Bernie Torres: Los Dias

Posted on by Questa Stories

In this segment of Voices de Aquí, Bernie Torres of Amalia and Costilla shares the local tradition of “Los Dias” as well as some early related memories and his connection and role with the tradition.

Bernie Torres, interviewed by Chris Arellano, April, 2021

Thank you Bernie Torres, for sharing your memories and , your mother and family; it is a gift to those listening now and in the future. Your memories add to our understanding and appreciation of the history and heritage of Cerro and Questa.

This is a short segment of a longer interview. Listen to the full interview conducted by Chris Arellano HERE. Also more about “Dar Los Dias” below with video.

We’re listening together to the voices of our neighbors; every week we share a different short story from our community with Voices de Aquí. Join us for the short broadcasts at Questa Farmers Market on Sundays this summer or here, on our website.

Huge thanks to our collaborators at Questa Farmers Market, Gaea McGahee and all the musicians at the market for allowing us to plug into their sound system to broadcast the Voices de Aquí weekly segments.

We are also grateful to our funders! Voices de Aquí is made possible by support from the LANL Foundation Community Outreach Grant, Chevron Grants for Good and Taos Community Foundation IMPACT Grant.

This interview is part of Northern New Mexico Music: Past and Present, a project of the nonprofit, Questa Creative Council, dedicated to strengthening community through arts, culture, history, and education. This project is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Taos Community Foundation.

Dar Los Dias
“Dar los Días” has been a traditional way of ringing in the New Year in Hispanic Northern New Mexico for hundreds of years. On January 1st 2019, amidst a driving snowstorm, Bernie Torres and the Costilla Ramblers sing in the New Year in the tiny village of Cerro New Mexico. Part of the “Music Buena” exhibit opening October 6th, 2019 at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM and running for the next 2 years. (Copied here from the Youtube video caption. Thank you Wisdom Archive, for this video.)

Kate Montoya Cisneros – Canning Wild Meat

Posted on by Questa Stories

In this segment of in the Voices de Aquí series, Kate Montoya Cisneros shares memories of her mother’s love for and skill with cooking, baking and canning, “wild meat” canning in particular. Here she shares a story about this and poaching.

Thank you Kate Cisneros, for sharing these memories of your childhood, your mother and family; it is a gift to those listening now and in the future. Your memories add to our understanding and appreciation of the history and heritage of Cerro and Questa.

This segment is an edited excerpt from a longer Questa Stories interview with Kate on June 14, 2018. Listen to the full interview HERE.

This summer, we’re listening together to the voices of our neighbors; every week we share a different short story from our community with Voices de Aquí. Join us for the short broadcasts at Questa Farmers Market on Sundays or here, on our website.

Huge thanks to our collaborators at Questa Farmers Market, Gaea McGahee and all the musicians at the market for allowing us to plug into their sound system to broadcast the Voices de Aquí weekly segments.

We are also grateful to our funders! Voices de Aquí is made possible by support from the LANL Foundation Community Outreach Grant, Chevron Grants for Good and Taos Community Foundation IMPACT Grant.

Estevan Rael-Gálvez – Object Stories

Posted on by Questa Stories

In this segment of in the Voices de Aquí series, Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez introduces the idea of sharing objects, stories and photographs to create a community-based archive to strengthen community and culture. He shares two of his own stories of meaningful objects, a sewing machine oil can from his grandmother and a wool carder from grandfather.

These sharings took place on July 8, 2018 at the Memory Gathering Event facilitated by Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez, at the Questa VFW. This collaborative event was hosted as part of the development of the Questa History Trail (a project of the Questa Creative Council); Questa Stories team supported the event hosting and was on scene recording stories and scanning photographs; the event was also part of an early stage of the Manitos Community Memory Project.

Huge thanks to our collaborators at Questa Farmers Market, Gaea McGahee and all the musicians at the market for allowing us to plug into their sound system to broadcast the Voices de Aquí weekly segments.

We are also grateful to our funders! Voices de Aquí is made possible by support from the LANL Foundation Community Outreach Grant, Chevron Grants for Good and Taos Community Foundation IMPACT Grant.

Flavio Cisneros – Matrimonial Letter

Posted on by Questa Stories

In this segment of in the Voices de Aquí series, Flavio Cisneros shares a letter written in 1925, requesting the marriage of his mother, Corina Gonzales (later Cisneros) to Francisco Cisneros. See more images and info HERE.

Flavio shared this object story on July 8, 2018 at the Memory Gathering Event facilitated by Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez, at the Questa VFW. This collaborative event was hosted as part of the development of the Questa History Trail (a project of the Questa Creative Council); Questa Stories team supported the event hosting and was on scene recording stories and scanning photographs; the event was also part of an early stage of the Manitos Community Memory Project.

Huge thanks to our collaborators at Questa Farmers Market, Gaea McGahee and all the musicians at the market for allowing us to plug into their sound system to broadcast the Voices de Aquí weekly segments.

We are also grateful to our funders! Voices de Aquí is made possible by support from the LANL Foundation Community Outreach Grant, Chevron Grants for Good and Taos Community Foundation IMPACT Grant.

Joseph Marquez – Memories of La Morada

Posted on by Questa Stories

In this third segment in the Voices de Aquí series, Joseph Marquez, briefly shares his experience as un hermano at the Morada, La Cofradia de Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, in Garcia Colorado and an excerpt of the first alabado that he learned. Listen to the full interview conducted by Chris Arellano HERE.

Joseph Marquez, interviewed by Chris Arellano, April, 2021

This summer, we’re listening together to the voices of our neighbors; every week we share a different short story from our community with Voices de Aquí. Join us for the short broadcasts at Questa Farmers Market on Sundays or here, on our website.

Huge thanks to our collaborators at Questa Farmers Market, Gaea McGahee and all the musicians at the market for allowing us to plug into their sound system to broadcast the Voices de Aquí weekly segments.

We are also grateful to our funders! Voices de Aquí is made possible by support from the LANL Foundation Community Outreach Grant, Chevron Grants for Good and Taos Community Foundation IMPACT Grant.

This interview is part of Northern New Mexico Music: Past and Present, a project of the nonprofit, Questa Creative Council, dedicated to strengthening community through arts, culture, history, and education. This project is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Taos Community Foundation.

*hermano  – a member of Los Hermanos de la Fraternidad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, ‘The Brothers of the Pious Fraternity of Our Father Jesus the Nazarene), Los Penitentes, Los Hermanos
**Morada – a religious meeting hall of Los Hermanos
***alabado – a Catholic song of praise

Voices de Aquí: Sharing Stories in Community

Posted on by Questa Stories

We are excited to announce that, Voices de Aquí (Voices from Here), is underway! During the Questa Farmers Market season, we’re listening together to the voices of our neighbors. Every week we listen to a different short story from our community. Even small stories hold a lot of meaning.

Over the course of the 2022 market season, we will hear a series of short stories featuring diverse, intergenerational voices from Questa and the surrounding communities. Every story is shared here on our website and broadcast weekly at Questa Farmers Market alongside performances by local musicians on Sundays.

Keep your ears out at the Farmers Market on Sundays 10 am – 2 pm and follow along here on our website and social media  – Instagram & Facebook.

Big thanks to our collaborators with Questa Farmers Market, Gaea McGahee and all the musicians at the market for allowing us to plug into their sound system to broadcast the Voices de Aquí weekly segments!

Gratitude to our funders! Voices de Aquí is supported by through LANL Foundation Community Outreach Grant, Chevron Grants for Good and Taos Community Foundation IMPACT Grant.

Photo above taken by Alejandro Avina at Questa Farmers Market 2021.