Grandpa Lolo and Trampa: A Story of Surprise and Mystery

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.