I Love New Mexico Books: Bunny Terry (Re-release)

Episode Transcript

Bunny: (00:00)
Hi there. I’m Bunny Terry, and you’re listening to the I Love New Mexico podcast. Whether you’re a native New Mexican, who’s lived here for your entire life, or you’re just considering a visit, this episode is for you. Join us as we share a lot of New Mexico stories, Talk about all things New Mexico, and include topics like what’s magical here, where you ought to visit, what’s happening, and the things you absolutely cannot miss in the land of, in chat. We’re excited that you’re here, and we can’t wait to show you what an amazing place New Mexico is, because let’s face it, I love New Mexico.

Bunny: (00:49)
For those of you who have been following me for a while, and for those of you who know me well already, you all know that Bunny Terry is a big book reader. I don’t just love New Mexico. I love reading. In fact, I kind of feel like, um, my entire life is, um, one event after another, another to keep me from sitting down to read another book. So I thought it would be really fun to give you a quick list and, um, a short synopsis of maybe four or five books that whether you’re coming to New Mexico to visit for the first time, or you’ve lived here all your life, you don’t wanna miss. These are books that are either about New Mexico or written by New Mexico authors that were, that perhaps were assigned to me in college or that I picked up accidentally, um, maybe in the free book box over at Opposite here in Santa Fe. But I have to tell you that I, from time to time, I just want to introduce you to some of the New Mexico books that I love and I think will broaden your knowledge about the state. And they’re fun to read. I’m not gonna pick up a book that’s not fun to read. These are not dry historic tones that you grit your teeth and read. Although the first one when it was assigned to me when I was in college, um, was like, really? I’m, I’m gonna read the Journal of a Woman written in 1846. I’m, I’m, you know, I was at the time probably reading, um, Tony Hillerman and Michael McGarity thrillers, but I was in a, um, New Mexico history class at the University of New Mexico. And, um, my professor, this was on the book list. And so I picked it up and I, I can’t believe it wasn’t assigned earlier in life, like when I was in high school taking to Mexico history.

Bunny: (02:56)
And it is Susan Shelby Han’s Diary, um, that is called Down the Santa Fe Trail and into New Mexico. It was written in, 1846 and 1847, and Susan Shelby McGuffin, Feel free to correct me if I get any of these details wrong, just chime in on the comments. But Susan Shelby McGuffin was an 18 year old newlywed. She was, she’s considered perhaps to be the first white woman to travel the Santa Fe Trail. And she writes this great diary that’s very detailed about not only, um, the hardships of being on the trail, but you know, being a young, educated white woman, um, in a place where, um, she’s surrounded by men. She’s surrounded by, um, people who are not familiar to her, some Mexicans, some Native Americans. Her descriptions are pretty, um, spot on, and she’s really candid. Um, you know, she, she had only been married eight months and she sat out on the trail with her husband. He was a veteran Santa Fe trader, and, and I believe considerably older than her. And they left Independence Missouri. They traveled, um, the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico and then went south to Chihuahua. And, and, um, she wrote this journal at the time that the Mexican War was beginning and New Mexico was occupied at the time by, um, Kearney and the army of the West. And, the journal is interesting in that, um, she writes about the adventures, but she also writes about the sheer drudgery of being on this wagon train. Um, along the way, they stop at Benett fort where she has a miscarriage. She suffers that in the midst of rather primitive conditions. And, um, a husband who perhaps doesn’t completely understand her she, they leave bent sport and she describes, you know a wagon rack and climbing mountains and hills.

