Alejandro López Papers and Ethnographic Interviews, 1971-2021
Collection
Identifier: MSS-943-BC
Scope and Contents
The Alejandro López collection contains ethnographic interviews, Alejandro’s photography and art, service-learning educational material, and publications by and about Alejandro López, which include Newspapers articles and publications documenting Alexandro’s life and work. The interviews in this collection represent dozens of recorded hours of oral histories with elders from northern New Mexico. Conducted almost entirely in Spanish, the interviews discuss the land and their relation to it, politics, contemporary events, religion, folklore/music, regional culture and traditional lifeways. Some of the recording have live musical performances. Most of the interviewees were born in the 1800s.
Dates
- 1971 - 2021
Language of Materials
English, Spanish
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.
Biographical / Historical
Alejandro López was born 1951 in Santa Cruz de la Cañada, New Mexico. Alejandro (AKA. Jerry and Jeronimo) is a writer, educator, and program administrator (AmeriCorps, Apprenticeship in Peace, etc.) Alejandro is an artist and photographer, and his art depicts a surrealist photography where people and landscapes merge together. He was the youngest member of La Academia de la Nueva Raza, and his photography was utilized in La Academia publications such as "Ceremony of Brotherhood." The oral history interviews Alejandro recorded feature unique regional Spanish dialogue with elders to preserve knowledge and to find how Chicana and Chicano knowledge production is formed in small New Mexican communities. Alejandro continued his La Academia work by running service-learning programs for the youth of New Mexico. These programs comprised of art development, building construction, and community clean up. Lastly, Alejandro is a successful publisher who has published in many New Mexican magazines. Alejandro López lives a life of community activism, art, and resolana and continues his work with youth and Nuevomexicanos.
Extent
4 boxes + 1 oversize folder
Abstract
This collection contains papers and interviews created and collected by Alejandro López from the 1970s to 2021. The papers relate to education, resolana, and service-learning programs, while the ethnographic interviews focus on elders from Chimayo, Truchas, and other Nuevomexicano communities.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Joshua Heckman Archibeque, Center for Regional Studies/CSWR Graduate Fellow.
- Agriculture --New Mexico--History
- Art--Slides
- Artists -- New Mexico
- Correspondence
- Education in New Mexico
- Folk music--New Mexico
- Folklore and history -- New Mexico
- Interviews -- Sound recordings
- Landscape photographs
- Mexican Americans – Southwest, New -- Ethnic identity
- Minorities -- Political activity -- United States
- Minorities in art
- Mural painting and decoration
- Music and folklore
- New Mexico -- History -- 21st Century
- New Mexico -- History -- 20th century
- Oral History -- New Mexico
- Oral histories
- Photographs
- Sound recordings
- Spanish language – New Mexico
- Title
- Finding Aid of the Alejandro López Papers and Ethnographic Interviews, 1971-2021
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- November 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in both English and Spanish
- Sponsor
- Funding for processing provided by UNM Center for Regional Studies.
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