Luisa Chavez, recorder, 1975
File — Box: 4, CD: 408
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
Felicitas Torres, born 1904, Truchas, NM. begins at 00:0 and ends at 43:45. 1. Local traditions, wedding customs (inaudible, but the notes for her in Cobos folder are interesting. 1. Entriega, wedding, marriage song, this is an entriega that the speaker has written, see notes, lyrics in Cobos folder); 2. Local marriage traditions (poor recording, almost inaudible, costumbres, traditions, poesia de la vida casada, poetry from married life, women, wife, poem of words about the predorio, boy and girl worried about the reply from the parents, long wait, hoping for the fandango dance, when the answer is yes, anxiety of meeting the relatives, long wait until married, then married, and then comes the baby, etc.); 3.Local religion (poor recording, almost inaudible, religious traditions, catechism classes, Spanish Catholic tradition, faith, taught by the parents, in the homes of the families, padrinos del bautismo, free and voluntary, no salaries, she taught catechism for forty years to her family and neighbors, with the Sisters of Santa Cruz, religion is more than prayers, one's faith is now and forever and should be fun, also learn dichos, adivinanzas, stories, poems, chistes); 4. Superstitions (poor recording, beliefs, held by women of the past, suenos, dreams, some result in good, some in bad, examples; don't shake hands when leaving, meant never see each other again, black cats, walking under a ladder, born on Friday, bad luck, don't leave grave site open, funeral, death, muerte, another person in family will die, don't get into a coffin as joke, will later die, back luck if married on a Tuesday, if rain or snow on marriage day meant couple had scrapped food from their bowls, if rained when person died, they went straight to heaven, if person swept your feet meant you would have bad luck, poverty, if hear noises it is dead person saying good bye, noises in the cemetery, grave yard, muerte, death, funeral, if rooster crowed at midnight someone in house would die soon, if dog howled at night devil was outside, if cat washed face company was coming, or meant an Native American Indian was going to visit family, Friday 13 bad luck, a member of the Cofradia of La Senora del Carmen would not die when dirt rubbed on her feet, bad luck to wash clothes on Friday, if person talked about witches on Friday, witches would harm them, if witch padded you could put spell, sickness on you, witches turned into animals, not recognize them, fear of being bewitched, food, etc., witches would harm other witches, stronger and weaker witches, people who wore a scapular or blessed medal were safe from witches, if witch cured or removed a spell, person had to keep it a secret or that witch would die, witch visited the dead person whom they had put a spell on); 5. Personal conversation (poor recording, almost inaudible, costumbres, customs, funeral, burial, muerte, death, no embalming, body would decompose, put iron on stomach to hold down bloating, bathed body in vinegar, tie the legs and arms, home made coffin, wood, black cloth, lacre, put three crosses on coffin, made of white cloth, velorio at the home of the deceased, one night only, call in relatives, family, velorio all night, rosary, alabados, no one slept, then midnight a dinner, foods are named, like a fiesta, luto, mourning, wear black at funeral, velorio and for at least one year, crosses made of black cloth placed on windows, door, outside, covered all mirrors, for one years, family prayed daily for the deceased person, no entertainment, meetings or dances, no music, luto lasted a year for padres, hijos and esposos six months, abuelos three months, tias two months); 6. Birth (poor recording, almost inaudible, nacimientos, baptism, banquet, call all relatives, served wine, whiskey, cold drinks, cookies, candy, raisins. Entriega de bautismo, song after leaving church, Felicitas sings it, see Cobos notes); 7. Personal conversation (poor recording, almost inaudible, entertainment in past, no television, movies or radio, games, stories, adivinanzas, people had good memories); 8. Poesia, poetry (poor recording, almost inaudible, El Rico y el pobre, poem contrasting their lives, rich and poor, opportunities, poverty, fortune, poor man always loses out); 9. Story for parents (poor recording, almost inaudible, trembling old grandfather lived with them, spilled food from the dinner table on floor so made him la canovita in the corner, a trough for food, their child asked for wood and nails to make them a trough for when they got old, then they realized how mean they were, did not want their child to treat them same when they got older, treat your elders like you want your children to treat you); 10. Poesia, poetry (poor recording, almost inaudible, poem about the tree enemies of the soul, alma, tobacco, barajas, playing cards and licor, drinking, vices, vicios, lost of family, honor, etc., conversation); 11. Historia (poor recording, almost inaudible, story of a man with a good daughter, who marries a woman with three bad daughters, gangosas, snifflers, lazy and proud, they could not talk clearly, rich man comes to visit, woman hides the good daughter, shows him her three daughters, who manage to talk and sniffle and scare off the suitor, man does not like any of them, someone tells him he missed meeting the good daughters, whom he goes to meet and later marries); 12. Story, El hijo desobediente (poor recording, almost inaudible, bad son, in form of a poem, poesia, poetry, boy turned away from parents, voltear, he assaulted his mother and father, he left home and became a banderlero, bandito, was put in prison, they asked about his parents, he told them the tale, as a sentence he was to go home to see his parents, as he did the dogs attacked him and tore out his eyes, he had nothing to eat but grass and when he died his body was tossed out and the devil was by his side, moral of the story, obey and respect parents, family, children, discipline, conversation); 13. Chiste, joke (poor recording, almost inaudible, about a man whose wife dies, he worries and cries in cemetery about who will cook, clean and iron for him, marriage, women, muerte, death, moral).
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