Bunny: (05:42)
At one point, she says something about physical exertion is supposed to be good for you, then I’m obviously, um, in, in the best place in my life physically. Um, she, they end up in Santa Fe, which she describes a as a dusty, dirty town. But interesting to her. She meets, um, well, she meets Zachary Taylor. And, um, she meets, um, Kearney. She meets a lot of folks along the way that, um, I mean, this reads like a, a piece of history, and yet it’s, it’s a really, it’s a fun read because she’s so, um, interested and interesting in her surroundings, and she becomes adept in Spanish. She learns the lingo of the trailers, and she writes down in, in, in really, really detail. Um, she writes the Customs and, and she writes about the, um, places that she visits. She also eventually gives birth to her first child on the trip. And one of the things she says is that this is a quote directly from her. She says, This thing of marrying is not what it is cracked up to be, but she ends up 15 months after the, the Journal begins. She ends up back in Independence, Missouri, and has this great story to tell. I just, I, one of the things I love about this book is that it so mirrors what seems to happen to people when they come to New Mexico for the first time. Obviously, obviously, you’re not gonna have to traverse the Ratone Pass in a wagon, but the culture is different enough that it’s very surprising, if you haven’t been here before. So I would say whether you’ve lived here all your life or you’re visiting for the first time, I’d pick up this book and read it. It’s, it’s fun, it’s easy, it’s surprising.

Bunny: (07:54)
And, Susan Shelby McGuffin, it’s Diary 1846 and 1847 down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico. I think you’re gonna love it. Let me know what you think. And there will be a link so that you can purchase it if you don’t already own it or you weren’t able to find it in the free bin at your local bookstore. I’m almost embarrassed to talk about the next book because I just assume that everybody has read, Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya if you haven’t, go and find it right now, There’s a link in the podcast materials to it. But, um, it, for somebody who loves words so much, sometimes I have a hard time coming up with descriptions for the thing, these books that I’ve read over and over and over again. In fact, sometimes it’s easiest just to read the back, the back of the book. So this is, and this is my old copy, Bless me. Ultima was, um, it was published in, um, 1960, I’m sorry, 1972. Um, Rudolfo Anaya is a New Mexico treasure. He passed away in 2020. And it was you know, that was the year that when we lost a lot of luminaries because of Covid, you know, But to me, hearing that Rudolfo and I had passed away was sort of like hearing also that John Prime had passed away because he’s such a treasure. He was born kind of over in my neck of the woods in Eastern New Mexico, in pastor, which is near Santa Rosa. And, um, his dad was of a carro. He was from a family of cattle workers and sheep, hers, and his mother, whose name was Raita. And, um, she was from a family from Port de Luna, which is in the Pecos Valley. It’s also close to Santa Rosa if you’re ever driving around. Port de Luna is a great place to visit. It’s where the, um, where a fish hatchery used to be. I don’t even know if there’s still a fish hatchery there, but drive down to Port Del Luna sometime. It’s kind of south and west of Santa Rosa. But so Rufa and I grew up, um, on what the, the yano, the Yano, West staccato, but he, he references it. Um, it is, they called it the Yano cca. That means the steak plains. That’s in order to travel across it and keep your bearings because it’s such a flat surface with few landmarks. Um, Native Americans and cattle drivers alike had to put stakes in the planes. This is what I understand. And of course, I always, um, I’m always quick to say that I may not have the history absolutely correct because it’s all in my head, but he grew up out on the desert flatlands of New Mexico and went to UNM where he got a BA in a English, and, and the, and, and he’s quick to say Anaya is quick to say that the things he learned at UNM didn’t necessarily fit in with his own story.

