GET TO KNOW ME
Nice to meet you! I’m Feliciana Gonzales Mitchell |
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I live on a ranch in a rural village in northern New Mexico...
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I live in Vadito, New Mexico, near Peñasco and Taos.
There are hardly any jobs here so people are slowly moving from the places their families have lived for decades to centuries. The only jobs here are at the Sipapu ski resort (near Peñasco) , travel center by Picuris Pueblo, Family dollar or Peñasco schools which are slowly diminishing in students, (The average graduating class of the 1950's was about 65-70, but now the graduation does not even hit a third of that.) It is also possible to get a job in Espanola (About 1 hour from us in a car) or Taos (About 30 minutes from us in a car) but getting there with a poor community like us is difficult especially when our only form of public transportation is the blue bus that makes trips around the area almost everyday. It is hard to time it to make sure you get to the right place at the right time when you don't have the best resources or you don't have a stable job. |
I live on a ranch that has been in my family ever since my great grandpa, Abran Gonzales moved here from Sipapu, where him and his family had lived for generations. We have cows, horses, chickens and ducks on our ranch, we grow hay for the cows and horses and harvest it every fall.
I live in the house that my great grandpa built. He and his wife are buried up the hill by my house. Although many people may leave, me and my familia will not, we live here, this is the earth my ancestors tread upon, we can't just give it up and move! We will not leave without a fight. This is our home. |
