Bernalillo

In Bernalillo: Yesterday’s Sunshine, Today’s Shadows, folklorist, oral historian, and linguist Nasario García has assembled a bittersweet anthology of vivid and varied recollections of life and tradition in Bernalillo, New Mexico, between the 1930s and the beginning of the twenty-first century. These glimpses of the past, delivered orally by a group of long-time residents of Bernalillo and only later set to paper by García, brim with expressions of pride punctuated by sadness over irreversible loss. Reading the genuine, understated emotions of these 15 elders gives the sensation of sitting in their salas on a Sunday afternoon and listening to them recount their being anchored in another time, now foreign to most of their descendants and successors. It is instructive for all of us to be reminded how recently and how radically Hispanic New Mexico, represented here by the town of Bernalillo, has been transformed, for better or worse. — Richard Flint, Author of No Settlement, No Conquest: a History of the Coronado Entrada

In Bernalillo: Yesterday’s Sunshine, Today’s Shadows, folklorist, oral historian, and linguist Nasario García has assembled a bittersweet anthology of vivid and varied recollections of life and tradition in Bernalillo, New Mexico, between the 1930s and the beginning of the twenty-first century. These glimpses of the past, delivered orally by a group of long-time residents of Bernalillo and only later set to paper by García, brim with expressions of pride punctuated by sadness over irreversible loss. Reading the genuine, understated emotions of these 15 elders gives the sensation of sitting in their salas on a Sunday afternoon and listening to them recount their being anchored in another time, now foreign to most of their descendants and successors. It is instructive for all of us to be reminded how recently and how radically Hispanic New Mexico, represented here by the town of Bernalillo, has been transformed, for better or worse. — Richard Flint, Author of No Settlement, No Conquest: a History of the Coronado Entrada History conveys great knowledge and wisdom for those who are patient enough to listen. Nasario García has listened intently to the old-timers of his native Bernalillo, sharing their words in both English and Spanish for all to understand and appreciate. The result is his twentieth oral history book, each a true gem for all students of New Mexico history and culture. — Richard A. Melzer, Author of New Mexico: A Celebration of the Land of Enchantment The living testimony of the elders of Bernalillo emerges under the sensitive ear and gifted pen of one of New Mexico’s finest storytellers. Between the light and dark, Bernalillo is born, a continuum of wisdom into words, all telling of the profundity of a place. García’s metaphor of darkness—where beauty may also sit­—invites an active vigilance born from a storied introspection. —Estevan Rael-Gálvez, Vice President of Historic Sites, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C.

Nasario García was born in Bernalillo, New Mexico and grew up in the Río Puerco Valley southeast of Chaco Canyon. He received his BA and MA degrees in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of New Mexico. While a doctoral student at the University of Granada, Spain he studied under the eminent linguist Dr. Manuel Alvar. García was awarded his Ph.D. in XIX century Spanish literature from the University of Pittsburgh. He began his teaching career at Chatham College in Pittsburgh and subsequently taught in Illinois, New Mexico and Colorado. At the University of Southern Colorado, he served as Assistant Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs as well as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. For the past 30-plus years García has devoted his life to the preservation of Hispanic language, culture and folklore of New Mexico. He has authored/co-authored 24 books; among them— Grandpa Lolo’s Navajo Saddle Blanket: La tilma de Abuelito Lolo (University of New Mexico Press, 2012), Grandma’s Santo on Its Head: Stories of Days Gone By in Hispanic Villages of New Mexico/El santo patas arriba de mi abuelita: Cuentos de días gloriosos en pueblitos hispanos de Nuevo México (University of New Mexico Press, 2013), and Rattling Chains and Other Stories for Children: Ruido de cadenas y otros cuentos para niños (Arte Público Press, 2009). García has also edited and/or translated five books. An Emeritus Professor of Spanish, he resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.