Enchanted Legends and Lore of New México: Witches, Ghosts and Spirits

by Ray John de Aragón

Beginning in the seventeenth century, townsfolk and rural dwellers in the remote Spanish colonial city of Santa Fe maintained a provocative interest in mysterious and miraculous visions. This preoccupation with the afterlife, occult forces and unearthly beings existing outside the natural world led to early witch trials, stories about saintly apparitions and strange encounters with spirits and haunted places. New Mexican author Ray John de Aragón explores the time-honored tradition of frightening folklore in the Land of Enchantment in this intriguing collection of tales that crosses cultures in the dark corners of the southwestern night.

Genres: Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being from a family that has lived in New Mexico for generations, I wanted to know more about it's lore and legends. I thought this book would be a good starting point, but these were not well written. Most of the stories had potential, but they since they were poorly written, they came off as just boring.

[Alexis Jaramillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love New Mexican lore but I found this book too pro-Spanish and belittled the Native American aspects of the States history. The stories were more wordy than spooky.

[Penelope Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a very fun read, especially around Halloween in NM! My only complaint is the poor writing.

[Glenn Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost did not finish bits it’s a short book

[Sally Atwell Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in New Mexico it was fun reading about the Hispano legends that were brought here as families moved up and settled in the area. Ray John de Aragon did a wonderful job in bringing them to life. A short book but full of wonderful tales. I would love to attend a performance of his story-telling.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read that was gifted to me.

I love to learn more about our New Mexican history whenever possible (and am always game for a good ghost story) but I find that the very Spanish-settler-centric view is getting harder and harder for me to read.

[Zach]

Enchanted Legends and Lore of New Mexico is a wonderfully layered collection of tales filled with ghosts, twists, love, murders, and insight into what it means to be alive. I particularly enjoyed exploring the culture of New Mexico that still thrives under somewhat different guises today. The traditional new Mexican proverb sprinkled throughout add to the layers of wealth within.