Through the looking glass

Josephine and Willie Cordova

Courtesy photo

By Scott Gerdes T aoseños have long heralded no-nonsense trailblazers whether female or male, young or old. In that vein, we take a glimpse into the past, featuring one of the many driven, talented women who has helped shape Taos into the special community it is and forever shall be.

Expectations can either take the wind out of one’s sails or prod a person to push harder. Josephine Cordova’s path handed her an oar, which she gladly took in hand with a firm, determined grip.

The petite, dark-eyed fire plug pursued an education and a career in an era where most women wouldn’t have dreamed of having a job outside of the home.

34 TAOS WOMAN 2016 • TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN

A love of reading and knowledge led to a lifetime serving Taos-area schools.

Josephine’s story began when her father, Francisco Martinez y Martinez, died when she was just 7 years old. He worked as a Taos County schools superintendent.

CORDOVA continues on Page 36

Relax on the outdoor patio or come to the drive-thru for great food fast!

La Reina de Las Fiestas de taos 2014 Jenna Rose

Peralta crowns Maria Ernestina Elena Archuleta as La Reina 2015 at the tCA on Saturday,

June 13, 2015.

PUbLICAtIoN DAtE: JULy 21, 2016

If unique is what you seek… School SupplieS TeacherS’ aidS arT SupplieS · STaTionery GreeTinG cardS · STickerS · GameS Fun rubber STampS educaTional ToyS · puzzleS

216B Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos 575-758-1256 www.taosmoxie.com

TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN • TAOS WOMAN 2016 35

Courtesy photos From left: Josephine Cordova, on right, and an unkown friend take a break on the steps of Ilfeld Auditorium at New Mexico Highlands University while attending summer school in the 1930s; Cordova stands behind her El Prado class of 1949 (courtesy Lee Gonzales).

CORDOVA continues from Page 34

The family moved from outside Questa to the Tres Piedres area soon after. The young girl found solace under an El Salto apple tree while reading books about the Knights of the Round Table, due to the early encouragement of her father and older half brother, attorney Esquipula Martinez. In the meantime, her mother, Maria de las Nieves, eventually swapped the Tres Piedres homestead land for a plot in Arroyo Seco. Josephine was one of a few females at the time who was striving for a high school education. While most women settled into the mother/housewife role as men expected them to — wake the children, make breakfast, make lunches, clean house, tend to animals, make dinner — Josephine Martinez had other immediate plans.

Those plans, however, hit a snag. She suffered through a bout with scarlet fever her senior year of high school, which kept her out of the classroom for months. But no matter, she ended up graduating with honors. That education provided her the opportunity to teach.

She began her career in a oneroom schoolhouse in Cerro. There was no transportation available, so the single Josephine stayed with a local family for two years. She went on to teach elementary students in Arroyo Seco, El Prado and Taos.

Not satisfied with a high school diploma and aside from mounting years of teaching experience, Cordova earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas. Then, a chance to serve as a bilingual instructor in a pilot program took her to the San Jose School in Albuquerque.

During her 39 1/2-year career, Josephine also served as a principal, lunchroom supervisor, basketball and softball coach in El Prado and at the time was the first and only female administrator (a teaching principal) of Taos Municipal Schools. She also was a co-founder of the Taos Historical Society, prepared children for First Communion and would volunteer to write letters to government officials on behalf of the illiterate.

Because her father and half brother were so instrumental in Josephine’s education, she thought nothing of being a different type of woman in the early 1900s.

“There was no doubt she was going to get educated. Esquipula made sure of it,” son Arsenio Cordova relayed. “She prepared for it. She got approval from the men (in the schools) and with her getting an education, they gave her that stamp of approval.”

While the men in Josephine’s life were cheering her on, her mother

36 TAOS WOMAN 2016 • TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN

was a little more leery.

“Her mother was not as accepting,” Arsenio shared. “Maybe even a little skeptical of a woman going to school.”

Over time, however, mother Martinez recognized the strength in and success of her daughter.

A most notable success and strength was her impact as a teacher. She was always involved with the families, she loved putting on theatrical productions and was always up for a game of Horse on the dirt basketball court at El Prado School. Josephine is still remembered as everyone’s favorite teacher, because every student was her favorite. She understood the powerful influence of being an educator and a parent.

“Today, many of the young ones rule the home,” Josephine wrote in her 1976 book, “No Lloro Pero Me Acuerdo” (“I Don’t Cry But I Remember”). “Parents bow down to the children’s wishes, so the problems begin at home, and those children continue creating more problems at school.

