Tradiciones - Raices 2019 by The Taos News

NINETEENTH ANNUAL

HONORAR A NUESTROS HĂ&#x2030;ROES

raĂces

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

Corn continues to be a vital food source in New Mexico. Intern Daniel Martinez holds braided corn prepared by youth from Taos Pueblo and other villages in October 2018 in front of the farm from which it grew. The interns, aged 15 to 18, grew corn to preserve the kernels for seeds at the Taos County Economic Development Corporation.

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

INTRODUCTION

Not just another place. RAÍCES

A TREE WITHOUT ROOTS IS JUST A PIECE OF WOOD. A COMMUNITY WITHOUT ROOTS IS JUST ANOTHER PLACE. AND TAOS IS NOT JUST ANOTHER PLACE. Our raíces (roots) are planted firmly in Northern New Mexico’s culture, traditions, faith and families. From those roots rise dance, music, food, clothing, art and language. This edition of Raíces delves into the uniqueness of this community through stories about how a graduate of the first Ranchos area high school in 1909 continues to inspire a family; the widely unknown truth about Taos Morada’s “black cross”; the fun and pageantry of Fiestas de Taos as told through photographs; the variety of foods brought here by Spanish settlers; and one community’s effort to create a public gathering space. Taos’ mixture of roots reside in the hearts and souls of its striking, resourceful people. What was planted before us and what we leave behind are our identity.

SCOTT GERDES, SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR

SEPT. 26, 2019

CONTENTS

Tradiciones RAÍCES

Senator Carlos R. Cisneros is Fighting for Northern New Mexico

Sabroseanse (lick your chops) Edible history: traditional Hispanic foods BY ROBERTO VALDEZ

“In his own personal way, State Senator Carlos Cisneros links New Mexico’s past, present, and future.” - The Utton Center, Water Matters - The Utton Center, Water Matters

Pioneer girl of Class 1909

Let’s keep our Senator Cisneros Political advertisement paid for by committee to reelect Carlos R. Cisneros

Ranchos de Taos mission school graduate Ethel Lund continues to inspire BY DONNA KOUT IKARD

Black is white, white is black Infamous Taos crosses connect faith and mysticism with art

If someone ever tells you that you have “enough” crafting supplies & don’t need anymore, stop talking to them. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.

BY LARRY TORRES

204 C Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos (575) 751-7456 taosmoxie.com

¡Que vivan Las Fiestas! An embedded community celebration BY SCOTT GERDES

The epitome of a survivor Comanche raid in Ranchos begins 10 years of captivity for Maria Rosa Villalpando BY SCOTT GERDES

El Prado Community Center A sense of place and history amidst change

Privileged to help. We’re honored to serve this community for 37 years. My team and I look forward to many more with you. Thank you for your continued support and business.

B Y K AT H Y C O R D O VA

S TA F F ROBIN MARTIN, OWNER CHRIS BAKER, PUBLISHER S TA C I M AT LO C K , M A N A G I N G E D I TO R SCOTT GERDES, SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR K A R I N E B E R H A R D T, C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R C H R I S WO O D, A DV E RT I S I N G D I R E C TO R S E A N R A T L I F F, P R O D U C T I O N M A N A G E R AMY BOAZ, COPY EDITOR MORGAN TIMMS, PHOTOGRAPHER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS K AT H Y C O R D O VA , D O N N A KO U T I K A R D, L A R R Y TO R R E S , ROBERTO VALDEZ

Wanda Lucero 575.737.5433 wandalucero.com

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

Sabroseanse (lick your chops)

KITTY LEAKEN

La cocina is the heart of every traditional home, this one sporting a huge micaceous bean pot made by the late Felipe Ortega of La Madera.

EDIBLE HISTORY: TRADITIONAL HISPANIC FOODS BY ROBERTO VALDEZ

BISON, PANZA Y COSTILLAS

ndian and Hispanic farmers who migrated into north-central New Mexico long ago obtained their nutrition from foods prepared in many special and unique ways. They had their own set of practices, unusual and sometimes endemic foods and elaborate social rituals to accompany food preparation and consumption. Spanish settlers in New Mexico brought sheep, goats, cattle and other Old World food sources into the Río Grande Valley, while the Native Americans here had centuries earlier learned how to cultivate a variety of foods originally from central Mexico, such as maize (corn) beans and calabasa (squash). By 1601 wheat (trigo), peas (alverjón), radishes (rabanitos), garbanzo beans and other “Castilian vegetables” were reported to being doing well at San Gabriel, the first Spanish settlement of New Mexico. From the Mexican Indians came tomatoes and chile, from the Middle East came the apricot (albarcoque) and plums (ciruela), while from the tropical Old World came melons.

¡LA MATANZA! People were more communal in the past, and this is reflected the matanza — the killing and cooking of a pig. I recall in my youth how the marrana (hog) waited patiently in its sty before my uncle carefully shot it in the forehead. My grandmother showed him how to stab it inside the front leg to let its blood drain. At many matanzas, the anus was bunged with a corncob and boiling water was poured over the carcass to make it easier to separate the skin from the body. A large curved knife was then used to peel the skin off, and pieces of skin were fried to make cueritos. These could be added to beans to improve their flavor. Parts such as the belly with rind were fried into crunchy, meaty chicharrones. Sausages called morcillas were made using the animal’s blood, with intestines serving as the stuffing tubes.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, LOC.GOV/ ITEM/2017742889/LEE, RUSSELL (1940)

A Chamisal subsistence farmer provides his family with pork during a mantanza. Sheep, cows, hogs, horses and mules were domesticated animals not found in El Norte until the Spaniards colonized New Mexico.

Liver, brains and hearts were considered delicacies by many, as were other body parts, such as cow tongue. Roasted calf, goat or sheep heads yielded shredded meat and could be further processed to make a head cheese, referred to as queso. Bowls of menudo (tripe) and panza (stomach) with red chile were dished out. Bison hunts by the Hispano people took place after the fall harvest in caravan trips to the southeastern plains. Young men lanced bison, and crews of carniceros (butchers) followed, hanging slices on the frames of carretas (wooden carts) to make carne seca (jerked meat), which could be salted and peppered with chile to make cecina enchilada. The tongue (lengua) was peeled of its skin and soaked in brine for shipment. Meat stored moist for long-term use was kept in winter cold rooms. My mother never recalled having special cuts as one gets today from a butcher. The traditional way was merely to cut a piece off and dice it to add to a stew or beans. Special treats included mutton ribs (costillas) and chicken (carne de gallina). The latter was valued for eggs. Its meat was reserved for special occasions, such as a feast day.

