RUDOLFO ANAYA’S MAGIC WITH WORDS
![Grayscale pencil drawing portrait of Rudolfo Anaya](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NMHC-BLOG-Anaya-web30.jpg)
By Chris Chaves
“It seems that, for Anaya at least, libraries and the magical words hidden in their books can serve to impart knowledge, facilitate love, and encourage empathy about others.”
THE BANDANA BRIGADE: WITH HEARTS AND HANDS, WOMEN DO IT TOGETHER
![Photo of a woman in a red bandana rolling out cookie dough while her granddaughter watches](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BLOG-KSMPhoto-web3.jpg)
By Kim Suina Melwani
“Like a ‘bandana brigade’ these women seemed ready to face whatever obstacles that came their way.”
REFLECTIONS ON THE BLACK FOOTPRINT IN NEW MEXICO
![Headshot of Darryl Wellington](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NMHC-Blog-Darryl-Wellington-web30.jpg)
By Darryl Wellington
“Let’s begin with a story that reflects my concerns that the Black presence isn’t significantly appreciated — but that simultaneously reaffirms my belief in the importance of teaching New Mexican Black history.”
A MUSLIM FITTING INTO NEW MEXICO
![Selfie of Ryqir Haden](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NMHC-Blog-Ryqir-Haden-Author-web30-e1716346829764.jpg)
By Ryqir Haden
“I am a Muslim, and I belong in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Surprised? So am I.”
BREAD OF DEATH AND LIFE: A SHORT HISTORY OF PAN DE MUERTOS
![Pan de Muerto, skull shaped bread with orange marigold flowers on a white flowered plate on an altar table](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NMHC-Blog-PandeMuerto-web30.jpg)
By Vanessa Baca
“‘Bread is life.’ This platitude is among the most well-known in our culture, yet when we consider the Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos and the food associated with that celebration, it takes on a much more significant and poignant meaning.”
PRE-PANDEMIC GRIEF, ANCESTRAL MEMORY, MOURNING THE WORLD IN 2020 AND HEALING IN THE PRESENT
![A woman in a green shirt, red bandana, and turquoise jewelry sits next to a folding table in front of a faded wood and brick wall](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NMHC-Blog-JaneWeritoYazzie-web30.jpg)
By Venaya Yazzie
“I now find myself dwelling upon ancestral homelands of my Diné (Navajo) matriarchs and male patriarchs in the San Juan Valley and at Huerfano, N.M.”
IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: THE BURNING OF ZOZOBRA AND HERALDING THE NEW SEASON
![Zozobra, a 50 foot effigy of "old man gloom," with a person dressed in red as the fire spirit in front of it. Waterfalls of fire on either side.](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NMHC-Blog-Zozobra-web30.jpg)
By Nicolasa Chávez
“Now celebrating his 99th year, Zozobra is older than the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Tree.”
ANCIENT DEATH RITUALS RUN DEEP IN NEW MEXICO
![Black and white photo of a woman in a black shawl/tápalo in front of a mound of rocks and crucifixes](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NMHC-Blog-woman-with-crosses-web30.jpg)
By Ana Pacheco
“Through the mid-20th century some women wore the tápalo in the villages of northern New Mexico. That tradition is long gone, but the one that remains is the descanso, the roadside memorial.”
ESTHER MARTINEZ (P’OE TSÁWÄ/BLUE WATER): A MATRIARCH OF PUEBLO LANGUAGE PRESERVATION
![](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/NMHC-Blog-Esther-Martinez2-web30.jpg)
By Kim Suina Melwani
“By age seven, Martinez no longer had her elders, their stories, or her grandmother’s cooking to ease the transition as she reoriented herself to boarding school life about twenty miles south of her village of Ohkay Owingeh.”
TELLING OUR STORIES: PUEBLO AUTHOR AND TEACHER, DR. JOE S. SANDO
![Photo of Dr. Joe Sando posing with bookshelves in a library](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/NMHC-JoeSando-Blog-web30.jpg)
By Jonna C. Paden
“Despite the Pueblo’s long history in the area, little has been written about Pueblo people and our contributions to history. What was written, especially for children, was not always complimentary and lacked accuracy. Dr. Joe S. Sando set out to change that…”