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Anonymous, recorder, n.d.

 File — Box: 3, CD: 312

Scope and Content

From the Collection: The collection consists of 591 recordings of folk songs, folklore and local histories collected by Ruben Cobos from 1944-1974 in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Also included in the collection are about 270 additional recordings of selected music - a few from New Mexico, many from Mexico and Latin America, and others from Spain, Europe and the U.S. The recordings vary in quality between good, fair, and poor. They contain both musical and spoken content. Most recordings are in Spanish, however, a few are in English. Others are Bilingual or represent the use of Spanglish.

The informants are mainly from New Mexico and Colorado, with a few from California, Texas and Mexico. The collections focuses heavily on spoken Spanish, with examples of poetry, riddles, proverbs, legends, anecdotes, folk tales, mysteries, prayers, nursery rhymes, games, jokes, language use, tricky words, tongue twisters, memories, local history and family history. The Spanish songs include alabados, entriegas for weddings and baptisms, inditas, corridos and ballads, pastores, posadas, love songs, folk dance music, etc. Traditions of Los Juanes and Los Manueles, Penitente morada practices, including women Penitentes, Holy Week songs and activities and the role of the church, santos and fiestas in the lives of the people are also included. There are also several lectures on folklore, music and culture by Cobos and other scholars, including Fray Angelico Chavez, Charles Briggs, Alfonso Ortiz, Arthur Leon Campa, Marta Weigle, Guadalupe Baca Vaughn, Anita Thomas and others. Included also are autobiographical accounts by Ruben Cobos and his wife Elvira.

Songs and stories about and for children, their health and education are included. Although the majority of the information is about Spanish and Hispanic traditions, the collection also provides some materials by and about non-Hispanics and the relationship between the races. A small amount of stories and songs relate to Apaches, Navajos, Pueblos, Mexicanos, African Americans, and Anglos (gringos).

Songs and stories by or about males show them in every walk of life, as rich and poor, old and young, as husbands, widowers, fathers, sons, relatives, compadres, friends, orphans, opponents, collaborators, kings, princes, commoners, giants, ranchers, cowboys, shepherds, farmers, woodcutters, shoemakers, vendors, railroaders, hunters, priests, doctors, teachers, politicians, attorneys, meteorologists, soldiers, witches, simpletons, gamblers, murderers, drunks, adulturers and thieves.

Recordings by and about women add value and perspective to the collection. Females are rich and poor, old and young, girl friends, lovers, adulteresses, wives, widows, mothers, comadres, church attendees, housekeepers for priests, nuns, princesses, queens, teachers, curanderas, cooks and witches. Some of the characters found in the collection are Cinderella, Genoveva de Brabanate, Goldilocks, Delgadina, La Llorona, Doña Cebolla, Dona Fortuna and the Virgin Mary, as well as San Antonio, San Pedro, Bartoldo, Don Cacahuate, Juan Charrasqueado, Pedro and Juan de Urdemalas, Ali Baba, Don Dinero, Tio Botitas and others.

The collection contains descriptions, traditions, local history and songs for New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Mexico. There are references to the Civil War in New Mexico, the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. Stories tell of superstitions, supernatural, unexplained phenomenon, balls of fire and light, lightening, a comet, the sun, moon, finding treasure, ghosts, devils and magic. Additional topics include traditional food and cooking, health and home remedies. Included also are stories and references to insects, animals, birds, fish and snakes, as well as floods and storms, and automobiles and airplanes.

Dates

  • n.d.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English, Spanish

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 13 boxes (12.25 cu. ft.)

General

Eufemia Crespin, Las Vegas, NM. Begins at 00:02 and ends at 13:29. Conversation (fair recording, speaker talks about Indita de Manuel Maes, personal experiences, about home, hunting buffalo, the Casa de los Maes en el Canon del Agua, Arroyo de las bestias, Manuel Maes vivia en frente del Canon del Agua para el rio, casa de los Aragones, La Liendre, La cele en un rancho, Guadalupita, New Mexico, local traditions).

General

Anonymous man, begins at 13:34 and ends at 15:00. Story, el inocente (fair recording, Bartoldino, cuento del inocente, king and queen's harvest).

General

Anonymous woman, begins at 16:10 and ends at 17:36. Story (fair recording, story, legend).

General

Teodoro Montoya, b. in San Juan, Arizona, in 1891. Begins at 17:39 and ends at 19:05. Story (fair recording, story, humor, joke). Similar at CD 180.

General

Antonio Chavez, b. in Torreon, NM in Torrance County on October 3rd. Begins at 19:07 and ends at 35:00. 1. Jokes (fair recording, verses, humor, a priest tells a young boy that he would give him an apple if he could tell him where God was at, the boy told the priest, I will give you two apples if you can tell me where he is not); 2. Story (fair recording, ant goes to look for food); 3. Story (fair recording, about a king and his beautiful daughter); 3. Cuento, similar to Carlos Roybal on CD 160 (fair recording, story, traditional, man who worked at the lake, a professor goes to the lake to fish).

General

Similar to CD 170, Julio Duran, 1971, interview with Mrs. Maria Alicia Duran, Las Vegas, NM. Begins at 35:05 and ends at 59:30 1. Los tres hermanos (fair recording, story, three brothers go out to explore the world, long story); 2. Juan Cenizo, Juan Huevon y el gatito (fair recording, bruja, witch, like Cinderella).

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451