DRYING FOOD Drying food was an important practice. Chiles were tied in plump clusters called ristras. Bundles of cleaned garlic (ajo) were hung and dried to prevent mold. Tube squash was cut into rueditas (little wheels); pumpkin was cut into strips (tasajos). Apricots and plums were pitted, laid out and flipped often. These were rehydrated and baked into thin rectangular pies (pasteles). To preserve corn’s sweetness, ears were harvested green and piled into a bell-shaped horno moruno, fired beforehand. The doors were sealed, and overnight the slow-roasted corn cooked, creating chicos, a favorite treat eaten with beans throughout the winter. | continues on p. 6

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAĂ?CES

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/PHOTOGRAPH BY LEE RUSSELL

Making tortillas, a food staple in New Mexico, in 1939.

Together We Make A Powerful Difference photo credit: Jeff Caven

Taos Community Foundation is proud to serve the unique needs of our community by linking the charitable goals of donors to the causes that mean the most to them. Together we make a powerful difference. Taos Community Foundation has awarded over $1 million in grants and scholarships this year. We are honored with the trust bestowed upon us from so many who partner with us to make a difference.

taoscf.org

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

SABROSEANSE

continues from p. 4

Nothing’s better on a chilly day than a bowl of green chile stew — here cooked in a pot made by the late Felipe Ortega.

KITTY LEAKEN

L I B R A R Y O F C O N G R E E / R U S S E L L L E E , S E P T. 1 9 3 9

PEPPERS Compared with Mexico, New Mexico has only a few types of peppers, with the most favored type being chile largo. Peppers were dried, pitted (despipitado), oven-roasted, crushed into flakes (producing chile caribe) or ground into a powder (chile en polvo). Thickened with roux (guisado), chile became salsa de chile colorado, a red sauce that can be its own dish when served with beef. Green chile was roasted, peeled and dried to a shrivel for later use (chile verde seco).

HERBS Fresh summer herbs that could have come with the Spanish include verdolagas, or purslane, which grows wild. This prostrate plant was boiled like spinach and combined with domestic Spanish onions and chile caribe. Other wild spinach-like plants were quelites and quelite geus (lamb’s-quarter and wild amaranth). Soups were enhanced with dried oregano de la sierra (mountain oregano), poleo (brook mint) or yerba buena (spearmint), which were all found wild but also deliberately planted by locals.

SOUPS AND ENTRéES Soups were called caldos. The popular caldo de chile verde (green chili stew) is one of the few traditional dishes appearing today on many restaurant menus. It typically featured potatoes, onions and cubed beef. During the winter and spring, stored dried foods such as alverjón maduro (ripe peas) were stewed. These, along with small scrambled-egg patties called torta de huevo, were served with caldo de chile colorado, particularly during Cuaresma, or Lent, when the Roman Catholic population widely abstained from nonfish meats. The cuisine of the old Hispanic housewives featured no appetizer — just a main course and dessert. Lunch and supper included thickened beans (frijoles guisados) with a dried herb sprinkle called epazote, skillet-fried potatoes with beef (papas fritas con carne) or fried turnips, with a serving of green chile in summer or chile colorado in winter. Tortillas were used in lieu of spoons and were thick enough to split in two. Young green squash (calabacita) was fried with onions and sweet corn in summer.

BEVERAGES Drinks included milk, imported coffee, teas and atole, a watery mix of roasted blue corn meal. Another common drink was cota. Wild harvested in June, it was served as te de cota or te indio (Navajo tea). Breakfast included eggs, milk and a thick gruel called chaquegüe, made of roasted, ground blue corn. Milk and grindings from a piloncillo, or a cone of imported brown sugar, were added.

When looking at the history of food in Northern New Mexico, drying was an important practice. Pictured: corn dries on a board fence on a farm near Taos.

MORE MAIZE FOODSTUFFS To be digestible, ripe corn had to be boiled in water containing wood ash or lime. It was then allowed to cool and was dried for storage. Large dent corn prepared this way is posole (poh-SOH-leh; Mexican hominy), which was less common than a meal of beans because it was more labor-intensive to prepare. Posole was eaten with fresh cilantro in spring. Its light mineral flavor could be tempered by pork, beef cubes or stew bones and a side of caldo de chile colorado. Tamales are like a traveling version of posole. Moist posole was ground on a stone called a metate, and the paste, called nixtamal (neesh-tah-mahl) or masa, was wrapped in a corn husk, which was tie closed and steamed in a canning pot. A variety of ingredients were available to stuff a tamal, but the typical filling was cooked carne deshebrada (pulled pork or shredded beef) simmered in chile colorado. This labor-intensive treat, along with many desserts, was often made by groups of women working together for festivals and special events.

SWEETS Desserts included leaves of romaine lettuce with sugar sprinkled on top. Milk was made into cottage cheese (queso hechizo). This was eaten with molasses or preserves (preservas) from peaches (durasnos). Bread pudding was called sopa. In parts of Latin America, that word means soup, but in Northern New Mexico it means stale bread and milk, eggs, fat, sugar, syrup and dried fruit that have been baked to delicious sweetness. Sorghum was used to make molasses (melaza or miel). The juice was wrung out of sorghum cane and simmered in an elongated pan. To make a turnover called an empanadita, meat was ground on a molcajete. Then nuts and sweeteners were added, and the mixture was stuffed into a tortilla. Panocha, also known as atole dulce, was a treat made of sprouted wheat. It was made for winter celebrations, such as the nine-day Las Posadas.

STILL WITH US Compared to today’s cuisine, home-cooked traditional foods of the region were hardier and more closely tied to what was available geographically and seasonally. People performed much physical activity, required a nutrient-dense diet and had a personal attachment to where this food came from. Some of these foods are still being prepared the old way in regional homes, especially during holidays and for Catholic observances like Lent, and a handful can even be found on various restaurant menus. But in our fast-paced and convenience-directed lives, few have the patience or the knowledge to prepare these ancient and hardy foods. Perhaps it’s time to eat as our ancestors once did. ¡Sabroseanse! (Lick your chops) y ¡come con gusto! (eat with joy)!

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAĂ?CES

San Pascual is the patron saint of cooks and found in many Northern New Mexico kitchens.

