Stories of family, history, love, adventures, and misadventures as told by the people of our area.

The first Voces de Nuestro País event took place on October 11. It was an expression of remembrance, faith, gratitude and humor, as Mark Sideris, who shared stories of his life, his experience leading the reconstruction of St. Anthony’s Church in Questa with an all-volunteer crew and his discoveries about the original construction. Did you know that the adobe bricks used in the construction of the church in the 1840s and 1850s were made by families from different areas in the community?

These bricks were many different sizes and colors and some were embedded with initials, names and even footprints. The full recording of the event at QuestaStories.org or on CD at the Questa Public Library.

November’s Voces de Nuestro País speakers will be Dino Archuleta and Fritz Davis. Hear Dino’s crazy stories of growing up in Questa and Cerro which will have you asking, “Did this really happen?” Next, hear Fritz Davis share his life stories and adventures from the rolling hills of Kansas to the mountains of Red River.

Michael Rael is the MC and curator for this monthly gathering, which is hosted in collaboration with Questa Library and Voices of the Northern Rio Grande. Voices of the Northern Rio Grande is a program of Localogy, a local nonprofit 501(c)(3) that functions as a program-based community foundation for our rural area. Learn more about the community archive and listen to stories from community members at QuestaStories.org and Archive.manitos.net.

Join us for our second Voces de Nuestro País event at Questa Library on November 8, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. We plan to hold monthly story-sharing sessions on the second Saturday of the month at the Questa Public Library. We hope you can join us!
If you have any stories you’d like to share, please let Michael Rael know. You can often find him at Rael’s Market or email him at rael870@gmail.com.