Manitos Community Memory Project Digital Archive · Items

Home Weatherization Now - English

In a small town in Northern New Mexico the Martinez family learns how to conserve energy and retrofit an old adobe house to be an energy efficient home.

Acequias del Norte - Derechos y Conservacion

New Mexico State Engineers and the Interstate Stream Commission sponsored this film to tell the story of New Mexico’s unique irrigation systems and reliance on the fabric of community, history and culture.

Días Felices

A polka recorded by Los Paisanos de Santa Fe. It has also been recorded since the 1930s by groups in South Texas and Northern Mexico.

Cassette cover: Los Paisanos de Santa Fe

Cassette cover from Los Paisanos de Santa Fe's album, "Días Felices."

Sobre Las Olas

A 1980s cassette recording by Los Paisanos de Santa Fe (Antonio Rivera, mandolin; Jose Medina, violin; Robert Gonzales, guitar) of "Sobre Las Olas," a waltz that was very popular in New Mexico before the 1960s. From a digitization given by santafesino mandolinist Tomas Maes (Antonio Rivera's cousin) to Jordan Wax

Isidro Isaac Pena

Photograph Taken in Vietnam

Questa Quilters

This photograph is of women quilters of Questa, New Mexico. We were not able to identify everyone, but hope we can do that now. (Blank Spaces are unknown). Sitting from L-R: Delfina Mandonado Rael; __?___, Marinita Garcia; Irene Rael; Eufrecinia Vigil; Esther Rael; Celia Rael; Anita Velasquez; and little girl? Standing from L-R: __?___; Simona Gomez; Eufemia Gonzales; __?___; Andrellita Rael; __?___; Eloisa Sanchez; Isabelita ___; __?___; Stella Quintana Rael; Kate Vigil Laforett; Teodorita Vigil Ortega; Little Boy; Eulogia Cordova; Floripa Valdez; __?___ (face obscured, but there); Ursulita Rael-Herrera; Dora Wisehart.

Camphor Bottles from Loveida Quintana Cisneros

Loveida Quintana Cisneros shares bottles of whiskey infused with camphor from her mother used for common ailments. Estevan Rael-Galvez is the second speaker.

Portrait of Esther Garcia

Portrait of Esther Garcia at Questa Women's Tea, November 16, 2019

Portrait of Connie Long

Portrait of Connie Long, Questa Women's Tea, November 16, 2019

Photo of Martha Rael Nimon

Portrait of Martha Rael Nimon, participant at the November 16, 2019 Questa Women's Tea, photo taken at July 8, Memory Gathering Event at Questa VFW

Gathering Memory: Sound, Object, Photo and Story - Invitation

The invitation sent by mail and online platforms to invite people to a community workshop - Gathering Memory: Sound, Object, Photo and Story, July 8, 2018, Questa VFW Hall

Jaqueline Hocker: My Grandmother and the Model T

Jaqueline recalls her experience when she was about 6 years old with her grandmother driving an old Model T; she remembers fun rides until her grandmother was told that she needed a driver's license and then never drove again. (Jaqueline, originally from Ohio, was a long time resident and business owner in Questa - she had a sewing business, and had two different cafes and different times. At the time she wrote down this story she was visiting Questa for the summer.)

Jaqueline Hocker: StoryBox at Questa Library Community Day

These images were taken to accompany the story that Jaqueline wrote, inspired by StoryBox.

Monica Ortega: "Sana, sana colita de rana..."

Monica recalls what her grandmother said to her, her siblings and cousins when they came to her for comfort from a scratch or cut, and how what she said seemed to make the "boo-boo" feel better.

R. Lynn Galusky: Becoming a Community Member

Lynn describes her experience becoming a community member in Questa.

Robert Wieland: How We Discovered Wild Rivers

Robert Wieland, of Bozeman, Montana, tells about how he and his wife found their campground, El Aguaje, at Wild Rivers

Interview with Kate Cisneros

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. In this interview she describes childhood memories and talks about her experiences with food growing up. She also talks about the communities of Questa and Cerro, then and now and how important she feels it is to be involved in the community.

Setting - Women's Tea, Questa, NM, November 16, 2019

Various photographs illustrating the setting of the Questa Stories' first Women's Tea, at La Sala, Questa, NM, November 16, 2019, co-hosted by Esther Garcia, Claire Cote and Gaea McGahee. A comfortable setting and appealing food and drink were important to setting the tone of the event.

Portrait of Monica Ortega

Portrait of Monica Ortega at the story-sharing and discussion table of the first Questa Stories Women's Tea, November 16, 2019

Story-sharing and discussion at Questa Women's Tea: Loveida Cisneros, Monica Ortega, Judy Rutledge, Esther Garcia, Martha Rael Nimon and Maria Gonzales

Story-sharing and discussion at Questa Women's Tea, November 16, 2019: Loveida Cisneros - Woodcutting and picnic lunch; Monica Ortega – they had a way of sharing lessons without saying it directly; Judy Rutledge – details of stories important to share with our youth; Esther Garcia – Winter Bus Rides with Felix Quintana; Martha Rael Nimon – Memories of Esther’s dad driving the bus; Maria Gonzales – Memories of her Grandmother

Portrait of Loveida Cisneros, Questa Women's Tea, November 16, 2019

Discussion at Women's Tea: Maria Gonzales, Martha Rael Nimon, Irma Cisneros, Esther Garcia

Discussion and story sharing at Women's Tea at La Sala in Questa on November 16, 2019. Maria Gonzales, Martha Rael Nimon, Irma Cisneros and Esther Garcia share and discuss on a variety of topics including personal life experiences, spirituality and religion, ancestors (particularly female ancestors), Questa history and more.

Connie Long's experience at the Questa North Star Texaco in 1974

Connie Long's experience at the Questa North Star Texaco in Questa in 1973 or 74, in which Norbert Ortega kindly told her to pay him when she was next passing through the village, when she was nearly out of gas, stopped and then realized she had no money. Comment at the end is from Monica Ortega.

Gaea McGahee: Guatemalan Pottery Chickens

Story Sharing from Gaea McGahee about her mother's pottery chickens (that Gaea was given), which had come from Guatemala, purchased by her mother (Dava Davy) when she was a 21 year old anthropology student in that country. The chickens we special objects to her mother and she held on to them even as they sometimes got damaged by her growing five children because all the people she had visited, the makers of the chicken pots, had died as a result of a volcanic eruption. These objects had become somewhat sacred to Dava, imbued with this memory.