Lifeways of the San Luis Valley Series Continues

Donna Griego
The Paw Print

ALAMOSA (October 1) – Three more presentations about the culture of the San Luis Valley will be held at Adams State University. The Adams State Title V Hilos Culturales lecture series, “Lifeways of the San Luis Valley,” begins at 7 p.m. Tuesdays in McDaniel Hall room 201. The events are free and open to the public.
On October 8, Dr. Jose Barrera’s presentation covered the Hispanic Northern Frontier. Barrera earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College, a master’s from Claremont Graduate School, and a Ph. D. from the University of Texas, Austin. He taught at Colorado College and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He said he was born in the “other Rio Grande Valley,” where el Rio Grande, the “Big River” which flows through Alamosa, the San Luis Valley, New Mexico, and Texas, finally empties into the Gulf of Mexico. This land, far south of Texas, was first settled by Spanish Mexicans in the 1740’s. Like northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, south Texas has retained many vestiges of Spanish, Mexican and Native American influences, which makes these areas unique in the United States.
Roger Briones’ lecture “La Sociedad Proteccion Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos (SPMDTU) Concilio Superior,” will be on October 15. Briones was born in Anahuac, grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He earned his bachelor and master’s degrees from Adams State. He also worked at Adams State, from 1977 to 1981, as the faculty sponsor for UMAS, United Mexican American Students organization. He taught at Centennial School District for 29 years and also served as president of the Centennial Education Association.
Briones joined the SPMDTU Sociedad Proteccion Mutua De Trabajadores Unidos in 1978, and served as Presidente Superior for two terms in 2000-2004.  He also served as President of Adobe De Oro, Concilio De Artes, Inc. of Alamosa, Colorado.
The final lecture, “In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was Made Flesh…,” by Aaron Abeyta, Adams State professor of English, is November 12, and covers the survivance of the SLV Indo-Hispano culture. Abeyta’s work deals with issues concerning his hometown, Antonito, such as family, ranching, folklore, and the oral traditions common to that area. He has three books in print, Colcha, As Orion Falls, and Rise, Do Not be Afraid, and he is one of five major contributors to a new anthology of five comtemporary poets titled Tzimtzum. He received his MFA from Colorado State University. For more information, call 719-587-7436.