KITTY LEAKEN

LEADERSHIP & PARTNERSHIPS Make For A Strong Community

Kit Carson is a proud supporter of the communities we serve. We invest in our employees in many ways, one of which is the Wise Endeavors Leadership Journey. This strategic program is designed to strengthen professional integrity, build outstanding customer service skills and assist in successfully growing an organization. Kit Carson is creating a new generation of local leaders, dedicated to enhancing the quality of our members, while understanding and embracing our unique cultures and traditions. In addition, we seek out partnerships with local municipalities, schools and organizations to support economic development projects, such as HIVE initiative, which just won a $100,000 grant. We are your neighbors, friends and family that deeply care about moving northern NM forward.

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

Pioneer girl of Class 1909 RANCHOS DE TAOS MISSION SCHOOL GRADUATE ETHEL LUND CONTINUES TO INSPIRE BY DONNA KOUT IKARD

ix young ladies, with hair perfectly coifed in the up-dos of their time, posed proudly side by side to commemorate the occasion of their graduation. Their chosen class colors were pink and green, and the

class flower was the pink carnation. The all-girl class dressed in matching ethereal, white, flowing gowns — a few of them graced their gowns with

COURTESY DONNA IKARD

An Ila McAfee portrait of Ethel Lund Howard. ‘Like the perfect time capsule from the forgotten Old West, Ethel kept a cozy home adorned with dozens of timeless, breathtaking paintings by incredible artists — a few depicting the ancient Indian Pueblo in Ranchos de Taos — including many paintings from Ila McAfee Turner and Elmer Turner,' recollects her great-granddaughter, Donna Ikard.

fresh flower corsages. This group was the first to graduate from the only high school in Ranchos de Taos — a Catholic mission school — on Friday, April 23, 1909. The school was run by the nuns of San Francisco de Asís, which was still a mission back then. The official graduation program lists the young ladies’ names as: Ethel Mildred Lund, Ruth Lee Branson, Mary Alice Branson, Cornelia Rebecca Souther, Katherine Silver Herrick, Bettina Evans Prescott, and Ruth Lee Branson. School directors were listed as Witt, Santistevan and Romero and the principal was Mrs. J.F. Young. My great-grandmother, Ethel Mildred Lund, kneels proudly in the front row of the black-and-white class picture taken 110 years ago. This photo has hung in our family’s homes since it was taken. To say that we are proud of her scholastic accomplishment over a century ago would be an understatement. Her education at the most famous mission in New Mexico was the first brick in a long and impressive path of careers and community involvement that still inspires us to this day.

Little pioneer girl Horseback riding and horse-drawn buggies were the mode of transportation in Taos at the time Ethel Lund graduated from high school. Multiple languages were spoken fluently — Spanish, English and the elusive and sacred languages of Native Americans who arrived centuries before. The dusty dirt trails of the Old West wound through these parts and an eclectic sort of people began to gather. Ethel and her family were part of it all. It was a time of her life that she cherished deeply and never forgot. Though not born in New Mexico, Ethel carried a deep respect for the richness and traditions of the state where she spent the majority of her life. Arriving in New Mexico in 1900 from Minnesota by way of stagecoach and train, she was just 8 years old. She spoke of seeing Indians and great herds of buffalo along her journey. Traveling with her younger brother, Guy, and mother, Eva Lund, the family

came to New Mexico to be with her father’s family who was already living in White Oaks. The Lund family members had been miners searching for gold in Baxter Mountain since the 1880s. The family men camped in the COURTESY DONNA IKARD mountains while mining, but Ethel and Guy stayed Horseback riding and behind in town. They horse-drawn buggies lived in the Ozanne Hotel were the mode of transwith their mother who portation in Taos at the tended to the hotel’s time Ethel Lund graduboarders; cooking their ated from high school meals and cleaning their in the early 1900s. As a clothes on a washboard. student, she often rode a It was 1904 when pony to school. Later in the Lunds left White life, she graduated to the Oaks, traveling by horse and buggy. wagon to Copper Hills, New Mexico, a tent city mining camp on the Río Grande, 12 miles from Rinconada. Since there were no schools, Ethel’s mother tutored the two children at the camp for some time. The family soon relocated to Taos so that the children could have a formal education at the mission school. New Mexico was still a territory then, and the only school available in the area was a Catholic mission school. The predominate language spoken there was Spanish. When Ethel had finished grade school, she arranged with the sisters at the mission to teach English to a small group of non-English-speaking children in exchange for the price of her tuition. Ethel’s family was unable to afford to continue to pay for her schooling and she had a strong desire to finish her education. From the small family ranch by the Río Grande, Ethel rode her pony to school each morning to teach. She was captivated by the grandness of the ancient Indian Pueblo nearby. In the afternoon, the sisters at the mission tutored Ethel and three other young ladies. This agreement with the sisters was the only way Ethel was able to earn her high school diploma.

Branching out Follows is an edited excerpt of Ethel’s career as written by her daughter Margaret Searle: In 1912, Ethel married Dr. D. M. Allison and moved to Oklahoma City. In 1914, after divorce, she returned to Taos with her son, Dwight, and worked at Penny’s Dry Goods Store. She also ministered to many of those who fell ill during the great flu epidemic of 1918. After the war [World War I], Ethel moved to Albuquerque to attend business school. There she met her second husband, James Howard. They married in 1922. Howard was from a homesteading, ranching family out of Lincoln

Among the many hats worn by Ethel Lund was of a notary public. Pictured is the stamp she used, which is still in the family's possession. COURTESY DONNA IKARD

County, New Mexico. The couple moved to Capitan, New Mexico, where they raised four children. Ethel, always active in the community, was bookkeeper for the George A. Titsworth Co. She also worked in one of the first banks in Capitan and was the first birth registrar in Lincoln County. Ethel was a substitute teacher in Capitan and in the year 1925, she taught all eight grades in the one-room school house in Alto, New Mexico. Speaking Spanish like a native and being the people person that she was, Ethel realized that none of the Mexican people in Capitan had birth certificates.They were delivered by a midwife without the benefit of silver nitrate eye drops at birth, which caused severe eye problems and sometimes blindness. She partnered with Mrs. Chavez, the local midwife, who informed her of any pregnancies. Ethel would call on the expectant mother and get all of the family statistics. Then when the baby was born, she went back to get its name, birth date, time and approximate weight and length. Also, with some of the older people, she would get their statistics and get birth certificates for them along with the babies. She was the first official registrar in Lincoln County, and the only registrar in that part of New Mexico. Her next crusade was to get silver nitrate ampules for the newborns in her community. No local doctor would allow her to have the ampules so after a long, hard struggle Ethel took the mail bus to Santa Fe to the State Capitol and demanded to see whoever had the authority to allow her to administer the silver nitrate. I don’t know who she finally saw (probably the governor if I know Mother), but an agreement was reached. Ethel would send the names and information on expectant mothers to the local doctors (probably in Carrizozo) and they would supply her with the silver nitrate. Interesting to think about how many people owe their sight to Ethel. Also, when an older or non-English-speaking person had tax problems, summons or other legal situations, Ethel would drive them to court in Carrizozo and interpret for them. When we first moved to Fort Stanton, New Mexico, before Ethel became the medical secretary in the administration building, she did substitute teaching and filled in once in a while at the little post office.