“Some people will probably criticize me for making this statement, but remember this: I never go to bed before 11 p.m. I spend my evenings reading current newspapers and magazines, so I know what is happening in our country today.

“Why are schools having so many walk-outs? Why are students turning against the teachers? Why are so many young ladies (not women) and young men (not gentlemen) walking along the roads setting bad examples? Why do we hear so much about the drug problem? Are all these things happening because we have given the children good example and discipline in the home?

“By our actions, we can weaken the teachers’ minds, and our schools will no longer function as a strong institution.”

Change, whether nationally or locally, was something Josephine expected herself to accept whether she liked it or not.

“I think she saw a change in moral values — a more systematic education opposed to a more grassroots education,” observed granddaughter Tessa Cordova. “She was open-minded, nonprovincial and taught with love and grace.”

Josephine had other loves than education. One of them was Willie Cordova, a sheep herder she wed in 1939. The union made Josephine an instant mother to Willie’s four children (Cora, Dan, Ruben and Fabiola). The brood doubled after the couple had four children of their own (Maria Elena, Arsenio, Fernando and Francis), while also raising a nephew and taking in Josephine’s mother.

“Standing dynamically at 18 ft her eight legs are perforated like a dried saguaro cactus and filled with an array of LED’s that respond in bright colors to sound, she has a web that can be climbed to hover within the abdomen of this giant arachnid. She is not to be feared, rather she asks for keen recognition of her long cast shadows, her bright lights and her interactivity.”

TaranTula ChriStina Sporrong artiSt

TaranTula, ChriStina Sporrong, artiSt KatharinE EgLi, photographEr

NEW MEXICO’S PREMIER GUIDE TO FINE ART PLACES AND CREATIVE SPACES

2016-2017

TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN • TAOS WOMAN 2016 37

Questa’s Ashley Cintas, right, enjoys the team aspect of volleyball and basketball. Gabriel Weinstein

By Gabriel Weinstein D edication, teamwork, pride and selfconfidence. These are just a few of the traits, lessons and skills Ashely Cintas of Questa High School (QHS), Estrella Gonzalez of Peñasco High School (PHS) and Isabella Padilla of Taos High School (THS) have learned from their participation in multiple high school sports.

All three know that the lessons they have picked up on the volleyball court, cross-country

38 TAOS WOMAN 2016 • TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN

course, basketball court, soccer field and the track will help them when they are done playing for the Lady Cats, Lady Panthers and Lady Tigers. Ashley Cintas

In school, Ashley Cintas’ favorite subject is English. Writing and literary analysis come easy for Cintas, who plays for the Lady Cats’ volleyball and basketball teams. Over the past three years, Cintas, a QHS junior, has authored a successful athletic career with the help of her teammates.

ATHLETICS continues on Page 40

Paid for by the Committee to re-eleCt roberto “bobby” J. Gonzales, marCos Gonzales treasurer

explore the remarkable career of georgia o’Keeffe through her artwork, the objects and places that were meaningful to her, and the experiences that defined her life .

Maria Chabot, GeorGia o’Keeffe HitcHinG a ride to abiquiu, 1944. PhotograPhiC Print. gift of the Maria Chabot Literary trust. © georgia o’Keeffe MuseuM.

Galleries = Home & studio = museum store researcH center

www.okeeffemuseum.or G

TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN • TAOS WOMAN 2016 39

Gabriel Weinstein Left: Peñasco’s Estrella Gonzlaez enjoys the variety of being a three sport athlete; Taos High School’s Isabella Padilla (9) says playing soccer and running cross country and track have given her a strong belief in herself. “I feel confident when I play sports. It makes me love myself,” she said.

ATHLETICS continues from Page 38

Collaboration is at the heart of what Cintas enjoys about volleyball and basketball.

“I enjoy working as a team to get somewhere,” Cintas said about volleyball.

Cintas enjoys basketball’s competitive nature. She enjoys its aggressive spirit and the journey to determining the winner of a game.

Cintas has played sports for years. She started playing basketball in elementary school and joined the volleyball team in junior high.

“[Sports] looked interesting and fun. I just felt like it would be a great opportunity,” Cintas said.

Athletics keep Cintas busy. She balances practices and games with National Honors Society and her academic obligations. When she can, Cintas likes to camp and hunt.

Cintas credits sports with helping her develop her work ethic. Running a fast break and setting up a spike have taught her how to be an effective team player. She knows these skills will help her when she enters the workforce.

