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Pasó por Aquí Series on the Nuevomexicano Literary Heritage
We Fed Them Cactus
Prior to statehood, the Llano Estacado, the great plains of northeastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, were colonized by Hispanic ranchers. Cabeza de Baca's beloved memoir of the era has been reissued as part of the Pasó Por Aquí Series on Nuevomexicano Literature. A member of an old Hispanic family, Cabeza de Baca celebrates her Spanish heritage rather than the Mestizo culture embraced by later writers. She portrays the erosion of Hispanic folkways under American influence, but by recording a combination of oral narrative, autobiography, family history, recipes, and poetry, she has helped to preserve these unique expressions of Hispanic culture.
218 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 12, 2018
My daughter, Arianna, loved this book from her graduate LITERATURE class at the University of NM and gifted it to me. It has a lot of family history of my Spanish heritage. I loved it. And the many surnames that are mentioned are actually a part of my Hispanic family roots (Armijo, Lucero, Garcia, Leyba, Cabeza de Baca, etc). It explains a lot. Now I understand how my family has always been so secretive about ‘family secrets’ and not advertising one’s wealth (which is always a good thing). Wild. My paternal grandfather, Jose Antonio Armijo, worked as a sheepherder (just one of his jobs).
Here are some key lines that captured me (not to mention the family stories that took my breath away):
The ricos in New Mexico, as mentioned in this story were those who owned land.
The life of the New Mexico ricos was not understood because they kept their private lives secure from outsiders.
There are different ways of reckoning wealth and a set pattern does not exist and may never be found. People who live from the soil have abundant living and, compared with that of the wage earner, it can be classed as wealth.
“New Mexico is well adapted to chile culture and therefore we have become accustomed to the pungent flavor which it gives to our foods.”
The New Mexico landscape is seen as an Eden where Native Americans and Hispanics and animals lived in harmony with nature.
The New Mexico landscape is a rich, nourishing, fruitful yet domesticated Garden of Eden.
The fields of oregano and cactus, when in full bloom, can compete with the loveliest of gardens.
THE LLANO = The Wide Open Spaces
Among the shearers and herders there were always musicians and poets.
The sheepherder watched his flock by day, traveling many miles while the sheep grazed on the range. As his flock pastured, he sat on a rock or on his coat; he whittled some object or composed songs or poetry until it was time to move the flock to water or better pasture.
The old man always seemed happy, whistling or singing in the distance. The sheepherders on the endless Llano are the unsung heroes of an industry which was our livelihood for generations.
From the time I was three years old I began to understand that without rain our subsistence would be endangered.
Money in our lives was not important; rain was important. We never counted our money; we counted the weeks and months between rains. To us, looking for rain meant hope, faith, and a trust in the Great Power that takes care of humanity.
We have only the tales to remind us of when the Llano belonged to the Indian and to the New Mexicans of Spanish descent.
The knowledge of plant medicine is an inheritance from the Moors and brought to New Mexico by the first Spanish colonizers.
In Spanish tradition, a godmother takes the responsibility of a real mother.
We had beans with plenty of salt pork in them. This was a summer dish, for in the winter, beef was eaten at all meals.
Every individual is different and one can learn something from each one.
The best method for teaching reading was for the pupils to read aloud. This was done in order to teach correct pronunciation of the languages.
One is never lonely on a ranch while cattle roam in the pastures, but it can become a very forlorn place when one does not see them grazing as one rides the range.
He loved solitude and the noise of the cities was not in accord with is life.
Although our ancestors were adventurers who left their mother country in quest of new lands, yet those of us descended from them are of a stable nature.
One has not lived who has not experienced reverses.
Each generation must profit by the trials and errors of those before them; otherwise everything would perish.
Here are some key lines that captured me (not to mention the family stories that took my breath away):
The ricos in New Mexico, as mentioned in this story were those who owned land.
The life of the New Mexico ricos was not understood because they kept their private lives secure from outsiders.
There are different ways of reckoning wealth and a set pattern does not exist and may never be found. People who live from the soil have abundant living and, compared with that of the wage earner, it can be classed as wealth.
“New Mexico is well adapted to chile culture and therefore we have become accustomed to the pungent flavor which it gives to our foods.”
