In this episode a group of over 25 folks come together at the Screamin’ Bull Outfitters Lodge for the Amalia & Ventero Community Memory Gathering. Hosts and owners of the lodge, Chris, Gloria and Louie Lucero welcomed all with chile and pozole, snacks and drinks. Relatives, friends, neighbors and curious ones came to the lodge to listen and reflect together on the early days, childhood memories, family connections and experiences, community histories, local schools, teachers, and living off the land through timber production, sheep herding, cattle ranching, farming, hunting, fishing and guiding. Among the folks who shared stories and historical reflections were Manuel Martinez, Maxine Ortega, Ron Martinez, Vangie Leyba and Louie, Gloria and Chris Lucero, as well as others. We are grateful to all who attended and shared stories.

Water, land, family, childhood experiences and a strong, self-reliant work ethic were at the center of the conversation. In this episode we learn about the RCCLA (Rio Costilla Cooperative Livestock Association), established in 1942, with the purchase of 80,0000 acres of land from the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant. Its cooperative ownership bonds the community together, continuing the land grant legacy. If one’s family bloodline is not already part of it, there’s no way to buy your way into it. We also learned that Amalia was originally known as “Piña” when it was established in 1844, but later was often confused by the Post Office with another town called “Pina,” so the name was changed to Amalia by the postmaster in 1919.

Voces de Nuestro País are monthly story gatherings celebrating local voices and culture. This episode was recorded in a community gathering on October 17, 2026 at Screamin’ Bull Lodge in Amalia, NM in collaboration with Questa Public Library and Voices of the Northern Rio Grande community archive. With MC Michael Rael, these gatherings bring our community together through stories of family, community, history, love, land, work, adventures, and misadventures. Event support with Questa Public Library; audio recording and event coordination by Claire Coté; videography by Wyman Edwards; editing and upload by Dan Frank Digital Design (Dan Khuen); opening and closing music by Michael Rael. Much gratitude to our hosts and owners of the lodge, Chris, Gloria and Louie Lucero who welcomed all with chile and pasole, snacks and drinks, and helped bring the group together.

Voces de Nuestro País events and podcast are made possible through the generous support from the LOR Foundation, TCF Chevron Grants for Good, and individual contributions. Thank you to everyone who attends and helps make these gatherings possible. ¡Gracias!

This episode features Bobby Ortega and his son, Dwayne Ortega, in conversation with MC Michael Rael, sharing the history, culture, and natural beauty of Questa, New Mexico. The discussion opens with reflections on the local mountains, trails, and canyons (2:02 - 13:21), as Bobby shares personal experiences and the inspiration he draws from the region's landscape, alongside a call to preserve these natural spaces for future generations. Throughout the conversation, Dwayne performs traditional music, including mariachi songs and the entrega, a wedding ritual song, discussing how understanding the lyrics is essential to conveying the true emotion behind the music (29:22 - 33:43, 1:05:07 - 1:12:32).

The heart of the conversation centers on family history and cultural preservation. Bobby and Dwayne trace their lineage through the Rael and Ortega families (49:33 - 52:14, 58:45 - 59:51) and describe the historical significance of the matanza, a traditional community butchering practice (36:00 - 38:40). They also recall local sheep herders from the early 20th century, with Bobby sharing stories of his grandfather and noting how the surrounding mountains carry physical traces of this history, including old tree carvings found in the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness, such as one dated 1911 and attributed to Cleofus Vigil. The pair further honor Northern New Mexico musical traditions like Dando los Dias, paying tribute to the legacy of musicians such as Evarito Flaminio Ortiz, who once led los Dias in the Questa area, and expressing gratitude to figures like Bernie Torres for keeping these customs alive today.

