It was a day of anniversaries at the Sedona Heritage Museum in Uptown on Oct. 12, when Wendy Lippman, the resident partner and general manager of Tlaquepaque, gave a presentation about Tlaquepaque’s 50th anniversary ahead of the museum’s own 25th anniversary.

“I have been here since 1998,” Lippman said. “It’s absolutely crazy for me as I was putting my notes together to think that I’ve spent almost half my life here taking care of Tlaquepaque. But I do consider it a Sedona treasure. With a nudge from my father and a bit of a plea I moved from New York City, where I worked for Tommy Hilfiger, to assist my father in putting the spark back into the property while managing the deferred maintenance … It has been my goal and privilege to be the caretaker to perpetuate Abe Miller’s dream which he launched back in ’73. I intend to preserve its character and charm for as long as I’m able to be the keeper of Abe’s original vision.”

Lippman said the role Tlaquepaque has played in hosting art events and holiday celebrations is just as critical as its 18 art galleries and 45 shops, and has been a longstanding tradition ever since 1975, when Miller held the venue’s first fiesta by roasting a pig at the back of the property. That marriage of the commercial and the artistic is also reflected in the venue’s name, which is derived from the Aztec word meaning “the best of everything.”

“Together they present a mosaic of cultural diversity and celebration unlike any other, all within the high stucco walls and giant sycamores that represent the singular beauty that is Tlaquepaque,” Lippman said.

That lively feeling is built into Tlaquepaque’s foundations and is evident throughout the property, from its irregular stone pathways to its tiles.

“Buildings must be built to echo laughter,dancing and singing,” Tlaquepaque architect Bob McIntyre once said. “Candles, barrels, flickering fires, fountains and flowers are what architecture is all about.”

“Most of the subcontractors on this job were untrained artisans or self trained, [and] tremendous artistic freedom was given to the workers,” Lippman said. “[Miller] didn’t want perfection, he wanted everything to be alive. If it was too perfect, he would have to tear it down and start over. Abe said ‘Forget the plumb, use the thumb,’ with a lot being eyeballed and improvised, as this is what gives it authenticity and charm. It’s not replicable.”

Lippman highlighted the importance of the sycamore grove on the site, which is part of Tlaquepaque’s heritage, and its efforts to perverse the trees have been in keeping with Miller’s original promise to the land’s former owners Ruby and Harry Girard.

Miller ’s sentiments were echoed in the August 1973 issue of Arizona Highways magazine.

“Tlaquepaque is something more than substance,” the magazine wrote. “It is a happy and encouraging assurance to know that man has the ability and the resources to preserve the natural beauty of a development as he creates new forms of beauty to satisfy his functional and spiritual needs. Tlaquepaque is a shining example of how a commercial development can delight the eye of the beholder, serve a useful function, elevate the business standards of the community and glorify the character of the land.”

Maintaining the property and its trees can be a herculean task, Lippman pointed out, because her grounds crew hand-waters the property.

“They are out there in the elements when it is hot as heck or freezing cold. They assist in all of our events and are just one heck of an amazing team,” she said.

Lippman said her goal for the next 50 years is “a continued preservation of its beauty and resources and ongoing engagement with the community.”

This is reflected in her efforts to secure historical landmark status for the Tlaquepaque Chapel.

“It’s very exciting, and it seems most fitting, as this was [Miller’s] favorite spot,” Lippman said. “He built the chapel as a place for quiet meditation and as a private chapel … With its bell tower, the hand carved Spanish doors, its elaborate wrought iron gates, the bell and the exterior sculpture … upon entering, you feel transported into another time and space.”

“Tlaquepaque has become a sanctuary where generations have forged memories, where artists have found their voices and where visitors have been entranced by the symphony of colors, textures and stories that come to life within its walls,” Lippman said in closing.