In this segment of the Voices de Aquí series, Esther Garcia shares memories from her childhood of wild school bus rides in winter.

We are so grateful to Esther Garcia, for sharing these memories of her childhood and family; it is a gift to those listening now and in the future. Her memories add to our understanding and appreciation of the history and heritage of Questa.

This story was recorded in November 2019 during a Women’s Tea Story Sharing event at Yoga Sala in Questa; recorded and edited by Claire Coté.

Esther Garcia passed away on January 5, 2020, a month and a half after co-hosting this event. A powerful love for the people and history of her home place seems, to us, to have been a core conviction in her life. Esther celebrated and studied her roots, family and community history. She was a fierce advocate for land and water, acequias, culture and traditions. Her work and words have left a lasting mark on our hearts. We are grateful to have known and worked with her.

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.