Nancy Samek, recorder, 1975
File — Box: 4, CD: 367
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
Celso Lopez, born 1918, Santa Fe, NM, now living in Albuquerque. Begins at 00:01 and ends at 7:53. Notes in Cobos folder. 1. El zapatero (good recording, singing, shoe maker, make me shoes like a duck, como los que usan los patos); 2. Adivinanzas (good recording, riddles, Rita, rita, una hacha lana sube); 3. Chiste, Don Cacahuate y dona Cebolla (good recording, joke, short story, viaje por tren, caminando, paso libre, walking the train tracks instead of buying a train ticket to ride in the car); 3. Relato (good recording, short story, Don Julio, Northern New Mexico, jinete de primera clase, vaquero, cowboy, pistola, guitara, cuento dicho por su abuelo, Don Julio busca para el caballo blanco, trata de lazarlo, que era el diablo, pacto con el diablo, pact made with the devil).
David Chavez, born 1933, Albuquerque, NM. Begins at 7:54 and ends at 12:45. 1. Leyenda de Tucumcari (good recording, history of the name Tucumcari, Apaches, night of Geronimo, Noche de Geronimo, Guatonoma, Tonopan, Tucum, rina para jefe, Cari la hija, Los dos tunez, luchar en decidir quien quedaria con la chica, tucum cae muerto, Cari mata a Tonopan, Cari kills Tonopan, luego se suicida, then she commits suicide, guatonoma muerte de tristeza, tragedy, death).
Bonney Padilla, born 1924, age 51, from Puerto de Luna, NM, now Albuquerque. Begins at 12:47 and ends at 45:15. 1. Datos personales (good recording, personal information, born by Pecos River); 2. Local history (good recording, cowboys came looking for work by the Pecos River, one of the newcomers was Billy the Kid, he arrived at 11 years old, worked as cowboy, panhandler, killed over 21 persons, the speaker's grandfather was born in 1843, traveling north from Mexico, attacked by Billy the Kid, shot him to death, mentions Pat Garrett tried to betray Billy in a cattle corral at 11 PM at night, Billy the Kid was a small man physically, he only killed Americans, not Mexicans); 3. Local history, Pancho Villa (good recording, Villa was born forty miles south of Mexico, DF, to a rich family with a big ranch, his father was killed when he was 14, tells variations of Villa's life story, based on information from book by Juan Clancy, 1926-1927, Villa was killed in Juarez); 4. Local history, Billy the Kid (good recording, Billy the Kid is buried at Fort Sumner, he was left handed, how Ft. Sumner got its name); 5. Local history, Puerto de Luna (good recording, how Puerto de Luna got its name, Pecos River flows between two peaks, can see moon between them, New Mexico, geography); 6. Personal experiences (good recording, school, education, Spanish people in Pecos, Spanish taught in school, English required for eighth grade, lack of English hurt him during World War II, describes velorios, wakes, death, muerte, Catholic Faith, Aztec Indians, Penitentes, Semana Santa, Holy Week, Lent, flagellation, songs); 7. La Llorona (good recording, brujeria, witches, from Mexico, women. See Cobos notes for 367 in folder).
Anonymous, begins 45:35 and ends at 53:26. Conversation (fair recording, laughter, la sebastiana, muerte, death cart).
David Chavez, born 1933, Albuquerque, NM. Begins at 7:54 and ends at 12:45. 1. Leyenda de Tucumcari (good recording, history of the name Tucumcari, Apaches, night of Geronimo, Noche de Geronimo, Guatonoma, Tonopan, Tucum, rina para jefe, Cari la hija, Los dos tunez, luchar en decidir quien quedaria con la chica, tucum cae muerto, Cari mata a Tonopan, Cari kills Tonopan, luego se suicida, then she commits suicide, guatonoma muerte de tristeza, tragedy, death).
Bonney Padilla, born 1924, age 51, from Puerto de Luna, NM, now Albuquerque. Begins at 12:47 and ends at 45:15. 1. Datos personales (good recording, personal information, born by Pecos River); 2. Local history (good recording, cowboys came looking for work by the Pecos River, one of the newcomers was Billy the Kid, he arrived at 11 years old, worked as cowboy, panhandler, killed over 21 persons, the speaker's grandfather was born in 1843, traveling north from Mexico, attacked by Billy the Kid, shot him to death, mentions Pat Garrett tried to betray Billy in a cattle corral at 11 PM at night, Billy the Kid was a small man physically, he only killed Americans, not Mexicans); 3. Local history, Pancho Villa (good recording, Villa was born forty miles south of Mexico, DF, to a rich family with a big ranch, his father was killed when he was 14, tells variations of Villa's life story, based on information from book by Juan Clancy, 1926-1927, Villa was killed in Juarez); 4. Local history, Billy the Kid (good recording, Billy the Kid is buried at Fort Sumner, he was left handed, how Ft. Sumner got its name); 5. Local history, Puerto de Luna (good recording, how Puerto de Luna got its name, Pecos River flows between two peaks, can see moon between them, New Mexico, geography); 6. Personal experiences (good recording, school, education, Spanish people in Pecos, Spanish taught in school, English required for eighth grade, lack of English hurt him during World War II, describes velorios, wakes, death, muerte, Catholic Faith, Aztec Indians, Penitentes, Semana Santa, Holy Week, Lent, flagellation, songs); 7. La Llorona (good recording, brujeria, witches, from Mexico, women. See Cobos notes for 367 in folder).
Anonymous, begins 45:35 and ends at 53:26. Conversation (fair recording, laughter, la sebastiana, muerte, death cart).
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