Caption: Española - The Land Remembers, Credit: SOTRU
Image by: SOTRU 
Española - The Land Remembers 

Española - The Land Remembers

From: Al Letson
Series: State of the Re:Union Fall 2010 Season
Length: 53:53

Broadcast Window Opens September 15th 2010 - Española, New Mexico is known as the first Capitol City in America. Settled by Spanish conquistadors in 1598, the area's rich cultural past is still evident today in it's music, art, and way of life. But changing demographics, along with a shift in the local economy has left many residents without land, water, and a sense of identity. State of the Re:Union travels to the Española Valley of Northern New Mexico to explore the area's history of dispossession, and to discover what the rest of the country can learn from this still vital region of the American Southwest. Read the full description.

Esp3_small STATE OF THE RE:UNION
Española – The Land Remembers
SOTRU explores the rich cultural history and present, of Española, New Mexico

HOST: Al Letson
 
DESCRIPTION: Española, New Mexico is known as the first Capitol City in America. Settled by Spanish conquistadors in 1598, the area's rich cultural past is still evident today in it's music, art, and way of life.  But changing demographics, along with a shift in the local economy has left many residents without land, water, and a sense of identity.  State of the Re:Union travels to the Española Valley of Northern New Mexico to explore the area's history of dispossession, and to discover what the rest of the country can learn from this still vital region of the American Southwest.

BILLBOARD (:58)
Incue: From PRX and NPR...
Outcue: But first, this news.
 
NEWS HOLE: 1:00- 6:00
 
SEGMENT A (12:58)
Incue: From PRX and NPR
Outcue: ...not such a good thing.
 
A. The Acequia: For millennia, The Española Valley has been inhabited by land-based people, who, until the middle of the last century, didn't rely on outside jobs for survival.  The acequia has played a key part in sustaining this way of life.  An acequia is an irrigation ditch and way of distributing water, but it's also a local government, with 11,000 year old roots in the Middle-East.  There are over 1000 different acequias in the state of New Mexico.  Each with it’s own democratically elected mayordomo.  But today, more than ever, the future of the acequia is uncertain as the global economy expands, and new ways of distributing water are instituted.

BREAK: 19:00- 20:00
 
SEGMENT B (18:58)
Incue: Welcome back to State of the Re:Union
Outcue: P-R-X.O-R-G
 
A. La Nueva Cancion: Cipriano Vigil is a folk musician, educator, composer and author. He performs traditional New Mexican folk music as well as his own topical compositions having to do with life in the valley.
 
B. Heroin in the Valley: In the Española Valley, there's more heroin addiction and overdoses per capita than anywhere else in the country.  How did this epidemic come to be, and what's being done to curb the inter-generational pattern of substance abuse?

C. Dear Sacred Places: Santa Clara Pueblo resident, Marian Naranjo, reflects on how her people's sacred places have been effected by the area's nuclear legacy.
 
BREAK: 39:00- 40:00
 
 
SEGMENT C (18:58)
Incue: Welcome back to State of the Re:Union
Outcue: This is NPR
 
A. El Santero del Rito: Folk artist and santero (saint-maker), Nicolas Herrara walks us through his homestead, his family history, and how the past plays a part in his art.
 
B. Low and Slow: There's an ongoing debate about where the low rider started.  Some say it was LA, while others, insist it was Española.  In fact, decades ago "The low rider capital of the world" became Española's nickname. We'll celebrate the low rider, as we situate it within its historical context, and explain why the pastime is about so much more than cars.

C. Dear Española #2: Luis Pena remembers where he came from, and looks towards a hopeful future.

D. Vox Pop: A montage of Española Valley voices, speaking to the community spirit of the area.
 
PROGRAM OUT @ 59:00

The fall season of The State of the Re:Union is available now on PRX and the ContentDepot without charge to all public radio stations, and may be aired an unlimited number of times prior to May 31, 2011. The program may be streamed live on station websites but not archived. Excerpting is permitted for promotional purposes only.

NOTE:  Watch for news of a “bonus” SOTRU program intended for use on Veteran’s Day (November 11).

The State of the Re:Union is produced by Al Letson, and presented by PRX. Major funding for the State of the Re:Union comes from CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Thanks for your consideration of this season of SOTRU.  Please contact Israel Smith at ismarketing@yahoo.com or 612-377-3256 with questions or to confirm carriage.

To hear the full audio, sign up for a free PRX account or log in.

