While many Americans spent Thanksgiving gathered around family tables, a PBS production crew headed to Cerro to document a small community with deep roots in service and tradition.

Cultura, a nationally broadcast PBS television series produced at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, filmed an episode in Cerro on Thanksgiving Day. The episode focuses in part on the local Cerro VFW Post 9516, a longtime fixture in the village and a symbol of the area’s ties to military service and community life.

The production highlights residents and veterans whose families and histories are closely connected to the land. Interviews were filmed inside the VFW hall, which has served generations of local veterans and remains a gathering place that reflects Cerro’s sense of continuity and shared memory. Filmed on a holiday centered on gratitude, the conversations emphasized reflection and community rather than staged moments.

The episode also documents efforts to revive the Cerro VFW Hall after a period of limited use. Local veterans and community members have been working to restore the space as an active meeting place that honors past service while serving present-day needs. In the program, the hall is presented as both a historical landmark and a living institution sustained by local commitment.

Complementing the interviews are aerial shots of the surrounding landscape. Drone footage captures the rugged mountains and broad ridgelines that frame the village, underscoring the connection between the people of Cerro and the terrain that has shaped their lives for generations.
The episode is narrated by Geni Flores, whose voice guides viewers through the setting and stories, providing context to both the sweeping visuals and the personal accounts. The piece was shot and edited by Pablo Herrera.

Cultura has gained national attention for bringing rural New Mexico stories to a wider audience while maintaining a focus on local voices. The series is known for combining cultural documentation with high production values and community-based storytelling.

“This is about showing New Mexico as it truly is,” producer and writer Herrera said. “Not as a postcard, not as a stereotype, but as lived experience.”

The Cerro episode is airing nationwide and is available to view on KENW’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@kenwpbs.