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The Legacy of the WPA in New Mexico

Anna E. Roosevelt with Angelina Delgada in 2008 in Santa Fe at the state capital.

In 2008 Angelina Delgado was honored by the National New Deal Preservation Association. The late Santa Fe native took part in the 75th anniversary of the New Deal. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s granddaughter, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, presented Delgado with the award.

Employing Millions of Americans

The WPA was introduced by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. It brought an economic stimulus to America during the Great Depression. It was the largest agency of the New Deal programs, employing millions of Americans.

Angelina Delgado working in her shop in Santa Fe in the 1980s.

Angelina Delgado was a teenager when she took part in the largest government-sponsored work program in the country. Under the tutelage of her grandfather, Francisco “Quico” Delgado, she worked as a tinsmith for the WPA. She worked along side her father and grandfather to make the light fixtures for the Albuquerque Little Theater. The WPA award she received was one of many for the artist. The work of her grandfather, “Papa Quico” is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Delgado received national recognition for her work during her lifetime.

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