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Piece Description

STATE OF THE RE:UNION
Española – The Land Remembers
SOTRU explores the rich cultural history and present, of Española, New Mexico

HOST: Al Letson
 
DESCRIPTION: Española, New Mexico is known as the first Capitol City in America. Settled by Spanish conquistadors in 1598, the area's rich cultural past is still evident today in it's music, art, and way of life.  But changing demographics, along with a shift in the local economy has left many residents without land, water, and a sense of identity.  State of the Re:Union travels to the Española Valley of Northern New Mexico to explore the area's history of dispossession, and to discover what the rest of the country can learn from this still vital region of the American Southwest.

BILLBOARD (:58)
Incue: From PRX and NPR...
Outcue: But first, this news.
 
NEWS HOLE: 1:00- 6:00
 
SEGMENT A (12:58)
Incue: From PRX and NPR
Outcue: ...not such a good thing.
 
A. The Acequia: For millennia, The Española Valley has been inhabited by land-based people, who, until the middle of the last century, didn't rely on outside jobs for survival.  The acequia has played a key part in sustaining this way of life.  An acequia is an irrigation ditch and way of distributing water, but it's also a local government, with 11,000 year old roots in the Middle-East.  There are over 1000 different acequias in the state of New Mexico.  Each with it’s own democratically elected mayordomo.  But today, more than ever, the future of the acequia is uncertain as the global economy expands, and new ways of distributing water are instituted.

BREAK: 19:00- 20:00
 
SEGMENT B (18:58)
Incue: Welcome back to State of the Re:Union
Outcue: P-R-X.O-R-G
 
A. La Nueva Cancion: Cipriano Vigil is a folk musician, educator, composer and author. He performs traditional New Mexican folk music as well as his own topical compositions having to do with life in the valley.
 
B. Heroin in the Valley: In the Española Valley, there's more heroin addiction and overdoses per capita than anywhere else in the country.  How did this epidemic come to be, and what's being done to curb the inter-generational pattern of substance abuse?

C. Dear Sacred Places: Santa Clara Pueblo resident, Marian Naranjo, reflects on how her people's sacred places have been effected by the area's nuclear legacy.
 
BREAK: 39:00- 40:00
 
 
SEGMENT C (18:58)
Incue: Welcome back to State of the Re:Union
Outcue: This is NPR
 
A. El Santero del Rito: Folk artist and santero (saint-maker), Nicolas Herrara walks us through his homestead, his family history, and how the past plays a part in his art.
 
B. Low and Slow: There's an ongoing debate about where the low rider started.  Some say it was LA, while others, insist it was Española.  In fact, decades ago "The low rider capital of the world" became Española's nickname. We'll celebrate the low rider, as we situate it within its historical context, and explain why the pastime is about so much more than cars.

C. Dear Española #2: Luis Pena remembers where he came from, and looks towards a hopeful future.

D. Vox Pop: A montage of Española Valley voices, speaking to the community spirit of the area.
 
PROGRAM OUT @ 59:00

The fall season of The State of the Re:Union is available now on PRX and the ContentDepot without charge to all public radio stations, and may be aired an unlimited number of times prior to May 31, 2011. The program may be streamed live on station websites but not archived. Excerpting is permitted for promotional purposes only.

NOTE:  Watch for news of a “bonus” SOTRU program intended for use on Veteran’s Day (November 11).

The State of the Re:Union is produced by Al Letson, and presented by PRX. Major funding for the State of the Re:Union comes from CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Thanks for your consideration of this season of SOTRU.  Please contact Israel Smith at ismarketing@yahoo.com or 612-377-3256 with questions or to confirm carriage.

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Pepita Calexico Feast of Wire. Quarterstick 2003 02:36
Whipping the Horse's Eye Calexico Feast of Wire. Quarterstick 2003 01:24
La Julia Cirpriano Vigil 00:00
Corriente Cirpriano Vigil 00:00
Se Ve Triste El Hombre Cirpriano Vigil 00:00
Himno del Pueblode las Montanas de la Sangre de Cristo Cleofes Vigil 00:00
Madre de Dolores Hermandad de Abiquiu, NM 00:00
The Eye You Lost in the Crusades Califone Roots and Crowns. Thrill Jockey 2006 04:42
Low Rider War Why Can't We Be Friends?. Avenue (Rhino) 1975 03:11
Still Not a Player Big Pun Capital Punishment. Relativity 1999 00:00
Mi Carro Del Ano Cultura 00:00
Rabbit Dream Sin Ropas Three Cherries. Perishable Records 2000 06:07
Claudia and Klauss Valley of the Giants Valley of the Giants. Arts & Crafts 2004 05:49