Ruben Cobos, recorder, 1975
File — Box: 4, CD: 352
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
- 1975
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
Mrs. Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert, born 1898, Las Vegas, New Mexico. Talk cont. from CD 351. Begins at 00:02 and ends at 16:10. Lecture on home remedies (poor to fair recording, remedios de la casa, during 1930s, women doing medical work at home were not curanderas, just medicas, medicine women in northern New Mexico, a Spanish person cared for a sick person as best could, with local home remedies, when a person became very ill the family had to refer the sick person to a curandera because no doctor in local community, and the nearest town doctor was too far, proverb, de medico, poeta and loco todos tenemos un poco, scientist, poet and medic each of us have our share, medicinal herbs are best gathered in early morning on a dry day when the sun is high, you must let the plants wilt in the sun and dry in the shade, get roots in the Fall, medicas, medicine, health, greeting, Buenos Dias los de Dios, Buenos Dias lo de Dios, remedios caseros, azafran made into a tea, anise seed for stomach ache or cough, agua con azucar for heart pain while you lift your right hand, home remedies 1930s, gathering herbs, use, roots, plants, no doctors in rural area s of New Mexico and Colorado, in early days one physician was sent by Mexico for the area, Spanish person was una medica, women, customs, use of local plants, sunflower, algodon de tetones, put on cotton for warts, clavo de comer for toothache, pomergranate for cancer, coriander tea for cough, contrahierba root for wounds, rue, canaigra root for dying wool reddish brown, and various ailments, gums and pyorrhea, cachana for tea for headaches, rheumatism, chamiso for malaria for rheumatism, llerba de la negrita grows by acequias in the Fall and has a red flower, used to make hair grow, escoba de la vibora, deer blood for heart trouble, alcanfor for colds, osha root in whiskey for hangover, chewing osha root will cure smoking addiction, etc. See Cobos notes for Fabiola in folder).
Marta Weigle. Begins at 16:12 and ends at 33:39. Lecture (fair to poor recording, local history, New Mexico Penitentes, history of the hermanos, brotherhood, documents, moradas, disucsses meaning and origin of word morada, relations with Catholic Church, contributions to the Spanish communities, speaker cites various sources, Zuhiria, William G. Ritch papers 1878, Espinosa 1900 on moradas, work by Fray Angelico Chavez, etc. Maestro de novicios within the Penitente organization, speaker showed slides of moradas, San Luis, Southern Colordo, Arroyo Hondo, Mora Valley, Mora County, Ocate, Truchas, Guadalupe near Cabezon, Northern Taos County, Grants near San Rafael, Las Vegas area, Tecolote, discussion of Penitente officials, organization, relates story of Pecos 1891). See Cobos notes for Weigle 352 in folder.
Marta Weigle. Begins at 16:12 and ends at 33:39. Lecture (fair to poor recording, local history, New Mexico Penitentes, history of the hermanos, brotherhood, documents, moradas, disucsses meaning and origin of word morada, relations with Catholic Church, contributions to the Spanish communities, speaker cites various sources, Zuhiria, William G. Ritch papers 1878, Espinosa 1900 on moradas, work by Fray Angelico Chavez, etc. Maestro de novicios within the Penitente organization, speaker showed slides of moradas, San Luis, Southern Colordo, Arroyo Hondo, Mora Valley, Mora County, Ocate, Truchas, Guadalupe near Cabezon, Northern Taos County, Grants near San Rafael, Las Vegas area, Tecolote, discussion of Penitente officials, organization, relates story of Pecos 1891). See Cobos notes for Weigle 352 in folder.
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
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