Her heart stayed in Taos Ethel may have left Taos, but Taos never left her. She lived in many cities in her lifetime, but wherever she lived she always placed her family’s old stone metate from Taos out on the porch by the front door to welcome guests. Ethel and her mother used to grind corn and wheat on the metate during her childhood living in Taos. Ethel Lund Howard passed away in Tularosa, New Mexico, in 1984, at the age of 92. Donna Kout Ikard, Ethel Lunds’ great-granddaughter, resides in the Gulf Coast area of Texas.

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAÍCES

COURTESY DONNA IKARD

The all-girl class of the Ranchos de Taos mission school ‘dressed in matching ethereal, white, flowing gowns‘ pose for their class portrait in 1909. They were the first class to graduate from a Taos Area high school. Donna Ikard's great-grandmother, Ethel Lund, is kneeling in the foreground.

Discover Taos focuses on the Discover Taos focuses on the that define Taos and people, places, and events people, places, and events that define Taos and its role as the creative center of the Southwest. its role as the creative center of the Southwest. magazine is is Taos, but but also Angel Fire, Arroyo TheThe magazine Taos,yes,yes, also Angel Fire,Seco, Arroyo Seco, Eagle Nest, Questa, Red River, Taos Pueblo and Taos Ski Valley. Eagle Nest, Questa, Red River, Taos Pueblo and Taos Ski Valley. Discover Taos celebrates the best of Taos art, dining and entertainment. Discover Taos celebrates the best of Taos art, dining and entertainment. Find your 220-page Discover Taos magazine now found everwhere.

The Taos News The Taos News

Find your 220-page Discover Taos magazine in next week’s edition.

www.discovertaos.com

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

Black is white, white is black

INFAMOUS TAOS CROSSES CONNECT FAITH AND MYSTICISM WITH ART BY LARRY TORRES

cross the centuries, the world has constantly been inundated by reports of secret religious cults, bloods rites and outlawed organizations. The idea of being able to delve into their hidden practices has been a source of thrill and discovery for many curious people who are seeking deeper meaning in their lives. One of the latest manifestations stems from bestselling author Dan Brown, who has helped to bring out this secret resurgence to the foreground with his books “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Lost Symbol, Angels and Demons,” and “Origins.” Among the symbols that Brown presents in his writings is that of the added meaning to the salvific power of the cross. The ancient Egyptians used the looped cross, called an ankhas an offering to the gods. To the ancient Chinese, the cross ideogram stood for “man.” The crucified Jesus of the early church added the concept of “self-sacrifice” to it and Saint Francis handed it to the poor by replacing the more robust Jesus with a skinny, thin and bleeding Jesus. Historians in New Mexico typically try to categorize crosses and crucifixes by the artistic style and skill of their santeros, as saint-makers are called. Fresquís and Laguna crosses are unadorned and monochromatic, whereas Juan Miguel Herrera and Antonio Molleno crosses tend to be oblong and bloody. Rafaél Aragón’s work bears Christ images

that are perfectly proportionate to their crosses. José Benito Ortega’s crosses have green- or bluetinged Christs, meaning that Jesus has surrendered his spirit and breathed his last. The santero called “The Master of the Lattice Work” used to make Jerusalem-style crosses that look complicated, but to the discerning eye, are merely 12 geometrically intertwined crosses in one. The Master of the Mountain Villages used to depict Jesus hanging on Living Crosses noted for the sprouts and buds bursting forth from the wood of the cross with the promise of new life. More contemporary santeros adorned their crosses with folk saints like the bearded Portuguese princess Santa Librada, or with San Acacio dressed like a Civil War-style soldier in complete uniform. Tourists tend to have a preference for black lacquered, nondenominational, straw-appliquéd crosses. Is it any wonder then, that with the coming of statehood to New Mexico in 1912, a whole gamut of new adventure seekers, artists and inhabitants became enthralled by the myriad of crosses seen at every village church, capilla or morada? Just as mysterious to their eyes, were the large outdoor crosses called calvarios, used by Los Hermanos Penitentes. These gigantic, unadorned wooden monuments to faith were sometimes venerated by passersby. Outside the time of Lent though, they only kept solitary vigil over their sites … until artist Georgia O’Keeffe graced the scene. This important female American art instructor left her teaching practice in Texas at the invitation

of local tutelary doyenne, Mabel Dodge Luhan. The barren Southwestern landscape that surrounded Luhan’s home Los Gallos brought new dimensions to O’Keeffe’s minimalist art by putting nature in focus. O’Keeffe was fond of saying that with each painting she would tighten and retighten her focus until the defining detail spoke for the entire object. She preferred to paint things rather than people because “they don’t move and they don’t cost anything.” Beyond the magnificent flowers blooming in Luhan’s garden, O’Keeffe was fascinated by the two crosses located outside the morada just in back of Luhan’s home. The Black Cross was near the morada patio door and the White Cross was firmly planted about half a mile away, in the direction of the rising sun. O’Keeffe, who would become known for her gigantic flowers, bleached bones and animal skulls, was suddenly drawn to the simple beauty and symmetry of the calvario crosses. The Catholic faith of the local populace had already drawn her to the San Francisco de Asís Church in Ranchos de Taos. Her rearview perspective of the famous church cleverly masked the traditional front entrance view used by other Taos artists. In fact, with the passing of the years, many visitors in Ranchos would clumsily ask the church secretary if this was “the church of Georgia O’Keeffe”? Sometimes patiently — sometimes not — the church secretary would reply, “No, it is not the church of Georgia O’Keeffe. We never gave it to her. She wasn’t even Catholic; it is the church of San Fransico de Asís.”