Bunny: (11:26)
And of course, we’re always taught to write what you know, but there weren’t authors at, at the time that, that were mentors to Rudolfo Anaya and who could speak to his life experiences at Chicago. And I’m gonna read directly from what he says about the breakthrough that led to Bless Me, Ultima But he says that the great breakthrough in finding his voice as a writer occurred in an evening when he was riding late at night, and he was struggling to find a way to get this novel, to come together. And then he says, I felt something behind me. And I turned, and there is this old woman dressed in black, and she asked me what I am doing. Well, I’m trying to write about my childhood, you know, about growing up in that small town. And she said, Well, you will never get it right until you put me in it. I said, Well, who are you? And she said, Ultima. And so Annia writes this story that set in a fictional town of Guadalupe, New Mexico, just after World War II. And it’s written from the point of view of a seven year old boy named Antonio Juan Márez y Luna. And they call him Tony at home, and he reflects on growing up. But, um, when he’s almost seven, his family decides to house, kundera, who is a, a healer in the Spanish tradition, in the Mexican tradition. He, um, actually cut all that out. She’s just, she’s a r kundera which means she is an herbal healer, and her name is Ultima. And she was, I mean, they can, it, it was an honor to get Ultima to come and live in their house, and they treated her, They called her La Grande in their household, and she, she was all, she was part of, She embodied the wisdom of the ancestors, and, and it was important for her to be there in the moment that Tony was coming of age. And this is a book about, um, Tony learning, you know, going through his first communion and, um, figuring out what was important to him. It’s about being bullied. It’s about spells and, um, just it’s, it, it is the perfect embodiment of what it was like to be a young Chicano. And of course, when I use these terms, I hope that I’m using terms that are still appropriate in this time. But, but it was, you know, Tony’s, Tony’s dad wants him to be a cowboy. Tony’s mother wants him to be a priest. Um, you know, his, his dad also has this, this dream of leaving New Mexico and going to California and, um, taking his sons. And he wants to, he wants to go to California because he wants to, in the words of Anaya, recapture the openness of the llano. And and when he was born, Ultima was one of the midwives, and she said, uh, only I will know his destiny. So Tony has this immediate bond with Ultima. He learns about herbs and barks that she uses for healing and in their ceremonies. And, but you know, there, there are bumps along the way. He witnesses the death of a man who’s just back from the war. He begins school in the fall. He’s, um, there’s a lot that happens in this book. And there, um, you know, evidently Ultima maybe cast a spell on somebody in the village. Um, you know, there’s a lot of symbolism. There’s perhaps a little witchcraft, but what you get is a look at that culture at a time when nobody was writing about it. It was really, um, you know, the Denver Post called Anaya, one of the nation’s foremost Chicano literary literary artist. Um, I think it, you know, the most important thing to know is that this is a book you’re not gonna find anywhere else.

Bunny: (16:13)
That was written at a time when nobody was writing like this. And there was a, a movie eventually made about this , It was panned by the critics, but I loved, it was one, one of my favorite movies ever. So get the link, find the movie, um, enjoy, Bless me, Ultima and know that we consider in New Mexico. And, and really, um, it, it won this book won what’s called the Premiero Soul, the National Chicano Literary Award. Um, if you’re coming to New Mexico, or you’ve lived here all your life, bless me, Ultima is an absolute must in my book, I and you, if you haven’t read it in the last 20 years, pick it up again. Take a second look, because it’s really amazing.

