Rivera, Nicasio Enrique (Albuquerque, NM)
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Document Type
Audio
Publication Date
6-18-1984
Recommended Citation
Atrisco Oral History Project (MSS 565), Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.
COinS
Comments
Memories of his childhood in Atrisco: no TV but they played with simple things and helped with the ranch chores as the area was very agricultural. Families were very united and helped each other. He worked with the Merced commissioners. People in the past used to live on farming various crops, there was no agricultural machinery to work the land. They used horses to plow the soil, they had the acequias to water the fields. They had 3 acequias: El Arenal, Atrisco, and Armijo. The Water Conservancy system and the Water Mayordomos. Story of his family heirship of the land in Atrisco. The area where he lives was called El Arenal. Explaining the reason why this area was also knowm as 'El Wache'. Memories of his time in school and his teachers. He stopped going to school when he was 16 to go to work in the ranches around. His views of life in the past and the present: people used to work hard for low wages in the ranches to have food to eat, now everything comes from the store. Working in the past was harder than now. El entretenimiento de los jóvens en el pasado: bailes, carreras de caballos, tocaban música, las matanzas [slaughtering of a hog, or a sheep]. Men were in charge of the matanza, meat chopping, and making chicharrones. Women helped with the cooking of special dishes with the meat. More on sowing corn and chile. Los camposantos en Atrisco, and the camposanto on La Vega Road where his grandparents are buried. Las Pastorelas and the foods they used to eat during la Cuaresma [Holy week].