Left to right: The Black Cross, COURTESY LARRY TORRES/TOD MCKEAN. Georgia O’Keeffe’s ‘Black Cross with Taos Mountain and Red Sky,’ COURTESY LARRY TORRES. The White Cross, COURTESY LARRY TORRES/TOD MCKEAN.

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAÍCES

TA O S N E W S A R C H I V E S

Religious or not, O’Keeffe understood the deeper meaning of the cross. She said, “I saw the crosses so often — and often in unexpected places — like a thin dark veil of the Catholic Church spread over the New Mexico landscape.” In an extreme place of mysticism like Taos, what seems to be is not always the only recognized truth. The black and white crosses of the morada de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe are diametrically placed at the beginning and the end of the area of veneration. They mark the beginning and the end of the life of Jesus on Earth. In Spanish it is called “el rastro de la Sangre.” The Black Cross in the patio, closest to the entrance of the morada, is used at a place where introductory prayer begins. It is the spot where the members of the Penitente Brotherhood shed their worldly positions and titles, and enter the place on equal footing as members of the family of God. Before the Black Cross, they recognize their humility as they pray for the salvation of the world. A traditional prayer before the Black Cross might be: “Jesucristo sea mi guía y la flor donde nació y la Hostia

The land for the morada of Our Lady of Guadalupe was donated by the people of Taos. It continues to be used by local devotees as a place for prayers with the Black Cross as a focal point.

Northern New Mexico Center for Cosmetic Dentistry

Consagrada y the Cruz donde murió” (“May Jesus be my guide and the flower where he was born; may He be the Consecrated Host and the cross where He died.”) In an institutional church this would be the place where the faithful would dip their fingers into the holy water font and make the sign of the cross before approaching the altar. The long space looming between the crosses marks the thousands of steps along the Via Dolorosa that designated the various stopping points of Jesus as He wended his way to Calvary. They mark stops where He was sentenced before Pilate, where Jesus met his mother, where his face was wiped on Veronica’s veil, where Simon of Cyrene helped Him carry the cross, where He comforted the pious women of Jerusalem, where He stumbled and fell three times under the weight of the wood, where He was stripped and crucified and finally, where He expired and was taken down from the cross to be placed in his tomb. There is a legend that tells of a time when Dodge Luhan and friend/artist Dorothy Brett, trying to spy on the blood rites leading up to the White

Committed to Taos & Northern New Mexico

Anniversary

Kellie A. Harris, DDS • Kayci M. Harris, DMD

NORTHERN

NEW MEXICO CENTER FOR COSMETIC DENTISTRY

(575)751-9661

1337 Gu sd o r f Rd, Suite A M o st insur a nce a cce pted

(505)579-4680

1102 St a te H w y 68, Em bud o M o st insur a nce a cce pted

kellieharrisdds.com embudodentalcenter.com

Calvario Cross, had to flee for their lives when they were discovered hiding in a nearby gully. The rites offered their mark the very heart of Penitente mysticism. The White Cross facing toward the setting sun holds another mystery: When one is approaching it from the Via Dolorosa side, it is of a brilliant white color. Prayers before it are very personal and private to the individual Penitentes. A traditional prayer here might be:“Adórote Cruz puesta en el monte Calvario donde murió mi Jesús para darnos la Luz y librarnos del contrario” (“I adore you, O cross placed on Mt. Calvary where my Jesus died, to give us his light and free us from evil.”) But, as O’Keeffe observed, when the White Cross is seen framed against the setting sun, an optical illusion happens: it turns from white to black — as black as the other cross by the door. Life and death are interlinked as extreme colors within the same reality. Struggle is what turns black to white and then white back to black. Her painting“Black Cross with Taos Mountain” enfolds this experience.

WHAT WE [PRESERVE] CHANGES THE WORLD.

[

]

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

SCOTT GERDES

‘Black Cross, New Mexico’ oil painting by Georgia O’Keeffe hangs in the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. As, in part, the information plate states, this is ‘one of a series of cross paintings that Georgia O’Keeffe produced in her first summer in the Southwest in 1929. She was fascinated by the omnipresence of these crosses in New Mexico, later recalling, “I saw the crosses so often ... like a thin dark veil of the Catholic Church spread over the New Mexico landscape ... For me, painting the crosses was a way of painting the country.”’

NINETEENTH ANNUAL

HONORAR A NUESTROS HÉROES

raíces

TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO

La Reina Anciana Rufina Salazar dances with her husband, Cipriano Salazar, during the 1992 Fiestas de Taos.

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

¡Que vivan Las Fiestas!

An embedded community celebration E V E R Y Y E A R S I N C E 1 9 2 7, for two days over the third weekend of July, Fiestas de Taos transforms Historic Taos Plaza from a tourist-heavy destination to a place of memory, return to roots and re-energizing for Taoseños. It’s a time for locals to take a respite from work and celebrate the holy days. Fiestas de Taos is an embedded community celebration honoring the two patron saints of Taos, Santa Ana (St. Anne) and Santiago de Compostela (St. James).“The original Spanish colonists established their first church of San Jerónimo at Taos Pueblo. Padre Martinez then changed the seat of ecclesiastical power to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Taos proper,” wrote Larry Torres for the Taos News. “But the festival that honors Santiago and Santa Ana seems to transcend both of these historical facts. The Taos Fiestas honor the two saints annually. The first day is dedicated to Santiago, who is the patron saint of Spain. St. Anne, dedicated on the second day, was chosen from the beginning of time to be the mother of the Virgin Mary.”

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

Worshippers join hands in prayer during the Fiesta Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in 2018. Fiestas de Taos’ roots come from the Roman Catholic faith and the honoring of saints Ana and Santiago.

