IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: THE BURNING OF ZOZOBRA AND HERALDING THE NEW SEASON
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
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
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
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…”
METICULOUS ANSWER — INSPIRED BY ARTIST AGNES MARTIN
By Lauren Camp
“My mind keeps moving.
The country is nearly at war
with satisfaction
or could be.”
“OUTRIDERS: LEGACY OF THE BLACK COWBOY” NARRATING THE RICH HISTORY OF THE BLACK COWBOY IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
By Ariana Kramer
“Outriders: Legacy of the Black Cowboy depicts information that is little known in terms of the role that African Americans played in the settling and development of the Western United States.”
CHOCOLATE: FROM FOOD OF THE GODS TO THE FOOD OF LOVE
By Nicolasa Chávez
“The artfully packaged chocolate boxes cherished today were not invented until 1868. How did this beloved delicacy change from a cherished food of the gods in liquid form to a desired food of love?”
WHAT’S IN THE WORD, SAVAGE?
By Felicia Bartley
“I have been hearing the word savage more than I would like to acknowledge. I have noticed that the nonchalant use of the word ‘savage’ is circulating more frequently into conversations.”
SLOW BURN: A FAMILY HISTORY OF GREEN CHILE STEW
By Vanessa Baca
“Ubiquitous in our state, chile is a staple in our recipes year-round, but in the winter, it truly stakes its claim.”
LITTLE BROWN BAGS: A BRIEF MEDITATION ON A NUEVO MEXICO TRADITION
By Leeanna Teresa Martinez y Torres
“Throughout much of New Mexico, luminarias are visually recognized as the symbol of the Christmas season.”