For young women considering joining a sports team for the first time, Cintas has simple advice.

“Stick with it,” she said. “Do not give up. Keep trying. Eventually, it will get better.” As Cintas knows from her career with the Lady Cats, patience and perseverance pay off. Estrella Gonzalez

Estrella Gonzalez likes sports for many reasons. Through sports, the Peñasco High School sophomore has formed new friendships. She’s developed discipline and learned to embrace constructive criticism. Gonzalez enjoys exploring the different small towns she travels to with the Lady Panthers and takes pride in representing Peñasco.

Gonzalez enjoys the variety of being a three-sport athlete. Cross country gets her in shape for the long basketball season. The quick, explosive nature of basketball gets her ready to burst out of the blocks in track.

“I like them all,” Gonzalez said.

Outside of sports, Gonzalez enjoys riding motorcycles with her parents and spending time with her family. Gonzalez’s other academic passion is Spanish. She wants to become bilingual.

For Gonzalez, pushing her body in cross-country, basketball and track complements her academic interests in biology and medicine. She takes dual credit courses at Northern New Mexico college and is interested in studying pharmacy in college.

Through Peñasco High School sports, Gonzalez has earned more than just accolades and medals. The small, close-knit PHS athletic community has made it easy for Gonzalez to forge strong bonds with the school’s coaches and athletic administrators.

“They [coaches] end up as mentors and people that you can look up to. I can ask them for help with whatever,” she said.

Athletics have helped shape Gonzalez’s identity. “[Sports] have made me,” she said. They have given her a strong core she will rely on for years to come. Isabella Padilla

Soccer, cross-country and track have given THS sophomore Isabella Padilla more than trips to the state playoffs and state championship medals. The three sports have provided her with a strong social network. Defeats and setbacks have taught her how to handle adversity. But more than anything, sports have given Padilla a strong belief in herself.

“I feel confident when I play sports. It makes me love myself,” she said.

Padilla’s athletic career began on the soccer pitch. She started playing soccer when she was 4 years old. Padilla was inspired to take up the sport after watching her older brother play. Her career in running had a similar start. Her brother’s participation in running inspired her to lace up her running shoes.

Athletics keep Padilla busy. She balances cross-country and track practice in the fall and track with club soccer in the spring.

“Running really helps me with my endurance. Soccer helps me with my speed and feet in running. They work really well together,” she said.

When she is not playing soccer or running, Padilla likes to cook, bake and create art. When she can, Padilla likes to hike to Wheeler Peak and Williams Lake in Taos Ski Valley.

Sports have influenced Padilla in other areas of her life. She has enjoyed learning about the body and is interested in a career in physical therapy. Through her different teams, she has learned about leadership and the importance of listening to and valuing others’ beliefs.

Padilla encourages other girls to get out and join a sports team or two.

“Just do it,” she said. “It’s fun. It just helps you in life. You learn how to communicate. You learn how to make friends. It just really makes you happier overall.”

40 TAOS WOMAN 2016 • TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN

when and where to get your FUN on

PHOTO BY KATHARINE EGLI

THE ONLY U.S.-BASED SCHOOL and teacher training offering the personalized and therapeutic yoga of Krishnamacharya and traditional Raja

Yoga (The Royal Path of Patanajali). Sanskrit Terminology, Vedic Chanting,

Yoga Philosophy & Psychology, Pranayama & Meditation, Bandhas, and the Essential Asanas.

575-613-0519 svasthayogainstitute.com

Taos’ Best Kept Secret

–Deborah Rael-Buckley, a Taos Woman and KOKO regular

FrESH AND DELICIOuS FOODS Eat In | Take Out | Special Order

Mon–Fri 7am–6pm, Sat 8am–3pm • 575-758-9448 • 1033 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur www.kokotaos.com info@kokotaos.com

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN • TAOS WOMAN 2016 41

By Cody Hooks W hen Lillian was a little girl living with her grandma in Tularosa, she didn’t speak a word of English. When Darlene was a little girl in Santa Fe, her dad told her to always offer more. And when Valerie was a little girl moving back to her family’s home in Taos County, childhood wasn’t easy.

None of those three little girls could have imagined where their lives would take them.

But in 2016, superintendents Lillian Torrez, Darlene Ulibarri and Valerie Trujillo are at the helm of the three school districts of Taos County, bringing cooperation, understanding and stability to the rural north in a way that only three strong, Hispanic women from New Mexico could.