C O U R T E S Y F I E S TA S D E TA O S

The first La Reina crowned in 1927, Marcia Anaya-Wheaton T H E

E X A C T

year of the first Taos celebration is not readily known, but the festival’s beginnings can be traced back to Spanish warriors. “Our research has alluded to the fact that the first conquistadors to arrive in the area in the Catholic tradition adopted the patron saint of Spain, Santiago de Compostela from Galicia, Spain as the patron of Taos,” said Fiesta Council President Don Francisco Trujillo II. “His feast day is July 25 as celebrated by Roman Catholics. He is also recognized as the patron saint of horsemen and pilgrims. Santa Ana was also adopted as a patron saint of the area since her feast day is celebrated the following day. It was for centuries a Roman Catholic observance that turned into a community-wide celebration somewhere around the turn of the century (1900s).” Other communities that celebrate the same Fiesta Feast Days are Mora, New Mexico and San Luis, Colorado. Over all these years, not much has been amended — traditional music, dances, Tío Vivo, parades, food and trinkets for sale — well, maybe fashion trends have changed. Shown here are images of Fiestas de Taos taken nearly 80 years apart and past Royal Courts. — SCOTT GERDES

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Photographer Russell Lee captures a young girl performing a traditional Hispanic dance during Fiestas in 1940.

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAÍCES

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

Sheyenne Carleen Cecelia Torrez performs on June 8 during the 2019 Royal Pageant at the Taos Community Auditorium. Torrez was selected as this year’s Reina.

y r a d n e Leg ons Creati Images, from top: Painter E. I. Couse with model and friend Ben Lujan and members of their families, in the Couse garden; Virginia Walker Couse designed the “Mother Garden of Taos” with the help of Ben Lujan, combining rootstocks from her home in Washington with local flora; From left, Bert Phillips, E. L. Blumenschein and J. H. Sharp examine The White Goose held by Couse in the garden

Growing from our roots

575.776.3333 sabrosotaos.com Located on Ski Valley Road, 470 State Highway 150 in Arroyo Seco

The LUNDER RESEARCH CENTER, now germinating at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, will be dedicated to the study of the Taos Society of Artists. Beginning in 2021, the center will welcome scholars, students, and artists who wish to conduct research on the storied TSA and the local cultures that influenced their work. Visit our website to learn more about how you can support this new treasure for Taos!

Tradiciones RAĂ?CES

SEPT. 26, 2019

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Traditional Hispanic dances are performed during the 1940 Fiestas.

TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO / K AT H A R I N E E G L I

Conquistadors are an annual presence in the Fiestas de Taos Historical Parade. A celebration of Roman Catholic saints is said to have been brought to North America via Spain by the conquistadors. This photo was snapped during the 2015 festivities.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Chicos vestidos de fiesta (boys in fiesta costumes) photographed by Russell Lee in July 1940.

TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO / K AT H A R I N E E G L I

Children dance during the 2016 Fiestas.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/RUSSELL LEE

Besides the pageantry, music and dance, games have been a part of Fiestas for decades. In 1940, visitors try their luck at bingo.

From parades to games, Fiestas de Taos has been a favorite of kids for decades.

TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO / T I N A L A R K I N

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAĂ?CES

C O U R T E SY / TA O S N E W S FILE PHOTO

Stella Lucero (Hokanson), 1971 Fiesta Queen with her crown made from a tin coffee can.

C O U R T S E Y FIE S T A S D E T A O S

La Reina of 1965 Guadalupe Valerio-Dominguez

C O U R T E S Y F I E S TA S D E TA O S

La Reina Monica Tafoya and her 1997 Royal Court.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/RUSSELL LEE

One not-so-happy camper during an afternoon at Fiestas de Taos in 1940.

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

Andres Romero comforts his daughter Andrea Romero after the 2018 Fiesta Royal Court gave their farewells in the opening ceremony of the 2019 Fiestas de Taos on July 19 at Taos Plaza.

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

Past Taos Fiestas Reina Mariana Fatima Jimenez-Gonzales dances in 2018.

C O U R T E S Y F I E S TA S D E TA O S

Frances Cohn-Miller, La Reina of 1963.

M A R T I N F. S H A F F E R / C O U R T E S Y A I D A N S H A F F E R A N D C E N T E R F O R S O U T H W E S T R E S E A R C H

T A O S N E WS F I L E P H O T O / T I N A L A R K I N

The 2014 Royal Court from left, Princesa Sonya Torres-Vigil, La Reina Jenna Peralta and Princesa Sofia Silva.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Eagerly waiting for Fiestas de Taos to begin, July 1940. Photographed by Russell Lee.

C O U R T E S Y F I E S TA S D E TA O S

Stella Martinez, La Reina 1954

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

Sheyenne Carleen Cecilia Torrez, 2019 Reina de Las Fiestas de Taos.

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/RUSSELL LEE

Traditional dances have been performed during Fiestas de Taos for generations. These women dance during the July 1940 Fiestas.

TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO / R I C K R O M A N C I TO

Fiestas Queen Ana-Alicia Romero, left, Princesa Leah Marissa Abeyta and Princesa Felicity Bridgette Nicole Gallegos pose with future royalty along the 2007 Fiestas de Santiago y Santa Ana Children's Parade route.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/RUSSELL LEE

Generations of Taoseños and out-of-town visitors alike look forward to Fiestas de Taos. Pictured, women and children wait for the festivities to begin in July 1940.

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAÍCES

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/ RUSSELL LEE

Wimpy, of Popeye comic strip and cartoon fame, rides around Taos Plaza during the Fiestas Parade 79 years ago.

TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO / G R E G K R E L L E R

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

Taos Pueblo performers chant as they make their way through Taos Plaza during the 2018 Fiestas de Taos children's parade in Taos.

Nick Branchal and Lloyd Garcia with Mariachi Río Grande lead the procession to Taos Plaza before opening the 2003 ceremonies at the Fiestas de Santiago y Santa Ana.

R I C K R O M A N C I TO / TA O S N E W S

Stephanie Peterson enjoys a ride on Tío Vivo during the 1995 Fiestas de Taos.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Music is always in the air during Fiestas. Photographer Russell Lee gets a shot of musicians during the 1940 celebration.

TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO

A sack race during the Taos Fiestas, ca. 1981.

