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.
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.)
Bud Wilson was born in 1925 in the suburbs of Chicago, but forged his connection to the land and people of Northern NM when he was just 16, while accompanying his high school teacher on a research trip to San Cristobal. Bud served as a Navy Pilot, attended medical school and became a surgeon, practicing heart and general surgery for fifty years. He established surgical programs in New Mexico, Colorado, and India. In 1947 Bud began to buy a ranch in Lama NM and in 1985 Bud and Barb (his late wife) founded the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch Summer Camp, which continues to this day.
Michael Rael was born in 1950 and raised in Questa , New Mexico. Mr. Rael is the Judge for the village of Questa. Michael started playing music at the age of 13 and has collaborated with a wide variety of Northern New Mexico Musicians. His love for the music shines every time he is on stage.
Ernesto Marquez was raised in Des Montes / Arroyo Seco New Mexico. Ernie is part of
Joseph Marquez was born in Española New Mexico on October 30th, 1944. Joseph was married to Florence Marquez (deceased). His 3 daughters are Lori (deceased) Eliza, and Desiree. Joseph grew up in Costilla, NM.
Kate was born and raised in Cerro, NM, went to school in Cerro, then Questa High School, was married at 18 and soon after became a mother of two children. She worked as a cashier for much of her life and then went into cooking, which she loves. She takes seriously her responsibilities as a mother and with her volunteer work in her community. At the time of the interview, she was the co-director of the North Central NM Food Pantry.
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