About the project
Recuerdos Vivos New Mexico/Living Memories is a multimedia oral history project that re-imagines encounters with the past – transforming oral histories and memories into vivid presentations through plays, radio, videos, and other mediums.
Our first program is a play, When the Stars Trembled in Río Puerco, based on stories of viejitos of the Río Puerco valley, collected and edited by celebrated New Mexico folk historian, Nasario García, adapted and directed by Santa Fe playwright Shebana Coelho. Ranching families live out scenes of land, loss, and community spanning the 1910s through the 1950s in four now ghost towns near Cuba, NM: a boy flees raiding parties, influenza decimates a family; a viejita recounts somber and funny rituals with saints/santos; another sings ballads about tragedies; together they recreate losing livelihoods and cattle to land regulations and narrate ghost stories about brujería and cosas raras, witches and strange sights. The title, When The Stars Trembled in Río Puerco derives from a particular vignette which describes how people would go out onto the land and sleep on it "no matter if the stars were trembling from cold."
The play is adapted from a book of oral histories, Recuerdos de Los Viejitos, Tales of the Río Puerco Valley (1987: University of New Mexico Press in cooperation with the Historical Society of New Mexico) It features Rudy "Froggy' Fernández, Anna María Gonzales, Amador Gonzales, María Cristina López, Argos MacCallum, Oscar Rodríguez and JoJo Sena de Tarnoff. It is co-presented by Santa Fe-based Teatro Paraguas, where it premiered in April 2014 to sold-out audiences.
What unites all the vignettes, and forms the core of the project, is - as the characters in the play say, “aunque nosotros olvidemos, el pasado recuerda.” Even if we forget, the past remembers.
We are also working on a documentary about the Rio Puerco stories. More here.
Our first program is a play, When the Stars Trembled in Río Puerco, based on stories of viejitos of the Río Puerco valley, collected and edited by celebrated New Mexico folk historian, Nasario García, adapted and directed by Santa Fe playwright Shebana Coelho. Ranching families live out scenes of land, loss, and community spanning the 1910s through the 1950s in four now ghost towns near Cuba, NM: a boy flees raiding parties, influenza decimates a family; a viejita recounts somber and funny rituals with saints/santos; another sings ballads about tragedies; together they recreate losing livelihoods and cattle to land regulations and narrate ghost stories about brujería and cosas raras, witches and strange sights. The title, When The Stars Trembled in Río Puerco derives from a particular vignette which describes how people would go out onto the land and sleep on it "no matter if the stars were trembling from cold."
The play is adapted from a book of oral histories, Recuerdos de Los Viejitos, Tales of the Río Puerco Valley (1987: University of New Mexico Press in cooperation with the Historical Society of New Mexico) It features Rudy "Froggy' Fernández, Anna María Gonzales, Amador Gonzales, María Cristina López, Argos MacCallum, Oscar Rodríguez and JoJo Sena de Tarnoff. It is co-presented by Santa Fe-based Teatro Paraguas, where it premiered in April 2014 to sold-out audiences.
What unites all the vignettes, and forms the core of the project, is - as the characters in the play say, “aunque nosotros olvidemos, el pasado recuerda.” Even if we forget, the past remembers.
We are also working on a documentary about the Rio Puerco stories. More here.
BIOS - WHEN THE STARS TREMBLED IN RÍO PUERCO
Nasario García
(Folk historian, Collector & Editor, Recuerdos de los Viejitos: Tales of the Rio Puerco Valley)
Nasario García, a native New Mexican, was born in Bernalillo, but grew up in Ojo del Padre (Guadalupe), New Mexico in the Río Puerco valley southeast of Chaco Canyon. Considered a leading folklorist in New Mexico, Nasario has published 10 books in Spanish (the language of his countrymen and women) and English related to folklore and oral history. For the past thirty-plus years he has worked tirelessly to preserve the rich Hispanic culture and language of northern New Mexico. Besides his bilingual works on folklore and prose stories—the latter for adults as well as children—that depict a disappearing way of life in rural life New Mexico, García’s books of poetry also capture the spirit of his childhood in his village of Ojo del Padre. As he says in Bolitas de oro: Poems of My Marble-Playing Days, "Since reliving one’s past is not an option, offering a poetic vision of my upbringing in rural New Mexico was the next best thing."