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

THE EPITOME OF A

survivor COMANCHE RAID IN RANCHOS BEGINS 10 YEARS OF CAPTIVITY FOR MARIA ROSA VILLALPANDO BY SCOTT GERDES

C O U R T E S Y N AT I O N A L PA R K S E R V I C E

An illustration of Maria Rosa (Villalpando) Salé dit Lajoie at the Museum of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

I N

J U N E

1 7 6 0,

Bishop Pedro Tamaron y Romeral (16th bishop of Durango) visited the Villalpando hacienda in what is now Ranchos de Taos. He described it as the home of “a wealthy Taos Indian, very civilized and well-to-do; a well-walled-in house with arms and towers for defense.” Two months later, despite the valiant effort of as many as 14 men to protect the largest cattle ranch on La Serna Land Grant territory against marauding Comanche, the invaders found a weak spot in the seemingly heavily fortified hacienda. By creeping under the overhanging parapet of the towers, the Comanche found cover. They scaled the walls and fought their way into the home, slaughtering an unknown number of inhabitants and taking captive 56 women and children. One of the captives was a young mother of a 2-year-old son and daughter of the hacienda’s patriarch, Spaniard Pablo Francisco Villalpando. Her name, Maria Rosa. Based on the research of Paul Martinez — a direct descendant of Maria Rosa, native Taoseño and owner of Paul’s Western Wear — approximately 3,000 Comanche stormed into Taos Valley on Aug. 4, 1760 intent on destroying Taos Pueblo. Finding the pueblo well-fortified, they turned their aggression south. It is there, Martinez said, that the raiders attacked the hacienda, kidnapped Maria Rosa and held her captive.

The Pawnee (a camp of Pawnee on the Platte Valley are shown in this photograph from 1866), typically lived in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas. In the Pawnee language, the Pawnee people refer to themselves as Chatiks si Chatiks (‘Men of Men’). LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/J. CARBAUTT

Another account found in the book “St. Louis: An Informal History of the City and Its People, 1764-1865” by Charles Van Ravenswaay (Missouri Historical Society Press, 1991) states that when Maria Rosa was still a child, her father “hoping to end attacks on the town, promised her as a bride to a Comanche chief. When Maria matured and refused to fulfill the agreement, the Indians raided the village and dragged her off.” In any case, Maria Rosa not only lost her freedom and the only life she had ever known, but was ripped away from her documented son, José Julian, whose life was spared. Where the child was during the violent melee is unknown. Maria Rosa’s husband, Juan Julian Jacques, perished in the massacre. Her mother, Francisca, was killed at the front door while trying to fight off the invaders with a lance. Her father was away on business that fateful day however, she would would never see him again. Likely strapped onto the back of a horse, Maria Rosa was taken away by the Comanche. It could be assumed that she gave birth to at least one child while being enslaved by the tribe, but proof is unknown. At an undocumented point during her decade in captivity, Maria Rosa was traded to a Pawnee tribe. She gave birth to a son while in internment with the Pawnee and named him Antoine Xavier.

OUT OF CAPTIVITY The dark-haired beauty, who Martinez stated was “quite a prize,” caught the eye of French trapper Jean Baptiste Salé dit Lajoie (about 1741-?) who found her living among the Pawnee between 1764 and 1770. In the “Annals of St. Louis,” Lajoie is mentioned as one of the original founders of St. Louis, Missouri. He came to St. Louis with a man named Chouteau as a boatman in 1764. Through his research, Martinez discovered that Lajoie successfully bartered for (or bought) Maria Rosa. Lajoie took her back to St. Louis where they married on July 3, 1770 after which the Spanish Maria Rosa became the French Marie Rose. The couple had four children: Lambert, Marie, Joseph and Helene. In their marriage contract they agreed to “take one another as man and wife and to have the marriage celebrated as soon as possible or as soon as either party shall require it of the other,” as stated in Van Ravenwaay’s book. “They also declared that 20-month-old Lambert Salé was their legitimate heir, but that Antoine, born to Maria ‘during her captivity among the savages,’ had no claim on their estate, though they were obliged ‘to nourish and

educate’ him until he was grown.” After several years of marriage, Lajoie abandoned the family and returned to France. Maria Rosa was left to raise the family on her own. She also had to witness yet more bloodshed on her doorstep. The Battle of St. Louis on May 26, 1780, also known as the Battle of Fort San Carlos, was an unsuccessful attack led by the British during the Anglo-Spanish War. This fight would, in part, have occurred in the streets around Maria Rosa’s home in the heart of the city. Daughter Helene married an aristocratic Frenchman, Benjamin LeRoux D’Enseval, who was a St. Louis merchant. Their grandson, Judge Wilson Primm (1810-1878), was the first historian of St. Louis.

REUNITED Maria Rosa’s first born son learned that his mother was still alive and living in St. Louis. In 1802 the 44-year-old José Julian traveled across the high desert and plains from Taos to the Midwest to reunite with her. “It was a happy reunion for both of them,” Martinez conveyed. “At this time, José Julian’s family numbered 11 children, the youngest being 1 year old. Through José Julian, Maria Rosa is the progenitor of the Valdez and Jacques families of Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado.”

IMMORTALIZED Maria Rosa never returned to Taos and thus, to Martinez’s knowledge, a personnel account of her ordeal is not known. Her exact birth year is also in question, either 1723 or 1739. Martinez speculates 1739 is the best guess. “Had she been born in 1723, she would’ve been 18 years older than Salé,” he said. She died on July 27, 1830 and regardless of her birth date, it’s easy to conclude that having lived well into old age, Maria Rosa was the epitome of a survivor. She rests in a Cathedral parish cemetery in St. Louis. A plaque immortalizing the brave woman and her tribulation stands in The Museum of the Gateway Arch. As a boy, Martinez remembers hearing about the New Mexico massacre and asking his mother if she knew of any ancestors who had been kidnapped. Her reply referred to a song her mother often sung: “Cuando pase el Río Puerto alli tire mi tumbagita para due se acuerden mis padres que aquí va su cautivita.” (Roughly translated as, “When I pass the Port River, there I’ll throw my jewelry so my parents know I was captured.”)

SEPT. 26, 2019

Tradiciones RAÍCES

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/WILLIAM S. SOULE

Three men of a Comanche tribe rest in an Oklahoma encampment in 1873. The Comanche were a formidable wall planted in the middle of the North American continent. They determined how the West opened to white settlers. They were also notorious for raiding other tribes. They fought to the death and many of the women —such as Maria Rosa Villalpando—and children caught in the violence were often taken as captives.

VOTED BEST PLACE TO SAY “I DO” & BEST LODGING FOR VISITORS

Emily Joanne Wedding Films & Photography

OUR ROOTS RUN DEEP

314 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM 87571 • (575) 758-1658 • metricmotorstaos.com

575.758.3502 | ElMonteSagrado.com/Weddings

Tradiciones RAÍCES

SEPT. 26, 2019

El Prado Community Center A SENSE OF PLACE AND HISTORY AMIDST CHANGE B Y K AT H Y C Ó R D O VA

C O U R T E SY L E E G O N Z A L E S / TA O S N E W S F I L E P H OTO

Josephine Córdova stands behind her class of 1949 in front of the former El Prado Elementary school. Other area communities such as Arroyo Hondo, Arroyo Seco and Talpa have community centers. The El Prado Community Center Board is working to get the old structure up to code so they, too, can have a working community center.

