Bernalillo

In Bernalillo: Yesterday's Sunshine, Today's Shadows, folklorist, oral historian, and linguist Nasario García has assembled a bittersweet anthology of vivid and varied recollections of life and tradition in Bernalillo, New Mexico, between the 1930s and the beginning of the twenty-first century. These glimpses of the past, delivered orally by a group of long-time residents of Bernalillo and only later set to paper by García, brim with expressions of pride punctuated by sadness over irreversible loss. Reading the genuine, understated emotions of these 15 elders gives the sensation of sitting in their salas on a Sunday afternoon and listening to them recount their being anchored in another time, now foreign to most of their descendants and successors. It is instructive for all of us to be reminded how recently and how radically Hispanic New Mexico, represented here by the town of Bernalillo, has been transformed, for better or worse. - Richard Flint, Author of No Settlement, No Conquest: a History of the Coronado Entrada History conveys great knowledge and wisdom for those who are patient enough to listen. Nasario García has listened intently to the old-timers of his native Bernalillo, sharing their words in both English and Spanish for all to understand and appreciate. The result is his twentieth oral history book, each a true gem for all students of New Mexico history and culture. - Richard A. Melzer, Author of New Mexico: A Celebration of the Land of Enchantment The living testimony of the elders of Bernalillo emerges under the sensitive ear and gifted pen of one of New Mexico's finest storytellers. Between the light and dark, Bernalillo is born, a continuum of wisdom into words, all telling of the profundity of a place. García's metaphor of darkness-where beauty may also sit­-invites an active vigilance born from a storied introspection. -Estevan Rael-Gálvez, Vice President of Historic Sites, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C.