Visit his website at nasariogarciaphd.com
(Folk historian, Collector & Editor, Recuerdos de los Viejitos: Tales of the Rio Puerco Valley)
Nasario García, a native New Mexican, was born in Bernalillo, but grew up in Ojo del Padre (Guadalupe), New Mexico in the Río Puerco valley southeast of Chaco Canyon. Considered a leading folklorist in New Mexico, Nasario has published 10 books in Spanish (the language of his countrymen and women) and English related to folklore and oral history. For the past thirty-plus years he has worked tirelessly to preserve the rich Hispanic culture and language of northern New Mexico. Besides his bilingual works on folklore and prose stories—the latter for adults as well as children—that depict a disappearing way of life in rural life New Mexico, García’s books of poetry also capture the spirit of his childhood in his village of Ojo del Padre. As he says in Bolitas de oro: Poems of My Marble-Playing Days, "Since reliving one’s past is not an option, offering a poetic vision of my upbringing in rural New Mexico was the next best thing."
Visit his website at nasariogarciaphd.com
Photo-Anna Maria Gonzales
Shebana Coelho
(Founding Director, Recuerdos Vivos New Mexico; Director, When the Stars Trembled in Río Puerco)
Shebana Coelho is an award-winning writer, director and filmmaker based in Santa Fe. Her documentary work has been broadcast on American Public Television, National Public Radio, The Discovery Channel, and BBC Radio Four and has received a Telly award and a South Asian Journalists' Association (SAJA) Best Documentary Award. Her other plays include the one acts, Undo (premiering April 28, 2014 at The Players Club in New York), Greenland (part of an evening of staged readings at the Santa Fe Playhouse in November 2013), and the full length plays, The Tree (reading July 2013 at Teatro Paraguas), Bless Me Father and When the Stars Trembled in Rio Puerco (Teatro Paraguas, April 2014). After being a nomad for many years, traveling through Mongolia, and South America, she now calls New Mexico home. (Read her poems, Creed and Going Gone about home) Her website is www.shebanacoelho.com
Listen to an interview with the women of the Rio Puerco on KUNM
(Founding Director, Recuerdos Vivos New Mexico; Director, When the Stars Trembled in Río Puerco)
Shebana Coelho is an award-winning writer, director and filmmaker based in Santa Fe. Her documentary work has been broadcast on American Public Television, National Public Radio, The Discovery Channel, and BBC Radio Four and has received a Telly award and a South Asian Journalists' Association (SAJA) Best Documentary Award. Her other plays include the one acts, Undo (premiering April 28, 2014 at The Players Club in New York), Greenland (part of an evening of staged readings at the Santa Fe Playhouse in November 2013), and the full length plays, The Tree (reading July 2013 at Teatro Paraguas), Bless Me Father and When the Stars Trembled in Rio Puerco (Teatro Paraguas, April 2014). After being a nomad for many years, traveling through Mongolia, and South America, she now calls New Mexico home. (Read her poems, Creed and Going Gone about home) Her website is www.shebanacoelho.com
Listen to an interview with the women of the Rio Puerco on KUNM
Cast - When The Stars Trembled in Río Puerco
Rudy "Froggy" Fernandez (Adrián) started acting with a speaking role in the Milagro Beanfield War directed by Robert Redford. Since then he has performed in many theatre plays at the Northern New Mexico Community College and at the Santa Fe Performing Arts, notably "Lotto", "Ay Compadre", and "Bless Me Ultima" that was toured extensively.
Anna Maria Gonzales (Wife/Emilia) is a native Santa Fean. Her first theatrical performance was as Rosalia in the 1984 Santa Fe High School production of West Side Story. She has joined Teatro Paraguas in its productions of The Day it Snowed Tortillas and La Culebra Ingrata (spring 2013) and Grandpa Lolo’s Navajo Saddle Blanket (fall 2013).
