Skip to main content

Audilio Miranda, Josephine B. Torres, recorders, 1971, 1973

 File — Box: 4, CD: 381

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

  • 1971, 1973

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

Miranda 1971: Nalecio Lopez, born in 1910, Manzano, NM. Begins at 00:01 and ends at 8:40. 1. Don Cacahuate and dona Cebolla (fair to poor recording, story); 2. Un espanol y un mexicano (fair recording, short story, cuento, humor, laughter); 3. El marido y su mujer (fair recording, a man and wife, short story, chiste, funny); 4. Dos hermanos (fair recording, two rich brothers, short story, chiste, humor, $10,000 dollars, family); 5. El hijo flojo (fair recording, story about a lazy son who left home to study, education, school, family, humor); 6. Dos compadres (fair recording, story, cuento, humor, two friends one of them was deaf, chiste); 7. Don Bernabel de Galisteo (fair recording, short story, he arrived with his mule on a dark night, mountains, woke up in morning, dark, went into town, little placita, people opened windows, thought he was a bear, oso, humor); 8. Chiste, Los astronomos (fair recording, chiste, joke, humor, weathermen, old woman and donkey).

Torres, 1973: Natividad Garcia, born in 1888, San Antonio, NM. Begins at 8:44 and ends at 26:06. 1. La perla y el carbon (fair recording, recites poem, versos); 2. Trovos del Viejo Vilmas y el Negrito (fair recording, verses, recites poem); 3. Decima (fair recording, recites verses, Quese los prometimientos?); 4. Hoy mi pretension sabras (fair recording, verses, recites poem, decima); 5. Decima (fair recording, verses, recites poem, Una triste sepultura, muerte, death); 6. Trovos, Garcia y Vilmas (fair recording, verses, recites poem).

Anonymous man. Begins at 26:37 and ends at 61:18. Story (poor recording, cuento, about a rich man who had one son and much livestock, woman dies, casorio, the king marries a girl, very poor audio).

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