The conversation also touches on the role of the Catholic church in Questa as a cornerstone of community, culture and history (1:21:32 - 1:22:28), reinforcing storytelling and music as vital threads connecting past and present. Ultimately, the episode serves as a heartfelt tribute to the heritage of Questa and the Northern Rio Grande region, closing with a reflection on the responsibility of passing these traditions to the next generation with the acknowledgment that even as younger community members like Dwayne balance work and family commitments, carrying this cultural legacy forward remains a shared duty.

Voces de Nuestro País are monthly story gatherings celebrating local voices and culture. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience on September 12, 2026 at Questa Public Library in collaboration with Voices of the Northern Rio Grande community archive. With MC Michael Rael, these gatherings bring our community together through stories of family, community, history, love, land, work, adventures, and misadventures. Event hosting by Questa Public Library; audio recording and event coordination by Claire Coté; videography by Wyman Edwards; editing and upload by Dan Frank Digital Design (Dan Khuen); opening and closing music by Michael Rael.

Voces de Nuestro País events and podcast are made possible through the generous support from the LOR Foundation, TCF Chevron Grants for Good, and individual contributions. Thank you to everyone who attends and helps make these gatherings possible. ¡Gracias!

https://questastories.org

#vocesdenuestropais #voicesofourplace #bobbyortega #dwayneortega #michaelrael #questa #history #stories #questalibrary #voicesofthenorthernriogrande #questastories #communityarchive

Since 1977 Daniel Carmona has been working with local food access and farming in the high-altitude, short-growing-season conditions in Northern Taos County, cultivating his own seed to select the best-tasting, cold-hardiest varieties. In this episode, we take a field trip to Cerro Vista Farm for food-growing stories with Daniel Carmona & Gaea McGahee. They share their personal and professional life journeys that brought them to their current collaboration through the Cultivo Project and take us on a tour of the farm.

Daniel Carmona has spent 47 years working with local food access and farming in the high-altitude, short-growing-season conditions in Northern Taos County, cultivating his own seed to select the best-tasting, cold-hardiest varieties. He has been growing food commercially at Cerro Vista Farm for thirty years. Drawing on decades in local organic food systems, he believes farms like his must form close partnerships with restaurants and grocery stores to stay relevant and successful. Gaea McGahee is a teacher, community organizer and entrepreneur in Questa who founded the Questa Farmers Market in 2016 and owns and teaches at Yoga Sala, a community space for movement arts. In 2024, she launched the Cultivo Project, a nonprofit youth farming initiative, which trains young people in sustainable agriculture while strengthening the local food system, currently through close partnership with Daniel Carmona and Cerro Vista Farm. Cultivo’s mission is “to grow food security, cultural continuity, and economic vitality in northern Taos County by inspiring, educating, and equipping the next generation.”

https://www.cultivoproject.org/ https://cerrovistafarm.com/

Voces de Nuestro País are monthly story gatherings celebrating local voices and culture. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience on August 22, 2026, Cerro Vista Farm in Cerro, NM, in collaboration with Voices of the Northern Rio Grande community archive. With MC Michael Rael, these gatherings bring our community together through stories of family, community, history, love, land, work, adventures, and misadventures.. Event hosting by Questa Public Library; audio recording and event coordination by Claire Coté; videography by Wyman Edwards; editing and upload by Dan Khuen of ; opening and closing music by Michael Rael.

Voces de Nuestro País events and podcast are made possible through the generous support of the LOR Foundation, TCF Chevron Grants for Good, and individual contributions. Thank you to everyone who attends and helps make these gatherings possible.

¡Gracias!

https://questastories.org

#vocesdenuestropais #voicesofourplace #cerrovistafarm #cultivo #danielcarmona #gaeamcgahee #michaelrael #cerro #questa #history #stories #questalibrary #voicesofthenorthernriogrande #questastories #communityarchive

On August 15, Kenny LaCome and Daniel Lamb transported those in attendance with their deeply moving and inspiring stories of their own lives and community history and experience. Kenny LaCome led us through his incredible personal journey of growing up in Taos, as a “little boy entrepreneur,” a motorcycle technician and racer, then into deep questioning of his life purpose and what followed. Through a life-transforming motorcycle road-racing crash in 1983 he became a paraplegic and went on to become a pioneer in adaptive sports, competing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Paralympics and earning a U.S. patent for his sit-ski suspension design across 38 seasons of Alpine and cross-country sit-skiing. Through it all, he spoke of the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own life trajectory, gratitude and wonder, saying “We live in a benevolent universe…be astonished with your life!” He also referenced his dedication to nutrition and living foods. “That is a whole story in and of itself!” said Kenny in conclusion.

