Publisher's Synopsis
Cuentos del Puerto de Luna relates many old cuentos, stories, and lore about the historic Guadalupe county village of Puerto de Luna. Puerto de Luna, founded in 1862, is rich in history and lore. The cuentos are presented as vignettes that each tell a story about an event or a happening in Puerto de Luna. Many are old newspaper articles that date back to the 1870s. Each helps preserve a part of the village's rich and colorful past. Some are also illustrated with period photographs. Included are sections on Defunciones and Enlasos, Deaths and Marriages. The defunciones and enlasos include many newspaper notices about funerals and marriages from area newspapers. During that period of time Spanish was the main spoken language in Puerto de Luna. Those news items, when written in Spanish, are presented in their original Spanish. The Spanish of the time was full of local color and translating the items into English would not have preserved that flavor. The notices are also full of Catholic religion connotations, Catholicism being the prevalent religion in the Puerto de Luna and northern New Mexico. Several vignettes provide an insight into the lore of the area. The beliefs, often based on superstition, were important in the everyday life of rural New Mexicans in that period of time. The area lore was also rich in religious beliefs such as the Corpus Christi celebration, the los pastores Christmas presentation and other religious fiestas. Two corridos, ballads, one about Billy the Kid and the second lamenting a marriage tragedy are included, both in Spanish. Several recreational activities such as la corrida del gallo and a game called tejas are included in Cuentos. Cuentos vignettes also include stories about some of the leading citizens during that period of time, people such as Lorenzo Labadie, James Madison Giddings, Juan Patrón, Billy the Kid, Celso Baca, and Paco Baca.
