
ESCAPE, BUT THE LEGEND OF WILL
SCHUSTER HIMSELF IS SOMETHING
THAT CAN NEVER BE BURNED AWAY.
>> IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO BE
ASSOCIATED WITH SOMETHING THAT
MAKES SO MANY PEOPLE SO HAPPY.
SHELBY: THE SANTA FE FIESTA --
ROYALE: THE SANTA FE FIESTA
COUNCIL INVITED ZOZOBRA TO BE A
COM -- TO BECOME A
