Ruben Cobos, recorder, 1975
File — Box: 4, CD: 388 A
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
CD I of II. Yvette Gallegos, born 1929, San Luis, Colorado. Notes in Cobos file. Begins at 00:10 and ends at 63:04. Lecture before a group (fair recording, conversation, folklore, about curandera, curandero, speaker learned home remedies, medicine from grandmother Felicita and great grandmother Rafaelita, her grandmother taught her how to help people, do good deeds, without pay, they are all that count in heaven, after one has died, can't take anything with you, love and tolerance; she went to school in San Luis, Colorado, graduated from San Luis High School, went to Adams State College, got BA and MA, taught school in Pagosa Springs, Jicarilla Apache Reservation, Dulce, Questa, Arizona, Navajo Reservation, old mother hubbard remedies in her cupboard, etc., sana, sana, si no sanas hoy, kiss, love and security, children); 2. Remedios caseros (good recording, home remedies, how to use herbs, for which illness, health, medicine, camphorated oil, camphor, alcanfor better than store boughten, make at home, for colds, baking power cane, lard, boiling water, rub ointment warm on body for cold, also for tarnished silverware, grandmother did not have any silverware, also use alcanfor with few drops of whiskey and sugar for stomach ache, as astringent for acne, trementina, plus other ingredients, see notes as ointment for sores, capulin, choke cherry, jelly, jam, and as drink, tea, how to make it, cherry trees, reading book by Dr. Charles Bowers, some trees may be poisonous, etc., cota, tea, silvestre, altamisa de la sierra, calabacilla, gourd root, dry gourd also as toy, rattle for children, extrana tree, cactus tree, canutillo del llano, cure and also toy whistle for children, hierba manza, tobacco,punche, hierba del manso, possible cure for cancer, encino encinillo, beach family, acorns, sarsapadella, zarsaparilla, thony vine, cure syphilis, etc.; immortal, antelope point, asfran, safran, recording, conversation, need a lot of faith along with the herbs, medicine, remedios caseros, curanderismo, moldy bread to cure boils, carbuckles, ergot, chapete, black fungus on corn, in 1824 called the powder of fetal death, will have a miscarriage, partera, child birth, abortion, children, used to induce labor, with lyseraic acid to produce LSD, for mental disorder, with coffee for migraine headache, many deaths occurred by taking the wrong thing, poisonous plants, parsely for biscochitos, fox glove, rhubarb, tomato and potato leaves might kill you, exzema, mistletoe berries, also spring flowers, bulbs, cause death poinsetta leaves, castor beans, yucca; herbs not accepted by modern doctors, but have helped many people, lettuce, bee venum, lobster, ocean food, sea food, nose bleeding, curandero, curing, folk illnesses, beliefs, cinder in eye, sleep, wounds, shorten life by sleeping with an older person, cure disease by sleeping with a virgin or immature male, if baby lies on left side will be left handed, if pregnant women wears high heels she will have a crossed eyed child, if baby walks before one year old, will be bow legged, osters poinson, tomatos cause cancer, whiskey cures snake bites, syphilis, rabbit foot, Italian nut prevents cancer, goiter, drinking the blood of a cat to cure the liver); 3. Conversation (good recording, curandera more sensitive to needs of people, health, modern medicine can't understand illness, el mal ojo, susto, caida de la molera, etc., folk illnesses, susto, anxiety, death of a loved one, or being frightened, mal ojo, cure, Juan or Juanita to help with cure, empacho, cure, mollera, caida de la mollera, handling baby wrong way, children, sunken frontenal, air in the baby, aire, ache, child, cure, she is reading from book, Cobos notes said book is on curanderismo, Mexico, by psychiatrist Dr. Erick Key, Cornell University, looks at illness from a different view point, mental illness, cont. on CD 388 B. 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
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