Listen to an interview with the women of the Rio Puerco on KUNM
Amador Gonzales (Young Nasario) is a Santa Fe native. He is 11 years old and has a passion for reading and playing basketball. He first appeared in Teatro Paraguas' production of A Musical Piñata for Christmas in 2012. He followed in Teatro Paraguas' productions of The Day it Snowed Tortillas and La Culebra Ingrata (spring 2013) and Grandpa Lolo’s Navajo Saddle Blanket (fall 2013).
María Cristina López (Susanita) grew up on the border, Cd. Juarez, across from El Paso , Texas. There is where she started crossing borders, physically, linguistically, culturally. She has lived in New Mexico more than half her life, raising her sons, learning the history and making the connections. She is a retired professor from the Santa Fe Community College of Spanish Language and Literature classes. Her passion has been the Heritage Spanish program because “Language and identity are so closely bonded that as one is strengthen the other blooms”. In 1990 she received the Gloria Steinem: Women of Vision Award from work in the Area of Empowerment and Leadership. When she is not interpreting in the courts, María Cristina is active as a co founder and board member of “Somos un Pueblo Unido,” a state wide immigrants’ rights organization. She is also the Co-Chair of the City of Santa Fe Immigration Committee. The stories, adivinanzas and chiquiaos that make up the Rio Puerco play are familiar to people from Northern Mexico, the Spanish is still heard amongst the viejitos of the rural communities of Chihuahua and Durango. Ms. Lopez feels honored to be part of this dramatic project. It is her first acting experience. She is familiar with Professor Nasario Garcia’s books, she used them in her Spanish classes at SFCC to illustrate the history and language of New Mexico left out of the text books. Listen to an interview with the women of the Rio Puerco on KUNM.
Oscar Rodriguez (Bencés) born in Puerto Rico is a graduate of New York City’s Fame High School of the Performing Arts. He worked Off Broadway and with several national touring companies before settling in New Mexico 43 years ago. New Mexican theatre audiences will remember him from several local productions including West Side Story, Godspell. Fiddler on the Roof, Equus, Pvt. Wars, Kentucky Cycle, Plaza, Bodas de Sangre plus Rudolfo Anaya’s The Season of La Llorona, Ay! Compadre and Bless Me, Ultima. He was last seen in Teatro Paraguas' production of Manhattan Glass.
JoJo Sena de Tarnoff (Abuela) is a native of Santa Fe. She has been performing since the age of 5 starting with the Lily Baca Spanish Dance Company. She is also an accomplished flutist/musician and composer. She has performed in & directed many productions & cuentos with Teatro Paraguas, her latest was "A Musical Pinata for Christmas."
Listen to an interview with the women of the Rio Puerco on KUNM
Listen to an interview with the women of the Rio Puerco on KUNM
Argos MacCallum (Bell Agent) is a founding member of Teatro Paraguas and currently serves as TP’s board president. He has been active in theatre in Santa Fe as an actor and director for over 40 years.
We were grateful to have the following performers join us for our staged reading in Dixon & Preview event at Paraguas.
Juanita Sena-Shannon a native Santa Fean, has also appeared as Ultima, Nana and Linda in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima, Rosa Linda and Ay Compadre. Stage credits include New Mexico playwrights Law Chavez’ Senora de la Pinta, Joey Chavez’ Manhattan Glass and El Pozito, Patricia Crespin’s We are Hispanic American Women, OK?, Denise Chavez’ Plaza, as well as Blood Wedding, Agnes of God, The Mikado, A Raisin in the Sun, Charlotte’s Web, Oliver, Godspell, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbo’ is Enuf. Film credits include Before We Say Goodbye, The Mikado, Pow Wow Highway, Second Thoughts, Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion, and Blue Deville.
Dolores Valdez de Pong was born in Alamosa, Colorado and has lived in NM for nearly 40 years. She taught for the Santa Fe Public Schools for 37 years. She has written many children's plays and composed numerous children's songs that pertain to New Mexico's history and culture. Now retired from full time teaching, she has been performing for Bible Alive Theater as their accompanist, among many other activities.