The New Mexico landscape is seen as an Eden where Native Americans and Hispanics and animals lived in harmony with nature.
The New Mexico landscape is a rich, nourishing, fruitful yet domesticated Garden of Eden.
The fields of oregano and cactus, when in full bloom, can compete with the loveliest of gardens.
THE LLANO = The Wide Open Spaces
Among the shearers and herders there were always musicians and poets.
The sheepherder watched his flock by day, traveling many miles while the sheep grazed on the range. As his flock pastured, he sat on a rock or on his coat; he whittled some object or composed songs or poetry until it was time to move the flock to water or better pasture.
The old man always seemed happy, whistling or singing in the distance. The sheepherders on the endless Llano are the unsung heroes of an industry which was our livelihood for generations.
From the time I was three years old I began to understand that without rain our subsistence would be endangered.
Money in our lives was not important; rain was important. We never counted our money; we counted the weeks and months between rains. To us, looking for rain meant hope, faith, and a trust in the Great Power that takes care of humanity.
We have only the tales to remind us of when the Llano belonged to the Indian and to the New Mexicans of Spanish descent.
The knowledge of plant medicine is an inheritance from the Moors and brought to New Mexico by the first Spanish colonizers.
In Spanish tradition, a godmother takes the responsibility of a real mother.
We had beans with plenty of salt pork in them. This was a summer dish, for in the winter, beef was eaten at all meals.
Every individual is different and one can learn something from each one.
The best method for teaching reading was for the pupils to read aloud. This was done in order to teach correct pronunciation of the languages.
One is never lonely on a ranch while cattle roam in the pastures, but it can become a very forlorn place when one does not see them grazing as one rides the range.
He loved solitude and the noise of the cities was not in accord with is life.
Although our ancestors were adventurers who left their mother country in quest of new lands, yet those of us descended from them are of a stable nature.
One has not lived who has not experienced reverses.
Each generation must profit by the trials and errors of those before them; otherwise everything would perish.
January 20, 2015
Parts of this book I loved, parts I hated. The good parts had wonderful stories and anecdotes of pioneer times. The bad parts felt like lists of hispanic families and how they were related and who married who.
February 12, 2021
I'm a little biased, my mother is Elizabeth Cabeza de Baca Eastman, whose grandfather was Luis, the brother of the author. So while it seems that many who read this book find the descriptions of family trees to be boring, to me it is a wonderful reminder of my roots.
But even without a familial connection, the stories that are told in this book are wonderful. It really feels like you're sitting around a campfire with the cowboys, or passing the night waiting for the rains to come.
Chapter 15 alone is worth the price of the book, it tells of Fabiola's first year teaching in a tiny country school. As I got further into the book, I loved the writing more and more. I think because it's easier to tell stories that she lived, rather than was told as she grew up.
But even without a familial connection, the stories that are told in this book are wonderful. It really feels like you're sitting around a campfire with the cowboys, or passing the night waiting for the rains to come.
Chapter 15 alone is worth the price of the book, it tells of Fabiola's first year teaching in a tiny country school. As I got further into the book, I loved the writing more and more. I think because it's easier to tell stories that she lived, rather than was told as she grew up.
December 4, 2018
Totally agree with Kristin’s review. Parts of this book were wonderful, captivating stories. The lists of names and names of who was related to who didn’t add to the stories and felt disjointed. But still worth reading for the good parts.
October 12, 2024
From a historical perspective, this book is excellent. I learned so much about the lives of people living on the Llano in the late 1800s - early 1900s including Hispanics, Native Americans, "Americanos" aka gringos, and their relationships as well as the dynamic shift when the homesteaders moved in. It was fascinating to read elements of this historical account taken from the author's own memories and from her interviews with others in the community. I appreciate that she took the time to document the old ways of doing things and her own experiences. So often we don't think about how the future generations may appreciate knowing how things were done or what life was like in our day. My family isn't from Eastern NM, but I still felt like I was able to connect my grandpa's childhood experiences of herding sheep to elements of this book.
