Collector and Collected

Celebrating Heritage

CASA SAN YSIDRO OFFERS SLATE OF LECTURES AND CLASSES.

THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, Casa San Ysidro: The Gutiérrez/Minge House will host events highlighting New Mexico’s cultural heritage. The first event, Celebrating Statehood, features lectures by New Mexico historians on Saturday, July 13. Jim Harris, director of the Lea County Museum, will discuss how statehood and the oil boom dramatically changed the economics and demographics of New Mexico’s southeastern region. Historian George C. Garcia specializes in the little-known lore of Spanish contributions to the American Revolution. Garcia, whose own ancestor was a presidio soldier in the territory of New Spain, will discuss his family’s legacy and how the citizens of the territory, no matter their financial circumstances, donated money to the rebel cause.

“My [great, great] grandfather was born in Corrales in 1757, and when the American Revolution broke out, Spain declared itself an ally of the United States. Everyone in Corrales was asked to contribute two pesos to the cause. Back then a peso was worth about thirty dollars, which was more than a lot of people had, but everyone gave.” Garcia’s presentation will also be about Bernardo de Galvez, a soldier during the American Revolution, who in 2014 became only the eighth person to receive honorary American citizenship along with Winston Churchill, William Penn, and Saint Teresa. “Galvez was a Spaniard who was a hero to the Americans in the War of Independence. If it hadn’t been for that victory we would be part of the British Empire and there would be no New Mexico,” Garcia says. Celebrating Statehood also will feature a discussion of the process of transforming the imaginary line dividing Texas and New Mexico into a recognized political border. A behind-the-scenes tour of Casa San Ysidro’s artifacts from the early twentieth century when the Territory of New Spain became the State of New Mexico will also be offered. During summer and fall visitors can also take classes exploring New Mexico’s heritage. In the Basic Blacksmithing class run by UNM Continuing Education, artist-blacksmith Dave Sabo introduces skills in heating and forging metal to make objects both useful and beautiful. The Introduction to Homesteading series, taught by Rachel Hillier

THIS PAGE: Harvest Festival happenings include crafts, traditional foods, hands-on spinning classes, and many vendors selling modern takes on traditional arts.

of Little Dirt Farms in Corrales, celebrates traditional foods and sustainable farming methods of the Southwest. Each session comprises a lecture followed by hands-on activities. The July 27 class focuses on the time-honored traditions of fermenting, canning, freezing, and drying, and the August 10 class explores planting fall crops. ($10 fee, register in advance) Fiber artists Myra Chang Thompson, Carla Wackenheim, and Emily Stovel teach a series of handson heritage spinning and weaving workshops. On July 27, students will learn how to make yarns using a spinning wheel. The August 24 class will include a demonstration of table looms and traditional patterns for jerga (a coarsely woven mat or item of clothing) and colcha (a decorative fabric often used as a bedspread). On September 28 and 29, Casa San Ysidro, in collaboration with the Village of Corrales, puts on its annual Harvest Festival. The public can enjoy free demonstrations in spinning and weaving, blacksmithing, horno breadbaking, crafts, music and dance performances, and plenty of activities for kids. Visitors will also be able to support local artisans and food vendors.