Cecilia Abeya, recorder
File — Box: 3, CD: 323B
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.
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
- 1944-1974
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
CD II of II, Part I, Deluvina Velasaquez story cont. See note for CD 301. Deluvina Velazquez, age 70, Tierra Amarilla. NM. Begins at 00:01 and ends at 25:57. 1. Story, Los siete hermanitos y consejos de San Jose (fair recording, seven brothers return home to find their sister caring for their home, the girl goes to the witches house and steals fire from her stove and the witch chased her but was unable to catch her. The witch came to her home and peed around the outside, the witch turned the brothers into donkeys and the girl was very sad, the girl cared for her seven brothers for many years, the king saw her taking care of the donkeys and asked her to marry him with the promise that her donkeys would be well taken care of. After some time, the girl gave birth to a son, his mother was turned into a pigeon by the witch and when the king returned from war he asked his son to catch the pigeon, he burned the witch and the brothers and sister all turned back into people); 2. Story, El ejemplo de San Jose (good recording, a man and woman lived with their mother in law and young son, the man left in search of work and did not return for many years, the man was working with San Jose but he did not know it was him. Meanwhile, his son grew and studied to become a sacerdote, a priest, by this time the father asks to leave work and go visit his family, San Jose asks him if he wants to have money or three pieces of advice, the man chose advice and returned home to discover his son was the sacerdote and they lived happily together).
General
Mrs. Dolores Nunez, b. 1930, Albuquerque, NM. CD II of II. Similar to CD 54.Begins at 26:06 and ends at 36:23. 1. El muchacho mal hablado (good recording, story, a young boy spoke with a lot of profanity and his mother was embarrassed of him, the mother left the boy to take care of the dead body while the adults left to talk. The body began to burn and the Mom tells the boy to explain how and he does with a lot of curse words, humor, joke, chiste, children); 2. El cura y el pollo (good recording, story, a woman forgot to give directions); 3. Story, Mata piojo (good recording, short story about a man and a woman who fought a lot, women); 4. Story, El colchon de papa grande (good recording, children are to be seen and not heard, he tries to tell his Mom there was a fire but she would not listen); 5. Story, El Santo Nino de Atocha (good recording, the people prayed for rain due to a drought, it rained so much the crops were ruined and the people prayed to the Virgen Mary to tell her what her son had done, el diluvio y la Virgen Maria); 6. Los viejitos impertinentes (good recording, story, a man and a woman were married so long that they had nothing left to speak about until the husband asks his wife who she had slept with); 7. Proverbs (good recording, reads them, advice, verses, religious).
General
Pablo Benavidez,Sr., age 88, Montoya, NM. CD I of II. Similar to CD 65. Begins at 36:36 and ends at 38:10. 1. Indita de Cochiti (fair recording, verses, short); 2. Riddles, adivinanzas (fair recording, humor); 3. La cucaracha song (fair recording, marijuana, Mexico); 4. Victorio mentado (fair recording, verses, recited).
General
Mrs. Angelina Emilio, Angelica Emilio, b. 1933, Albuquerque, NM. CD II of II. Similar to CD 65. Begins at 38:15 and ends at 38:31. Adivinanza (fair recording, duck and a lake, riddle).
General
Alicia Flores, age 39, Santa Rita, NM. CD II of II. Similar to CD 65. Begins at 38:32 and ends at 39:57. Santa Rita legend, Kneeling Nun (good recording, rock formation, a soldier escaped and met a nun, they fell in love and the soldier eventually died to pay for their sins, the nun turned to stone).
General
Luis Carrasco, age 69, Central, NM. CD II of II. Similar to CD 65. Begins at 39:59 and ends at 41:47. Diploma (good recording, story, the parent chose to name their only child - diploma, education, school, children).
General
Anonymous man. CD II of II. Begins at 42:15 and ends at 51:51. Probably Luis Carrasco. Local history, Santa Rita (fair recording, personal experience, Cerro de la Aguja, the needle, geology, Kneeling Nun, founding of Hurley by the Spanish, mining, there was a family from Santa Rita who moved to Hurley but the Mom refused to go, humor, jokes, town history).
General
Andy Torres, age 32, b. 1938. Center, Colorado. CD II of II. Similar to CD 65. Begins at 51:56 and ends at 63:58. Duplicate of CD 328. 1. Don Cacahuate, three anecdotes (good recording, about don Cacahuate y dona Cebolla, short stories, Cebolla had children and Cacahuate knew that they were not his); 2. Adivinanzas, riddles (good recording, verses); 3. El incendio (good recording, story, the dog began to bark in the middleof the night and they thought that the house was on fire, they grabbed all of the kids but could not count them because they had not gone to school, the dog saved the last son and daughter that they had forgotten and also the fire insurance paperwork); 4. Personal experience, El viboron (good recording, personal experience, the man returned home from the army after fighting in the war, when he returned he found that all the people were scared and hiding, there was a snake that was eating the townsfolk); 5. Los manofashios, los tres gallegos (good recording, story, three sheepherders, the three of them were murdered, humor); 6. Adivinanzas (fair recording, riddles).
Creator
- From the Collection: Cobos, Rubén (Person)
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
cswrref@unm.edu
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
cswrref@unm.edu