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TESUQUE PUEBLO, N.M. — A small northern New Mexico Native American tribe has opened a movie studio in a former casino that it hopes will lure big productions.

The Tesuque Pueblo recently converted the building near Santa Fe into a movie studio campus called Camel Rock Studios with more than 25,000 square feet (2,323 square meters) of filming space.

The tribe’s lands feature stunning desert and the iconic Camel Rock formation in the red-brown foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and tribal officials said outdoor filming can take place on 27 square miles (70 square kilometers) of the reservation.

The tribe with about 800 members decided to open the studio after scenes from the Universal Pictures western movie “News of the World” starring Tom Hanks were filmed last year in the Camel Rock Casino, which closed in 2018.

Universal’s use of the casino for filming helped convince tribal officials to transform the empty building into studio space, said Timothy Brown, president and CEO of the Pueblo of Tesuque Development Corporation. Also influencing the decision were investments in New Mexico movie studios by Netflix and NBCUniversal in recent years, said Tunte Vigil, Tesuque Pueblo’s business development associate.

“The Pueblo of Tesuque Development Corporation wants to bring different businesses to the pueblo and the market is really open,” Vigil said. “So this is a good opportunity.”

No productions are happening now and none are planned for the immediate future because the pueblo and most of the state remains under strict COVID-19 business restrictions. But Brown said that that hasn’t stopped potential productions from contacting the pueblo and asking to reserve studio time.

Cheyenne and Arapaho filmmaker Chris Eyre, a Santa Fe resident and an advisor to Camel Rock Studio, said the studio’s unique aspect is that its former makeup as a casino provides the site with pre-made infrastructure that can be used for filming different types of movie scenes

“It’s a museum. It’s an opulent hotel lobby. It’s a capitol building,” said Eyer, who directed the 1998 film “Smoke Signals” about two Coeur d’Alene tribal members who travel from Idaho to Arizona to retrieve the remains of their father after he died alone. “There are sorts of interesting standing sets that can be creatively (crafted) for all sorts of scenes.”

The site also has a set workshop called a mill that can be used by crews to build sets for use inside the casino or on the tribe’s land, Eyer said, adding that he could envision movies filmed there that are set in the Middle East or the U.S. Southwest.

Older movies filmed on the Tesuque Pueblo include the 1955 western “The Man from Laramie” starring James Stewart and the 1988 “Young Guns” with Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland.

But Eyer said previous productions had stereotypes about Indigenous people and limited Native American input and that tribal officials hope future productions don’t follow in their footsteps.

The studio is being established at a time when Native American writers including Pulitzer Prize-winning Cheyenne and Arapaho author Tommy Orange and Inupiaq American poet Joan Naviyuk Kane are transforming American Literature — and putting pressure on Hollywood to incorporate more Native American stories.

Tribal officials plan to create internships and movie training programs for Tesuque Pueblo members and hope that the studio will foster a new storytelling movement, Eyer said.

“Native Americans are natural storytellers,” he said. “What better place to do it?”

Nation Tribe: Tesuque Pueblo

7 Tesuque Hill Rd
Santa Fe, NM 87506

(800) 462-2635

The Pueblo of Tesuque opened a new casino north of Sante Fe and near The Sante Fe Opera. It replaces their struggling Camel rock Casino, which is now closed.

The Tesuque Pueblo broke ground on their new Sante Fe casino in January 2018. Construction was completed by November 2018, and the casino grand opening was November 23rd.

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First Native American-owned film studio is born in closed casino

March 22, 2020

The Pueblo of Tesuque has launched Camel Rock Studios, the first movie studio owned by a Native American tribe.

Camel Rock Studios evolved from the closure of the Camel Rock Casino when it was replaced by the new Tesuque Casino in November 2018. The clsure left an empty 75,000-square-foot facility and 100 acres of scenic land located in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It lies adjacent to another 17,471 acres on the Tesuque Pueblo.

At the time of the closure, there was no specific plan for repurposing the casino. Several alternatives were considered including a movie studio. The Tesuque land has been used as the backdrop for over 20 films, and last year it was used in the Tom Hank's movie 'News of the World'.

As a result the tribe recognized the movie potential and converted the property into Camel Rock Studios. It spent $50 million to develop and expand the studio by adding a movie ranch with standing sets, shooting stages and movie props.

For more information visit the website for Camel Rock Studios.

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New plans for closed Camel Rock Casino

December 06, 2018

The building that used to be the Camel Rock Casino is vacant and the Tesuque Pueblo is considering what the new use will be. Last month the tribe opened their new casino, Tesuque Casino.

Official plans have not been announced. However, there has been some speculation.

One possibility is for an indoor flea market. The Tesuque Casino was built on the property for the tribe's previous outdoor flea market. When that had closed, a nearby tribe had opened a new flea market.

The Tesuque Pueblo has expressed interest in adding more family friendly entertainment to the area.

Plans for the building are expected to be announced within the next two to three months.

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Tesuque Casino opens and Camel Rock Casino closes

November 24, 2018

On Tuesday the Camel Rock Casino closed. Camel Rock Casino was opened for over twenty years. The Camel Rock Casino was in operation since 1995. 200 people were employed there.

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The closing of the Camel Rock Casino marks a new beginning for the Tesuque Pueblo. The tribe will be opening the new Tesuque Casino at a location that is close to eight miles away.

The new Tesuque Casino will open on November 23 at 5 p.m. One day after Thanksgiving. It will be 72,000 square feet. It is located off of U.S. 84/285 and on tribal land.

The new Tesuque Casino will employ 275. The casino will also serve as a way to boost the local economy for the tribe and help fund services for members of the tribe.

The new Tesuque Casino was developed near the open air theater, the Santa Fe Opera. The property used to be the location for a flea market. Subcontractors were hired from the local area as much as possible. Products for the Tesuque Casino will be purchased from local vendors. This includes supplies and food.

For dining there will be The Cottonwood Kitchen at Tesuque Casino. The restaurant will offer an exhibition kitchen, a patio with 75 seats, and a lounge with bar area that has a view of the casino floor.

The casino will offer 10 table games and over 800 slot machines. The new Tesuque Casino will be using new gaming machines and machines from the former Camel Rock Casino.

Design for the casino includes giant windows where guests can see the vistas north of Santa Fe and the Sangre de Cristos.

Plans have not been announced for the site of the former Camel Rock Casino property.

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New Tesuque Casino opens in Santa Fe

November 23, 2018

Tesuque Casino officially opened its doors today and saw an estimated 5,000 visitors come in to experience this new 72,000 square-foot casino. The casino is the second largest in the area next to nearby Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino and features 800 slot machines and 10 table games.

Tesuque Casino replaces the 50,000-square-foot Camel Rock Casino which will now close.

One of the first to visit, Marvin Martinez, summarized the difference between the new and old casinos: 'It's a fancier casino than the older one. It's really nice, it's really open and the view is beautiful. A lot of machines; a lot more machines than what they had at Camel Rock.'

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