Tierra, Agua y la Gente is a Taoseño movie series exploring the land, water, and people of Northern New Mexico, curated in collaboration with Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos, Taos Valley Acequia Association, the NMSU Taos County Extension, and Taos Center for the Arts. 

Bless Me, Última was the third film in this series. Based on Rudolfo Anay's 1972 novel, Bless Me Última is a coming-of-age film about a young boy, Antonio, growing up in New Mexico during World War II and his very close, formative relationship with his curandera grandmother, Última.

After the film, there was a lively panel discussion moderated by Councilwoman Corilia Ortega, featuring Dr. Kathryn Córdova, Erica Vigil Flores, and Melina Vizcaíno-Alemán, which explored the role of the bruja, partera, and curanderismo in Hispanic culture.  

This program is made possible, in part, thanks to support from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tierra, Agua y la Gente is a Taoseño movie series. It showcases films and conversations about the land, water, and people of Northern New Mexico, curated in collaboration with Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos, Taos Valley Acequia Association, the NMSU Taos County Extension, and Taos Center for the Arts. 

The Milagro Beanfield War was the second film in this series: a tale of how one man’s decision to water his beanfield sparks a community uprising, in the tiny village Milagro in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Filmed mostly in Truchas, this beloved 1988 film blends magical realism, northern New Mexican culture, and timely ecological themes. On August 17th 2025, it screened at TCA to a completely sold-out auditorium filled with laughter, clapping, gasps and overall shared resonance.

Will Jaremko-Wright, Taos County Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agent, introduced the film and moderated a panel conversation between Dr. Sylvia Rodríguez, Olivia Romo, Dr. Soledad Garcia, and Yolanda Silva Lewis. 

Dr. Sylvia Rodríguez is a native Taoseña, professor emerita of anthropology and former director of the Alfonso A. Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies at UNM. She is a commissioner on the Acequia de San Antonio in Valdez and a member of the TVAA board of directors. She works collaboratively with acequia organizations and researchers. 

Olivia Romo is a farmer, poet, water rights activist, and proud Taoseña. She has dedicated her work to educating and mobilizing New Mexicans around the risks and uncertainties of their natural resources. 

Soledad García, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist, a graduate of UT Austin 2016, and a musician who reflects on the public spaces and cultural movements related to land-based knowledges in the US southwest / northern Mexican borderlands. Born in the Española Valley, they and their family have been parciantes on the Acequia de los Salazares for more than 6 generations, where they grow various crops in their hoop house and apple orchard. 

Yolanda Silva Lewis, is a fifth-generation farmer from Arroyo Seco and mayordoma for the Acequía del Rebalse in Des Montes. Yolanda grows and harvests hay for her cattle, continuing long-standing agricultural traditions in the area.

This program is made possible, in part, thanks to support from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tierra, Agua y la Gente is a Taoseño movie series. It showcases films and conversations about the land, water, and people of Northern New Mexico, curated in collaboration with Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos, Taos Valley Acequia Association, the NMSU Taos County Extension, and Taos Center for the Arts. 

The Milagro Beanfield War was the second film in this series: a tale of how one man’s decision to water his beanfield sparks a community uprising, in the tiny village Milagro in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Filmed mostly in Truchas, this beloved 1988 film blends magical realism, northern New Mexican culture, and timely ecological themes. On August 17th 2025, it screened at TCA to a completely sold-out auditorium filled with laughter, clapping, gasps and overall shared resonance.

Will Jaremko-Wright, Taos County Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agent, introduced the film and moderated a panel conversation between Dr. Sylvia Rodríguez, Olivia Romo, Dr. Soledad Garcia, and Yolanda Silva Lewis. 

Dr. Sylvia Rodríguez is a native Taoseña, professor emerita of anthropology and former director of the Alfonso A. Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies at UNM. She is a commissioner on the Acequia de San Antonio in Valdez and a member of the TVAA board of directors. She works collaboratively with acequia organizations and researchers. 

Olivia Romo is a farmer, poet, water rights activist, and proud Taoseña. She has dedicated her work to educating and mobilizing New Mexicans around the risks and uncertainties of their natural resources. 

Soledad García, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist, a graduate of UT Austin 2016, and a musician who reflects on the public spaces and cultural movements related to land-based knowledges in the US southwest / northern Mexican borderlands. Born in the Española Valley, they and their family have been parciantes on the Acequia de los Salazares for more than 6 generations, where they grow various crops in their hoop house and apple orchard. 

Yolanda Silva Lewis, is a fifth-generation farmer from Arroyo Seco and mayordoma for the Acequía del Rebalse in Des Montes. Yolanda grows and harvests hay for her cattle, continuing long-standing agricultural traditions in the area.

This program is made possible, in part, thanks to support from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Patricio Tlacaelel Trujillo y Fuentes is a visual and performance artist and he is the co-curator of CHICANAO! Caminos Distintos, at the Millicent Rogers Museum, on display until November 2nd, 2025. He states, “I am proud of my CHICANAO heritage, growing up in the American southwest.” 

In this conversation with Alice Morillon, he reflects on his work as a Chicano artist, his heritage and his political engagement.

Fuentes will be presenting A Cry In The Desert, Yo Soy Joaquin, the poem written by Rodolfo 'Corky' Gonzales in 1967. The performance will take place on TCA's stage on September 20th and 21st, 2025.