From an enjoyment perspective, this book left much to be desired. Fabiola is more of a historian than a storyteller. Parts of the book were challenging to get through and I found myself not retaining a lot of the information the first time because I got so bored and zoned out. She has a tendency to start telling a story, ramble on a bit, include information in a way that doesn't make it engaging nor interesting, drop some random names in there, and then continue the story. Chapter 10 about bandit leader Vicente Silva was so confusing with a bunch of names thrown in there and letters to and from people. I had no idea what was going on until I read it a second time and then talked with my mom about it. Her questions forced me to go back and read it a third time so I could answer them. It was a lot of work.
From an enjoyment perspective, this book left much to be desired. Fabiola is more of a historian than a storyteller. Parts of the book were challenging to get through and I found myself not retaining a lot of the information the first time because I got so bored and zoned out. She has a tendency to start telling a story, ramble on a bit, include information in a way that doesn't make it engaging nor interesting, drop some random names in there, and then continue the story. Chapter 10 about bandit leader Vicente Silva was so confusing with a bunch of names thrown in there and letters to and from people. I had no idea what was going on until I read it a second time and then talked with my mom about it. Her questions forced me to go back and read it a third time so I could answer them. It was a lot of work.
June 15, 2023
A few chapters in, I'm convinced that this would be a 4 star read. A few more chapters more and my mind was changed. The stories in here are so interesting one must think that Cabeza had an interesting life to live. If I were forced to live hers I would have no difficulty. Living in the country with rainy days and grass, looking at the stars with no sound but the wind, howls of coyote, cowbells, and raindrops hitting the window being the lullabies of your sleep if you were in the 1900s living in new Mexico is heartwarming. Rain seems to be more beautiful than I thought it was. Cabeza tells us that the rain at the time for her area is important for grass to grow, Almost to the point where Cabeza values rain more than pearls and often preys for rain when she was a child. The characters and crazy history new mexico holds are nothing but captivating that makes Cabeza a great storyteller, My absolute favorite is one with Silvas death and his wife being set up by the gang in a shakespear like way that is devastatingly tragic. We fed them cactus is a sweet lullaby to read off when one feels like going to sleep in Cabeza's World described.
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April 14, 2025Supremely niche; reading it was a worthwhile exercise, but I'm hard pressed to think of anyone I'd recommend it to. Think of it as an evening or two spent with a rambling great-aunt reminiscing about her childhood. Parts of it were informative, especially the tales she relays from her elders: people who lived in 1840s New Mexico. Other parts were dry and skippable, yet others insightful, tender, infuriating, sometimes even fascinating. The author comes across as a kind, thoughtful, generous, intelligent person but it's really hard to read some portions with a modern sensibility: favorable treatment of cattle ranching, unironically complaining about homesteaders invading "her" lands while also lauding that "the Indians were rounded up and put into reservations." A powerful humbling reminder that I, too, have made—and still make—moral choices that I should be, and am, ashamed of.
November 19, 2022
Good read that I picked up in Big Bend National Park.
I wanted a book that gave some historical context to the West Texas/ New Mexico/ Mexico area and this one popped out at me.
The paragraph structure is a bit odd with the jumping of topics without much of a break; and the amount of name dropping of random people that didn’t contribute at all to the story was a bit overwhelming at times.
Overall a great homage to the lost and partially forgotten ways of cattle raising and ranching of the area.
I wanted a book that gave some historical context to the West Texas/ New Mexico/ Mexico area and this one popped out at me.
The paragraph structure is a bit odd with the jumping of topics without much of a break; and the amount of name dropping of random people that didn’t contribute at all to the story was a bit overwhelming at times.
Overall a great homage to the lost and partially forgotten ways of cattle raising and ranching of the area.
April 9, 2024
Indispensable text for the New Mexican reader. It was wonderful to see my own family names appear in the text. Interesting absence of mestizaje vocabulary and (partial) choice of an anglo audience. Book doesn’t always know what it wants to be, but what it is, is spectacular.
April 13, 2023
Interesting memoir of the Llano Estacado and the Caprock country of Eastern New Mexico.
July 26, 2016
Having spent a summer in Santa Fe, this book meant a lot more to me than it would have a few years ago. This gives a rich history of New Mexico before statehood, including the conflicts that arose among homesteaders, American Indians, and the Hispanics who had settled the area, and the way they all relied on water and the land to sustain them.
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February 2, 2009llanos, nuevo mexico, lluvia y recuerdo
June 25, 2015
Just don't.
May 15, 2014
I enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews