The Sagrado is a lab-hub where all kinds of conversations and experimentation take place. It’s an organization dedicated to empowering the South Central community through Art, Culture, and Design. For decades, Sam Gomez, its executive director, has advocated for spaces where people from all backgrounds can share their humanity, learn about the land they inhabit, the people they coexist with, and find their slot in La Phoenikera’s loom.

Sam often says, the work must be done in multiple areas and disciplines; the aim is to spark connections between us while we envision a world built around life-centric systems. With gatherings like Mercado Tonalli, Ancestral, Forever Rising, Mujeres del Desierto, and other events it produces, The Sagrado seeks to connect with life, culture, nature, and our surroundings. In that setting, it creates the conditions for constructive dialogue about what it means to exist in this land and how we can become better stewards of it as we wean out the human-centric frame of thought.

The Sagrado’s next happening is Mercado Tonalli, a place-based market of local vendors that periodically hops from one unlikely place in La Phoenikera to another. “We’ve done Mercado Tonalli multiple times, in different spaces, and I always learn something new,” says Gomez. “Whether through conversations with collaborators or connecting with attendees. That is why it’s so important to share these spaces and get rooted in nature, like right here at Rio Salado in the middle of the city. You don’t even need to drive; you can walk, bike, skate, and now, light rail it!”

It’s meaningful that most Mercado Tonalli events take place in this area because, historically, the Rio Salado was a trade center where commerce and cultural exchange occurred. It’s appropriate to hold it there now that many local businesses are in a tough spot, and there is a Mass Blackout this coming Black Friday and the following days. Many people think about how they can participate in the paradigm shift to a sufficiency economy but get stuck, not knowing what to do. This is one way: support local businesses and projects aligned to your values with your dollar.

“The economy is currently not great for many people in the Valley,” says Sam. “We need to start redirecting our funds toward businesses that represent our values as a community. Instead of giving your money to corporations and billionaires, explore the many local options you have…”

In other words, put yo’ dolla whe ya mouf is.

“Tonalli to me is special because there’s always something new, a new energy, and it goes in different directions; it’s fluid. This time, we’ll have music, artisans, food vendors, cafecito by the river as our backdrop, and just people vibing in a natural setting.

He notes that many people still don’t know such a lush, vibrant, life-filled space is accessible to everyone and can be a place of contemplation, resetting, inspiration, and, why not, celebration and trade. “There is a benefit when people experience the river, connecting with it and understanding that without it, there would be no Phoenix, at least not the way we know it.”

“We are all stewards of this land, but first, we must connect with it, see how we can nurture it, and then enjoy the benefits of conscious coexistence,” Sam says while strolling through one of Rio Salado’s trails on a rainy morning.

If you’re looking for something to do on a Sat. morning, say a market, where someone guides you through creating an individualized tea bag filled with health-supporting herbs; in need of a limpia? or maybe something not so specific? Perhaps you are a gifter who salivates at the thought of rare finds, or just an early bird who needs to people-watch while sipping a lavender latte and zigzagging from booth to booth. Whatever the case, if you go, you might end up with a trinket for your tía and some knowledge de pilón.

The market is only from 9 a.m. ’till 1 p.m., so you snooze, you lose. It will take place at the North Ramada on 2439 S. Central Ave. in La Phoenikera.

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