Center for Cultural Technology

Kassia Howell interviewed neighbors in her community to try and put words to a concept that has individual meaning for each of us.

Manitos Personas - Mayordoma

Manitos Personas - Maestro

Manitos Personas - Curandera

Manitos Personas - Abuelos

El Trovo del Atole y el Café/The Trovo of Atole and Café. There are two published versions of El Trovo del Atole y el Café, one by José de Jesús López and one by an unknown or anonymous author. The one here is a third version and is unpublished. It was written by Elva Vigil Valdez of Capulin, Colorado. In it, while Atole defeats Coffee, Atole invokes the sentiment of reconciliation and also leaves open the possibility of continuing the dialogue in the future. The bilingual graphics in comic book format were created in 2020 by Natasha Vasquez, design intern from New Mexico Highlands University. She envisioned a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson, which morphs into a dialogue between coffee and atole. The recorded performance is by David Garcia and Thelma Argüello. According to information provided by folklorist Enrique Lamadrid for Folk Music of Hispanic New Mexico: The John Donald Robb Collection, traditionally trovos are musical duels in improvised verse between two trovadores (troubadors). Originating in the courts of medieval Spain and Portugal where topics centered on such lofty themes as theological arguments, trovos migrated to the Canary Islands and were popularized in the Americas throughout parts of Mexico, the Caribbean, and beyond, including New Mexico and Colorado. They were often performed for travelers along the Camino Real and the Old Spanish Trail to California. According to information provided by Estevan Rael-Galvez, trovos are often a form of political protest, addressing contemporary issues creatively. El Trovo del Atole y el Café is one of the most interesting from nineteenth-century New Mexico -– a battle of wits between a cup of coffee and a cup of atole, a traditional Mexican hot beverage made from masa. One interpretation proposed by Dr. Lamadrid could be What are the virtues of coffee versus atole? What is more valuable, oil or water? But according to Dr. Rael-Galvez it could also be interpreted as a critique of capitalism and colonial imposition, juxtaposing coffee as elite, foreign, and urban with atole as Indigenous, rural, and of the people.

El Trovo del Atole y el Café/The Trovo of Atole and Café. There are two published versions of El Trovo del Atole y el Café, one by José de Jesús López and one by an unknown or anonymous author. The one here is a third version and is unpublished. It was written by Elva Vigil Valdez of Capulin, Colorado. In it, while Atole defeats Coffee, Atole invokes the sentiment of reconciliation and also leaves open the possibility of continuing the dialogue in the future. The bilingual graphics in comic book format were created in 2020 by Natasha Vasquez, design intern from New Mexico Highlands University. She envisioned a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson, which morphs into a dialogue between coffee and atole. The recorded performance is by David Garcia and Thelma Argüello. According to information provided by folklorist Enrique Lamadrid for Folk Music of Hispanic New Mexico: The John Donald Robb Collection, traditionally trovos are musical duels in improvised verse between two trovadores (troubadors). Originating in the courts of medieval Spain and Portugal where topics centered on such lofty themes as theological arguments, trovos migrated to the Canary Islands and were popularized in the Americas throughout parts of Mexico, the Caribbean, and beyond, including New Mexico and Colorado. They were often performed for travelers along the Camino Real and the Old Spanish Trail to California. According to information provided by Estevan Rael-Galvez, trovos are often a form of political protest, addressing contemporary issues creatively. El Trovo del Atole y el Café is one of the most interesting from nineteenth-century New Mexico -– a battle of wits between a cup of coffee and a cup of atole, a traditional Mexican hot beverage made from masa. One interpretation proposed by Dr. Lamadrid could be What are the virtues of coffee versus atole? What is more valuable, oil or water? But according to Dr. Rael-Galvez it could also be interpreted as a critique of capitalism and colonial imposition, juxtaposing coffee as elite, foreign, and urban with atole as Indigenous, rural, and of the people.