M O R G A N T I M M S / TA O S N E W S

El Prado families anticipate using the El Prado Community Center for special events and community services once it is renovated. Pictured are some of the future users members of the El Prado Community Center board from left: Marianna Trujillo; Co-President and Secretary Antonia Cardenas; member Marie Martinez de Trujillo; Elaina Cisneros; Mila Cisneros; Roman Cisneros; Treasurer Raymond Cisneros and Vice President Menard Martinez Jr. kneeling with his dog, Josie ‘the bean.’

SEPT. 26, 2019

was Snow White in our elementary school play. I wore a beautiful dress my mother made from crepe paper,” said a former El Prado Elementary School student at a recent community event. The person to whom she was speaking shook her head, puckered her lips and said, “Oh, no you weren’t — I was.” The two women enlisted the help of a former classmate for verification. He broke the stalemate: “Both of you filled the role, but in different years. Gosh, we had some wonderful plays in El Prado. Even our parents joined our performances as actors and stagehands.” The school was an important part of students’ lives and talk about those fun days when they meet. The traditional community of El Prado (“the meadow”) includes landmarks that exhibit the history of its people and a sense of place, including the El Prado Community Center. Located at 1032 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, the building served as the former El Prado Elementary School. Like many buildings of this type, such monuments to the past sometimes change purpose, thus assisting a community’s current needs. In the small, rural community of El Prado during the era of the Great Depression, parents recognized the need for an elementary school. They donated land, building materials, time and labor toward the project. The Works Projects Administration supplied the funding for many of the materials, according to the New Mexico Office of Historic Preservation. The WPA was an agency created as a part of The New Deal, and designed to stimulate the economy by creating thousands of jobs and community projects such as public buildings (post offices and armories) bridges, schools and roads from 1933 to 1939. Besides performances, the youngsters at El Prado Elementary played basketball under the name the Gophers, participated in spelling bees and enjoyed ice cream socials. An emphasis on academics, nutritious lunches and snacks and an unforgettable trip to Juarez are only a few memories former El Prado Elementary students

discuss when they gather for special occasions. Conversations include the names of adults who helped the children along the way: Rafael Trujillo, Adolfo Martinez, J.B. Martinez Jr., Mary Cruz, Anita Chavez, Eloy Fernandez, Rafaelita Cardenas, Mary Kay Blickenderfer, Marcelina Parraz and Josephine Cordova. A study regarding U.S. Highway 64 through the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the Office of Cultural Affairs includes several facts about the school building. The study, by Marron and Associates’ staff member Karen Soto, stated that the 1935 Spanish-Pueblo Revival style structure is constructed of concrete block with a concrete foundation and stucco plaster. Other features include a flat roof and a high parapet. In 1968, Taos Municipal Schools closed some small rural schools within its jurisdiction, thus requiring busing to the more urban and larger Taos Elementary School. After the El Prado school’s closure, Taos Municipal Schools loaned the building for special use. For several years, the Community Action Program used the premises. The building also housed the Commodities Program, offering nonperishable food for needy recipients. From 1995 to 1997, Bruce Armstrong and Gabriel Romero managed a grant program called YouthBuild to help at-risk students complete the high school equivalency program and learn marketable skills for the construction industry. Habitat for Humanity assisted through a partnership, and participants credit Victor Robles for much assistance. In the past two decades, Taos County entered into management agreements with rural communities to enable the use of former school buildings as community centers. El Prado received the same opportunity. At a Jan. 12, 2010 community meeting, those in attendance elected a board to oversee operations. The building was in disrepair and residents could not use it until satisfying the building-code standards. According to correspondence from Taos County, many of the code violations existed due to federal handicapped requirements such as a new entrance ramp, windows, doors and the rewiring of the entire building. The board raised money to complete a restroom project and currently works toward financing an estimated price tag of $38,000 for completion of all repairs. In recent years, Taos Municipal Schools turned the

Tradiciones RAÍCES

building over to Taos County. The El Prado Community Center Board received nonprofit status and hopes to complete work on the building in order to offer planned classes such as résumé writing, job search, reading and writing activities and keyboard classes. A History Room project will be an opportunity for area participants to share their family stories with others. Plans call for the distribution and completion of photo albums among El Prado residents. The activity will allow residents to tell their stories their way. Organizers plan to house the work in the History Room for sharing at occasional social gatherings. The board visualizes special rentals of sections of the building to help defray expenses. Once completed, the building will host residents of all ages for interactive activities.

‘We’re in fundraising mode, applying for grants and seeking donations. We appreciate any help — money materials and manpower — toward receiving a certificate of occupancy,’ said co-president and secretary of the board Antonia Cardenas. He stressed that the nonprofit status also provides the donor with a tax exemption. Other board members are as follows: Co-President Kathy Cordova; Vice President Menard Martinez Jr.; Treasurer Raymond Cisneros and members Bernadine de Herrera, Telesfor Gonzales and Marie Martinez de Trujillo. The current designation (transformation of the former school’s use into a community center) remains in keeping with the school’s original plan to help educate the community. The El Prado Community Center Board hopes that, like the original participants, current residents will repeat history and help prepare the building for common use. The continued use of the historic building contributes to traditions of raíces, roots of historic significance in traditional El Prado. Persons wishing to help may contact any board member. For monetary donations, call Raymond Cisneros at (575) 758-1600.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Taos Community Foundation for being our title sponsor for this year’s Tradiciones section. Your generous support made this year’s Tradiciones section one of our biggest ever.

Tradiciones RAĂ?CES

SEPT. 26, 2019

From left: 2019 Taos Pueblo Lieutenant WarChief Leonard Archuleta, WarChief Bernard Lujan and WarChief Secretary George Track. Photo by Rick Romancito, Taos News

Roots: A civilization continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years

Taos Mountain Casino is proud to honor those who both exemplify the best of the past and who help us weave it into the future. These people are our own links in what continues to be an unbroken circle of tradition at Taos Pueblo.

Taos Pueblo War Chief, Richard Archuleta Taos Pueblo War Chief, Richard Archuleta