Being raised in a community where your history connects to every part of your present, it is difficult to find the courage to leave. It is similarly difficult to forge a path and stay. Questa del Rio News is committed to highlighting different members of our community, both those who have created their paths and planted their own roots in the community that raised them, and those who have pursued lives outside of the community—through our Representando series. This series is dedicated to those who are Representando communities in northern Taos County, in various facets of life.
Maria (Duran) Ortega is no stranger to hard work, a trait instilled in her while growing up on her grandparents’ ranch in Amalia. Born in 1957, Ortega learned the value of hard work and determination from her grandparents, Jose and Eutimia Arguello, alongside her mother, Edna Duran, and her nine siblings.
“I remember that school—especially the pot belly stove that us kids hauled wood and coal in for,” Ortega said, recalling her first school days at the Amalia School. “I also remember that we didn’t have playground equipment. We just played games with each other and found things to do.”
At about third grade, students moved to Costilla Elementary before continuing to Questa High School in seventh grade, where the current Alta Vista Elementary School now sits. Ortega fondly remembers her time as a Costilla Lion cheerleader in her green uniform.
Ortega left high school in the 10th grade to get married and later earned her GED in her early 20s. As a young mother to her two daughters, Billie Jane and Elaine Ortega worked multiple jobs, including waitressing in Red River, to support her family.
Seeking a greater opportunity and a need for change, Ortega joined the Army at age 30.
“My girls were still young so my mom helped me with them while I entered the Army,” she said.
Her military career spanned eight years on active duty, taking her to locations like Korea and Fort Huachuca in Arizona, and then 12 years in the National Guard. Ortega retired as a Staff Sergeant. Initially, she worked as a telecommunication center. Later, while deployed to Iraq for a 13-month tour, she served as a heavy transportation operator, driving tactical wheeled vehicles to move personnel and cargo across diverse terrain.
While serving in the National Guard, Ortega obtained her commercial driver’s license (CDL) and drove semi-trucks coast-to-coast for 12 years. This experience led to her owning and operating her own trucking business from 1995 to 2003.
When asked where her determination comes from, Ortega pointed back to the ranch. “My grandparents needed and expected us kids to help. It wasn’t an option,” she recalled.
Her life philosophy, she explained, was forged by this grit: “Don’t second guess yourself because if you do you’ll talk yourself out of something that might be a great opportunity. And if something bad happens, you can overcome it.”
By the end of 2018, after retiring from the National Guard and running a home daycare in Texas near her daughter Elaine, Ortega felt a powerful calling to return to Amalia. She believes her return in 2019 was providence, helping her daughter Billie Jane cope with the tragic loss of her son, Ryan.
Ortega credits her military service, particularly her time in Iraq, with building emotional resilience. “I suffered and still suffer from PTSD, but with
that comes a certain toughness. I saw a lot of terrible things but I can put my emotions aside in hard situations.”
Today, Ortega is an active leader in the veteran community, currently serving as the elected Commander at the Cerro VFW. She uses her experience in event and fundraising planning, developed during her daycare years, to coordinate events that support veterans and the community, including a semi-annual craft fair fundraiser for the Sagrado Corazón Catholic church in Costilla.
After three years as the St. Anthony Parish Secretary out of Questa, Ortega plans to retire at the end of February to pursue her passions.
“I’m ready to retire and spend my time doing what I love to do,” she said, looking forward to starting a group for women to sew or crochet, as well as camping, fishing, and hiking. The mother of two and grandmother of nine is ready to start a new path, guided by her lifelong mantra: “Get out there and try something new—either you’ll sink or swim. Either way, get out there and do it.”
