Remembering the Age-old Art of Storytelling
The True Story of Juan B. Rael
By Dr. Terra Liddil
Before the internet and Netflix - before television - before the radio … there were stories. And there were storytellers, or cuentistas.
Cuentistas charmed young and old with their lovable characters and engaging plots.
The pristine mountains and valleys of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado are dotted with small indo-hispanic villages and communities settled hundreds of years ago. Interconnected by common history and culture, the people of these villages call themselves Manitos, or brothers.
In these communities, the cuentistas have played an important role as teachers, entertainers, and charmers. Their folktales evoke passions, teach about origins, and help make sense of the world. They teach values like honesty and resilience, as in The Spider, The Ant, and The Grasshopper by Candelaria Valdez. Their cuentos are a vital part of the village culture and traditions.
Juan B. Valdez was a Manito from the village of Arroyo Hondo, north of Taos. Unlike many villagers, Juan had become a scholar, and was pursuing a doctorate at Stanford University. The subject of his doctorate was the language and culture of his people, the Manitos.
Dressed in a suit and tie, Juan traveled the hills and valleys of his youth searching for the cuentistas of each community. Across simple kitchen tables, before warm fires, and along sunny porches, Juan leaned in and listened to each cuentista story. He diligently copied down the cuentos in his notebook.
Now, you might imagine these cuentistas to be viejas and viejos (old folks). But in reality, there were young and old alike. In fact, their ages ranged from 20 years to 80 years!
Over the years, Mr. Rael collected over 410 stories from 97 cuentistas.
Stories like The Mouse by Thomas Barela of Taos, New Mexico: “Once upon a time there was a house mouse. He was very fat. One day it occurred to him…
Or The Milk Giving Tree by Refugio Valdez of Costilla, New Mexico: “One day, a little rabbit and a little coyote found themselves in the same place, and …
Mr. Rael eventually published the original stories in a book titled. Cuentos Españoles de Colorado y Nuevo Mexico: Spanish Folk Tales of Colorado and New Mexico.
These delightful tales have now been brought to light by students from the NMHU Department of Media Arts and Technology.
As part of the Manitos Community Memory Project*, the students have created an illustrated exhibit of the stories collected by Juan B. Rael, along with biographies of their cuentistas.
Would you like to read more of these charming tales?
If so, you’re in luck! This exhibit has now made a new home in our museum.
Come visit us at 727 Grand Ave. to learn more about these special stories and the cuentistas!
The Manitos Memory Project was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.