Anonymous, recorder, ca. 1971
File — Box: 4, CD: 372 B
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
- ca. 1971
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. Mrs. Martinez, born February 20, 1948, Old Albuquerque. Cobos note says Aga Kahn? Begins at 02:01 and ends at 43:30. 1. La Llorona (fair to poor recording, scary story told within families, woman who killed her children, destroyed her home and killed her husband, her soul was tormented and she cried constantly wanting forgiveness, parents told children that La Llorona would come and take them away as a punishment, discipline); 2. La muerte (fair recording, story about a man who chases a pretty girl from behind, when he reaches her he meets la muerte, death, la calavera, she has a skull for a face, devil, diablo); 3. Las animas (fair recording, ghost story, the spirits are left to walk the earth suffering, seeking forgiveness, pardon); 4. El viejito de la tienda (fair recording, about an elderly couple with a general store, he was a skinny man and very cheap with his money, parecia un esqueleto, tacano, el pilon, codeswitch into English, Spanish language, Spanglish, one penny, says in Spanish also un centavo, te va a llevar el viejo); 5. Dia de los difuntos (fair recording, November 2, Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, muerte, death, prayer, God forgives all sins, visiting the cemetery, food for dead souls); 6. Dichos (fair recording, proverbs, refranes, pansa llena, corazon contento, no soy tu tortilla, chile semillas, don't scramble eggs); 7. El perico maldiciente (fair recording, about a man with a parrot, el hombre y el perico, he would say a lot of bad words, bird would repeat them, the old man died and the parrot was lonely, death, muerte); 8. Sleep walking (fair recording, about a man who was walking in sleep, personal experience); 9. Sanambulos (fair recording, about sanambulos, people that intentionally face their fears, strong minds, can control things with their minds); 10. El diablo (fair recording, superstitions, supernatural, pata de gallo, traditional story from when he was young, devil, diablo, speaker describes how diablo appears during earth visits, forms, as a handsome man, disguises, cuernos, patas de gallo, images of the devil are used often, speaker tells the story of el Jinente sin Cabeza, the headless horseman, a legend of a man who made a pact with the devil); 11. Muchacha bonita (fair recording, story about a beautiful girl that every young man was attracted to, lust, passion, no one really knew anything about her, supernatural, ghost story, devil, when they dated her the men disappeared, muerte, death); 12. Superstitions (fair recording, vampiros, vampires, ghost stories); 13. Calaveras (fair recording, skulls, people would tell you te val salir la calavera, the head would join with the headless horseman); 14. La Muerte (fair recording, various ways of dying, el esqueleto, death, el ahorcado, hanging, the man who was hung, drowning, dying in a fire, accidents, muerte, crime, etc.); 15. Superstitions (fair recording, serpientes, viboras, women turn into snakes, according to the speaker, animal stories are always connected to something bad, brujeria, witches, kill men by squeezing them); 16. La Casa embrujada (fair recording, the haunted house, witches in the house, noises, steps, light go out, the man killed his family and left them for another woman, poison, haunting, muerte, crime, death); 17. El governador (fair recording, about a governer who was traveling with his family, his son passes away, dicen que es de la mano, was killed by the hand, a horrible thing that happens, a hand that does bad, cut a man's hand off. Cobos notes 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
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