Overview

He got as close as he could to observe the spectacle; his eyes could hardly believe what he saw. Circled around the huge bonfire were many witches dancing and making all kinds of gestures amidst laughs, screams, and bursts of laughter as they sang all together. Recounted in Spanish and in English translation, these tales of sorcerers, fiendish witches, La Llorona, the vanishing hitchhiker, ghostly apparitions, and balls of fire will fascinate and spook readers of all ages and backgrounds. The sixty-four narrators in Brujeras range in age from seventeen to ninety-eight years old. Their stories come from a variety of Southwestern states as well as Latin America and demonstrate how the magical world of witchcraft and the supernatural connects Spain to Latin America and Latin America to North America. This rich tradition of supernatural tales illuminates an unexplored aspect of the American Southwests Hispanic heritage. Included are biographical information about the narrators and a glossary highlighting the regional Spanish dialect of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Nasario Garca, a native New Mexican and leading folklorist in his state, has produced many works on New Mexican literature and folklore, including """"Old Las Vegas: Hispanic Memories from the New Mexico Meadowlands"""" (TTUP 2004).

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Reviews

Brujerias can be taught as a primary text or as a companion piece in any Hispanic folklore, Chicano/a literature, or cultural studies course. Interestingly, it includes stories by pioneer Chicano authors like Roladn Hinojosa. This collection exemplifies that the culture transformation of the American Southwest is a microcosm of local and global migrations happening in the United States and worldwide. In a moment in time when technology is modernizing our method of receiving information and knowledge of the past, it is imperative to continue to support scholars like Nasario Garcia who still believe in the power of oral tradition. --Juanita Heredia, New Mexico Historical Review, Vol. 84, No. 2

Author Information

Nasario García, a native New Mexican and leading folklorist in his state, has produced many works on New Mexican literature and folklore, including Old Las Vegas: Hispanic Memories from the New Mexico Meadowlands (TTUP 2004).

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