In the second half of this very moving session, Daniel Lamb shared his commitment and championing of rural communities and the heart of “la gente” through time. He shared his own family’s deep and ethnically complex roots in Taos County through the Dolans, his Mother’s family, from Oklahoma, who settled in Taos in the 1840’s, while his own parents settled in Red River in the 1950’s. He told of his Cherokee great grandmother’s tragic losses on the trail of tears, as well of his own extensive loss of family members during covid. He described growing up in Red River at a pivotal time and attending school in Questa, his challenges as a single parent, his academic career in Social History at UNM in Albuquerque and his work with Augustine Martinez to establish UNM Taos. Daniel shared about his family business, All Seasons Inc., being the Democratic Chair for Red River and currently serving his first term as a Town Councilor.

https://questastories.org/

The León Brothers share stories of growing up in Cerro, NM and experiences from their careers. From simpler times, the brothers grew up farming and ranching, living on the acequia, helping with Leon’s store/bar and Texaco station, and experiencing loss at a young age.

Sharing antics from their youth and today, their dedication to family and contributions to the community of Cerro, Joseph also talks about his career with his Federal Government in two National Forests (Carson and Gila), one National Monument (Gila Cliff Dwellings), DOD (White Sands Missile Range), and Bureau of Land Management (Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and Wild Rivers).

On Saturday, June 20th the Voces de Nuestro País event features “Redemios de Nuestra Tierra” - remedies from our land, traditional knowledge of the Earth, plants, and their power to heal. Our guests are Erica Vigil-Flores and Jada Grant Lew.

Erica is a Chimayó native, a Registered Nurse and a practitioner of Traditional Medicine of Northern New Mexico. She currently serves rural New Mexico as a home health and hospice nurse. She also has an impact initiative called Chimayó Seed, in which she teaches classes on traditional medicine, sees clients, sells remedios, and offers community outreach. She is a University of New Mexico graduate and returns to the University every year to share her traditional medicine knowledge at UNM’s Curanderismo program. Erica recently published a book on spiritual and traditional healing, called, Healing With Dirt. We are looking forward to learning from Erica; join us on Saturday, June 20, 2 - 4 pm at Questa Library.

The May Voces de Nuestro País event celebrates Motherhood and the Moms in our communities. Mothers play a central role in society and yet their profound impact, invisible labor, struggles, superpowers and personal journeys are often unacknowledged and unheard.

This month, in honor of Mother’s Day, we feature the voices, experiences, stories and wisdom of local Mothers. Our tenth Voces de Nuestro Pais Event and podcast episode will feature Maria Gonzalez, Connie Long, Kristie Ritchlin, Karen Shannon, Cynthia Vigil, Valerie Vigil, Evie Trujillo, and Kyra Trujillo along with others. We are grateful to these women for being willing to share. Please join us in listening to their stories and honoring them!

Recorded at the Questa Public Library on Saturday, April 11, 2026, for Voces de Nuestro País, a monthly gathering that celebrates local voices, stories, and culture. This month features a conversation with longtime Taos-area musicians and brothers Billy and John Archuleta of Des Montes. Billy is known for his work in Catholic music ministry and composition, while John is recognized for performing traditional Northern New Mexico Spanish music. Together and individually, they have shared their music widely across the region.

Hosted by MC Michael Rael, these events bring people together through stories of family, history, love, and adventure.

Episodes are also available as a podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. More information at https://questastories.org/