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Ruben Cobos, Ida S. Carrillo, Juliette Ortega, Nancy Martinez, recorders, 1971

 File — Box: 5, CD: 449 C

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

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

Carrillo: Vidal Trujillo cont. from CD 449 B. Part II. Begins at 00:12 and ends at 4:34. Singing, conversation (fair to good recording, song En la tumba estare, descansar, about religion, traditions, and personal experiences, women).

Carrillo, 1971: Dora Medina. Begins at 4:35 and ends at 5:49. Story (good recording, talks about childhood game, children, pipis y gallos, tells a traditional story that her grandmother used to tell her as a child).

Ortega, 1970: Beltran Griego, b. 1905, age 76, La Joya, NM. Begins at 5:50 and ends at 6:35. Story (good recording, about a man who lost a fight with a lion, el hombre que se perdio en una pelea con un leon, una mentira, tall tale, anecdote, nevada y venadito mamando, joke, humor).

Ortega, 1970: Petra Griego, b. 1916, age 65, Bernardo, NM. Begins at 6:36 and ends at 7:20. 1. Dicho (fair recording, verse, wise saying, proverb); 2. Adivinanzas (fair recording, riddles, humor) .

Ortega, 1970: Eduplio Ortega, age 54, Bernardo, NM. Begins at 7:21 and ends at 7:45. Jokes (fair recording, man on a horse, humor, vale mas el intento, what matters is that you tried).

Ortega, 1970: Petra Griego, age 65, Bernardo, NM. Begins at 7:46 and ends at 8:14. Adivinanzas (fair recording, riddles).

Ortega, 1970: Daniel Garcia, age 48, Bernardo, NM. Begins at 8:15 and ends at 29:30. 1. Adivinanzas (fair recording, riddles, humor); 2. Corrido de San Marcial (fair recording, recites the verses, Ramon Luna, Rio Grande, river, flood, no year available); 3. Conversation, personal experience (fair recording, codeswitch into English, Bilingual speaker, Spanish language, Spanglish, tells about a murder); 4. Song (fair recording, singing); 5. Adivinanzas (fair recording, riddles).

Ortega, 1970: Barbara Sanchez, age 57, Belen, NM. Begins at 29:38 and ends at 32:22. Muerte de Abran Contreras (fair recording, story about her grandparents, traditions, foods, past times, leisure, travel, local traditions, games, children, recreation, dances, youth, games, balls, Isleta Pueblo Indians, Native Americans, religious traditions).

Martinez, 1970: Sofia Martinez, age 63, El Guique, NM. Begins at 32:24 and ends at 60:15. 1. El arbol descontento (fair to poor recording, story about an unhappy tree, winter comes and its leaves fell, the tree was sad, goat arrives, the tree wished to be different, moral of story); 2. Lamentos de una hormiguita (fair to poor recording, short story, baby ant, leg crushed, only can ask God for help); 3. El pajaro carpentero (fair to poor recording, short story); 4. El muchacho colegiante (fair to poor recording, story); 4. El cientista (fair to poor recording, short story, anecdote); 5. El borreguero or vida del borreguero (fair to poor recording, recites verses to a song, life of a shepherd); 6. El cuervo y la zorra (fair to poor recording, short story, anecdote); 7. Un medico de huesos (fair to poor recording, short story, anecdote, no soy medico); 8. La zorra y el lobo (fair to poor recording, short story, anecdote, traditional folk story); 9. La ranita (fair to poor recording, short story, anecdote); 10. La paloma sola (story); 11. Los tres ninos (fair to poor recording, short story, anecdote); 12. El aguila de plata (fair to poor recording, short story, anecdote); 13. La vieja bruja (fair to poor recording, witches, story, Hansel and Gretel, fairy tale, cuts off abruptly at end of CD).

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