By publishing news, poetry, fiction, letters, recipes, and essays, the periodistas, or Spanish language journalists, created a print culture that celebrated Manito cultural heritage and helped to form their unique Indo-Hispano cultural identity. This began right around the time that New Mexico was becoming a US territory in 1848 amid a major influx of Anglo settlers who distained the native culture. For more than a century the Spanish language press was a rallying point of the resistance to forced assimilation. Before public education was instituted in the region many children were taught to read by their parents using Spanish language periodicals. This downloadable placemat is one of a series created by the Manitos Community Memory Project in conjunction with a series of posters entitled Manitos Personas. The posters and placemats honor community members serving in traditional roles who help preserve cultural heritage and promote community cohesion. The original idea for the placemats was to distribute them to local restaurants to help educate and inform children about their Manito heritage. When COVID-19 struck, restaurants closed and students began learning from home. The placemats were delivered to school sites where they were sent home with distributions of food and other educational materials and supplies. It turned out that adults also enjoyed the activities, so distributions were also made at several senior centers. The idea for the placemats was inspired by Dr. Patricia Trujillo. They were produced by Project Director, Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez and two graphic design interns from the Department of Media Arts & Technology Cultural Technology Program, Lily Padilla and Natasha Vasquez.

This downloadable placemat honoring maestros--teachers--is one of a series created by the Manitos Community Memory Project in conjunction with a series of posters entitled Manitos Personas. The posters and placemats honor community members serving in traditional roles who help preserve cultural heritage and promote community cohesion. The original idea for the placemats was to distribute them to local restaurants to help educate and inform children about their Manito heritage. When COVID-19 struck, restaurants closed and students began learning from home. The placemats were delivered to school sites where they were sent home with distributions of food and other educational materials and supplies. It turned out that adults also enjoyed the activities, so distributions were also made at several senior centers. The idea for the placemats was inspired by Dr. Patricia Trujillo. They were produced by Project Director, Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez and two graphic design interns from the Department of Media Arts & Technology Cultural Technology Program, Lily Padilla and Natasha Vasquez.

This downloadable placemat honoring curanderas--traditional healers--is one of a series created by the Manitos Community Memory Project in conjunction with a series of posters entitled Manitos Personas. The posters and placemats honor community members serving in traditional roles who help preserve cultural heritage and promote community cohesion. The original idea for the placemats was to distribute them to local restaurants to help educate and inform children about their Manito heritage. When COVID-19 struck, restaurants closed and students began learning from home. The placemats were delivered to school sites where they were sent home with distributions of food and other educational materials and supplies. It turned out that adults also enjoyed the activities, so distributions were also made at several senior centers. The idea for the placemats was inspired by Dr. Patricia Trujillo. They were produced by Project Director, Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez and two graphic design interns from the Department of Media Arts & Technology Cultural Technology Program, Lily Padilla and Natasha Vasquez.

This downloadable placemat honors the mayordomo, or in this case the mayordoma, in Indo-Hispano communities the person who manages the acequia irrigation system on behalf of a village or valley. This placemat is one of a series created by the Manitos Community Memory Project in conjunction with a series of posters entitled Manitos Personas. The posters and placemats honor community members serving in traditional roles who help preserve cultural heritage and promote community cohesion. The original idea for the placemats was to distribute them to local restaurants to help educate and inform children about their Manito heritage. When COVID-19 struck, restaurants closed and students began learning from home. The placemats were delivered to school sites where they were sent home with distributions of food and other educational materials and supplies. It turned out that adults also enjoyed the activities, so distributions were also made at several senior centers. The idea for the placemats was inspired by Dr. Patricia Trujillo. They were produced by Project Director, Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez and two graphic design interns from the Department of Media Arts & Technology Cultural Technology Program, Lily Padilla and Natasha Vasquez.

This downloadable placemat honors the abuelos, grandparents. It is one of a series created by the Manitos Community Memory Project in conjunction with a series of posters entitled Manitos Personas. The posters and placemats honor community members serving in traditional roles who help preserve cultural heritage and promote community cohesion. The original idea for the placemats was to distribute them to local restaurants to help educate and inform children about their Manito heritage. When COVID-19 struck, restaurants closed and students began learning from home. The placemats were delivered to school sites where they were sent home with distributions of food and other educational materials and supplies. It turned out that adults also enjoyed the activities, so distributions were also made at several senior centers. The idea for the placemats was inspired by Dr. Patricia Trujillo. They were produced by Project Director, Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez and two graphic design interns from the Department of Media Arts & Technology Cultural Technology Program, Lily Padilla and Natasha Vasquez.