Bunny: (17:05)
And the last book I’m gonna talk about in this particular podcast, um, and it’s gonna surprise people who know me. I know my producer, uh, and my daughter Johanna, is going to say, What You left out Red Sky at morning? Well, I left out Red Sky at Morning because I think it deserves its own entire podcast. And, but if you’re listening, just go pick up a copy of Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford and read it and enjoy it. But, the third book I wanna talk about today when we’re talking about books that I love is Cities of Gold by my friend Doug Preston. And Doug wasn’t my friend when I read the book the first time. Um, I read it the first time when I was at home, um, in the middle of cancer treatment. And it is, um, it is this big thick, heavy book. And somebody gave it to me as a gift, and I was like, Are you kidding? I mean, I can hardly concentrate enough to watch the Kardashians on tv. I’m sure I can’t read a book like this that, um, is presented as a journey across the American Southwest, But I gotta tell you, it immediately, immediately grabbed my attention. And, um, and then I was, I was, um, fortunate enough to get to have dinner with Doug Preston, and he talks about the book, and he’s, If you don’t know Doug Preston, just look him up. He has written, um, some mysteries. Um, he has, he tells great stories. He’s an accomplished, accomplished, um, author. And, um, he’s, and he never stops. He never ever stops. So we can do an entire, I want to get him on the podcast, but we can do an entire podcast on the books that Doug Preston has written. He lives here in Santa Fe and just like, uh, Rudolph and I, he’s a, a great New Mexico treasure, and he is still alive. So if you have the chance to have dinner with Doug Preston or, or to go to a book signing, sign up, um, he’s a fun guy. He is more interested in the world than anybody I know. He’s, and he’s got diverse interest, but cities of Gold was written at, um, he lived in Pecos at the time, and, um, had this idea to follow the path of Coronado from the border of Mexico all the way to, um, the Pueblo at Pecos. And, um, this was, it was published by the University of New Mexico Press in 1992, But it’s still timely. The, it’s, it’s a hilarious story of a dozen missteps, but, um, what a great idea. What and I’m gonna tell you, I haven’t read it recently, so I may get some of the facts wrong, but the cool thing was my understanding and the story that Doug tells is that he was sitting around thinking about what a great, um, story it would be and how cool it would be to set off from the Mexican border and end up buy horseback. And he needed, he was gonna bring two people along with him, a guide and a wrangler. You know, somebody needed to take care of the horses and somebody needed to help him find his way. And so, um, one of the funniest parts of the book early on is that he hired a wrangler who, who assured him that he knew everything there was to know about horses. And they start off on this trip, and it becomes apparent, I believe, on the first day that the Wrangler he has hired is very unhandy when it comes to taking care of horses. And, you know, Doug and his guide are kind of horse guys, but not not nearly as accomplished as one might want to be for this sort of a trip. They end up in places in Arizona where they’re crossing highways and they’re in, in towns. But they also end up in areas where it’s, it’s almost impossible to pass through the countryside with the three horses. They have much less Coronado who brought hundreds of, um, quista doors with him, you know, weighted down with supplies and metals. He brought carts, wooden carts. So along the way Preston doesn’t just talk about his trip, he links it to what Coronado was doing at the time. Some of the most fascinating pieces of the stories of early conquest to me are when, um, the, the Spanish Conquistadores met and, and, and explorers met Native peoples. And there is an incredible story of when Coronados entire entourage of hundreds of people kicking up huge dust, and they’ve gone for days and days without water. And they, um, the first contact between the Spanish and the Native Americans was at Zuni Pueblo. And it changed history. And I mean, sometimes I get choked up when I talk about this because I’m, I have to stop. Sorry, cut all that out. So the first point of conquest, the first point of contact was at Zuni Pueblo and , and in Doug’s trip, they were just like the Spanish searching for water. Um, they go on to spend time at Zuni. And you know, they have levels of contact Doug and, and his guide. They’ve, by this time gotten rid of the Wrangler. He was absolutely worthless. But they, um, they learn things about the Zuni culture that they thought they knew all along. They then leave there and they have to travel from Zuni to Pecos. They have to avoid Albuquerque, even though, um, that wasn’t part of, of what Coronado did. I mean, Coronado went, went straight up the Rio Grand Valley.

Bunny: (24:00)
They end up at Pecos back where they started months later. I just, I want you to know that if you want to understand a little more about New Mexico culture and topography and how unique and incredible it is, you have to pick up cities of gold and don’t be daunted by this book. You’re gonna love it. You’re going to, and you’re immediately gonna become a fan of Doug Preston. And, um, you’re gonna wanna make your own journey across the American Southwest. So those are three books that I’ve recommended to you to start your, um, New Mexico Library if you don’t already have it. And if you’ve already read them, I’d love to hear what you thought about them down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico. Susan Shelby McGuffin, um, written in 1846 and 87, bless me, Ultima by Rudolph Annia, which was written and uh, like for, I think it was five years, it took him 66 to 71 to, um, and this was published in 1971, um, or 72. I’ve already forgotten in the five minutes that we’ve worked on this, Doug Preston’s Cities of Gold, which was published in 1992, but is still timely and still a really fun read. Those are my New Mexico books this week, and I’ll be back in three or four weeks with another set. I can’t wait to hear what you think. I wanna thank our listeners for being here. It’s always a treat to me and to Johanna to get to share stories about the Land of Enchantment, the place that we love so much. We’d ask that you, if you have a chance, download, share, review, like do all the things that you do, um, when you’re listening to podcast on your favorite platform. And please, please be sure and come back next week and hear what we have to say. And if you have ideas for the podcast, if you know somebody that we would be a good guest, if you’d be a good guest, if you have something you really wanna share about New Mexico, please feel free to reach out to us at I love newmexicoblog@gmail.com. You’ll find our contact information of in all of our social media sites at the bottom of the podcast. And we’re so glad you’re here. Take care.