This show centers on the production of the play Flor and the Gift of the Blue Eagle by Grupo Sangre de Cristo. The play will be presented 6 times between July 10th and July 19th 2025 and is directed by Dr Theresa Còrdova.

Enriqueta Vasquez is the writer of the play. Vasquez is a lifelong activist, coming to northern New Mexico from Denver, CO in the 1960s. Amongst other notable actions, Vasquez participated in the creation and then writing of El Grito del Norte in 1966, a newspaper which highlighted the voices of Chicano activists, as well as larger political issues of the time. She travelled to both China and Cuba to report on their political states.
Dr Kathy Cordova is one of the cast members, as well as a long standing member of Grupo Sangre de Cristo. Dr Kathy is a writer and journalist, who wrote for the Taos News for over 40 years. She played an active role in the Taos Living Treasures program, an event that honors the elders of the Taos community. She was acknowledged as one of Taos’ Living Treasures in 2017, and was selected this year as a Taos Women of Impact. Dr Kathy has spent much of her life dedicated to Taos, specifically through education, teaching English, arts, and social studies for over 25 years.

Tierra, Agua y la Gente is a Taoseño movie series: films and conversations about land, water, and people of Northern New Mexico are curated in collaboration with Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos, Taos Valley Acequia Association, the NMSU Taos County Extension and Taos Center for the Arts.

And Now Miguel was the first film presented as part of this series. Filmed in Taos in the village of Los Cordovas in 1953, the movie follows 12-year-old Miguel Chavez, who dreams of joining the men in his family on their annual sheep drive into the high mountain pastures of the Sangre de Cristos.

Will Jaremko-Wright, Taos County Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agent, moderated the conversation between Tobias Martinez, Patricia Quintana and Roberto Chavez. 

Tobias Martinez was born and raised in Ranchos de Taos as a sheep rancher and graduated from NMSU with a degree in Range Management. He is the founder of Alianza Agricultura.

Patricia Quintana is the owner of Rancho La Fina Lamb and Wool and De La Tierra Consulting LLC. She holds a master’s degree in Agriculture from NMSU. Her career has focused on higher education, water and agricultural policy, advocacy for the conservation of agricultural communities, and organizational development, emphasizing empowerment of rural communities in agriculture, through agricultural cooperative and business capacity building.

Roberto Chavez is a member of the Chavez family featured in the movie. Chavez has taught Science at the Taos High School for years and is a long time shepherd.

This program is made possible, in part, thanks to support from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tierra, Agua y la Gente is a Taoseño movie series: films and conversations about land, water, and people of Northern New Mexico are curated in collaboration with Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos, Taos Valley Acequia Association, the NMSU Taos County Extension and Taos Center for the Arts.

And Now Miguel was the first film presented as part of this series. Filmed in Taos in the village of Los Cordovas in 1953, the movie follows 12-year-old Miguel Chavez, who dreams of joining the men in his family on their annual sheep drive into the high mountain pastures of the Sangre de Cristos.

Will Jaremko-Wright, Taos County Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agent, made a quick introduction before the showing of the movie, which you’ll hear first.

Coming up after is the conversation between Tobias Martinez, Patricia Quintana and Roberto Chavez. 

Tobias Martinez was born and raised in Ranchos de Taos as a sheep rancher and graduated from NMSU with a degree in Range Management. He is the founder of Alianza Agricultura.

Patricia Quintana is the owner of Rancho La Fina Lamb and Wool and De La Tierra Consulting LLC. She holds a master’s degree in Agriculture from NMSU. Her career has focused on higher education, water and agricultural policy, advocacy for the conservation of agricultural communities, and organizational development, emphasizing empowerment of rural communities in agriculture, through agricultural cooperative and business capacity building.

Roberto Chavez is a member of the Chavez family featured in the movie. Chavez has taught Science at the Taos High School for years and is a long time shepherd.

This program is made possible, in part, thanks to support from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In March and April of 2025, many spring events happened under the banner of the Big Read - a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, set to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections.

Organizations around Taos took part in the programming, from Earth Day at Rio Fernando Park, to the Storytimes at the Taos Public Library, and workshops at SOMOS and high schools. One of the events featured Jimmy Santiago Baca, Anna Martinez and Miguel Santistevan, in conversation around this year’s theme “Where We Live”. 

You’re about to listen to the third and last segment of the event that took place on March 27th in TCA’s auditorium with the three artists.

In March and April of 2025, many spring events happened under the banner of the Big Read - a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, set to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections.

Organizations around Taos took part in the programming, from Earth Day at Rio Fernando Park, to the Storytimes at the Taos Public Library, and workshops at SOMOS and high schools. One of the events featured Jimmy Santiago Baca, Anna Martinez and Miguel Santistevan, in conversation around this year’s theme “Where We Live”. 

You’re about to listen to the second segment of the event that took place on March 27th in TCA’s auditorium with the three artists. The whole evening has been edited into three different shows.

In March and April of 2025, many spring events happened under the banner of the Big Read - a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, set to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections.

Organizations around Taos took part in the programming, from Earth Day at Rio Fernando Park, to the Storytimes at the Taos Public Library, and workshops at SOMOS and high schools. One of the events featured Jimmy Santiago Baca, Anna Martinez and Miguel Santistevan, in conversation around this year’s theme “Where We Live”. 

You’re about to listen to the first segment of the event that took place on March 27th in TCA’s auditorium with the three artists. The whole evening has been edited into three different shows.