With the 21st century well underway, it might not at first seem like a big deal that Taos County’s school districts are headed by an ad-hoc team of Hispanic women from New Mexico.

“You’d think the gender inequalities would have gone away, but they really haven’t,” says Trujillo. “The majority of our supers in New Mexico are men.”

Sadly, that’s not just true for New Mexico. Even though women account for the majority of teachers, they only make up one-quarter of superintendents across the United States. Latina superintendents are even more underrepresented, clocking in at under 5 percent.

“Being one of three female supers is a wonderful thing” that goes beyond just professional respect, says Ulibarri, who is in her third year as superintendent of Peñasco schools.

“We all have similar struggles and similar celebrations,” she says.

From Questa to Taos to Peñasco, the area is plagued with lackluster and hard-to-come-by job opportunities for parents. And as leaders of school districts, all three face the financial

Taos Superintendant Lillian Torrez poses for a portrait near Parr Field, Oct. 3.

hurdles that come with having nine charter schools in a county of fewer than 35,000 people.

Trujillo, superintendent of Questa schools, has seen her kids and parents hit with one of the biggest blows in recent memory: the loss of the Questa Chevron mine and the 300 jobs that went with it. Trujillo saw the remarkable power of solidarity within her own community. “When there are those hardships, like the mine closure, the community unites together. Instead of crumbling from within, they actually

42 TAOS WOMAN 2016 • TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN

LEADERSHIP continues on Page 44

TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN • TAOS WOMAN 2016 43

Katharine Egli Peñasco schools Superintendent Darlene Ulibarri stands in front of the high school’s newest bus, Feb. 8.

Katharine Egli Questa Superintendent Valerie Trujillo poses for a portrait in her office at Questa High School, Feb. 4.

LEADERSHIP continues from Page 42

got stronger and found new ways to do what we do,” she says.

But that gumption isn’t limited to arbitrary boundaries of school districts. A superintendent could say they’re only going to take care of their own. That’s not the case, says Torrez, superintendent of Taos schools. “We want to make sure all of Northern New Mexico is taken care of.”

The impact of Taos County’s Hispanic and female leaderships isn’t just a matter of policy, of wheeling and dealing in the Roundhouse and trying to get state money for vital and innovative programs. It also means an awful lot to the students who see these women day in and day out.

“I was actually a teenage parent at 15,” says Trujillo. “Having those stereotypes of a teenage parent was really difficult. I could have given up, easy. Having a baby, I could’ve just quit school. But it was always my goal to be in the top 10 of my class so I could ensure I go further and so I could further my education.”

“I feel it’s our responsibility to empower our students in any way to not give up,” she says.

At the end of the day, the challenges of Northern New Mexico also come with their blessings — mostly, it’s knowing the pride and privilege of feeling at home.

“I still know pretty much all my students by name,” says Trujillo. “We’re in a small district, and that’s the beauty of it.

44 TAOS WOMAN 2016 • TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN

Our goal is to provide the best possible service in our one of a kind store with a great inventory of Talavera and Saltillo tile. And many other types and styles available on special order. We invite you to shop Taos first!

CREATE Women want to create new solutions to problems. CHANGE Women give to make a difference. CONNECT Women prefer to see the human face their gift affects. COMMIT Women commit to organizations and institutions whose vision they share. COLLABORATE Women prefer to work with others as part of a larger effort. Women seek to avoid duplication, competition, and waste.

For good, For ever.

Join us! Women in Philanthropy. TO LEARN MORE, CALL 575-737-9300 114 GEORGES LANE, TAOS TAOSCF.ORG

(575) 758-5986 • vargastile.com Mon-Fri 8:30 - 5:00pm (Saturdays; by appointment only, must be made 24 hours in advance) email: vargastile@vargastile.com 4114 State Road 68, Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

On Newsstands Everywhere March 24th

Mabel Dodge Luhan & Co. Symposium Weekend

June 17 - 19, 2016

Taos, New Mexico May 22, 2016 – Sept 11, 2016

New Mexico Oct 29, 2016 – Jan 22, 20 17

Burchfield Penney Art Center Buffalo, New York Mar 10, 2017 – May 28, 2017

Harwood Museum of Art 575.758.9826 238 Ledoux Street Taos, New Mexico 87571

Nicolai Fechin, Mabel Dodge Luhan, 1927. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of American Museum for Western Art. The Anschutz Collection, Denver, CO. Photograph by William J. O’Connor

for schedule of events, lodging packages, and more.

Stephanie Bennett-Smith & Orin R. Smith HEALY FOUNDATION

TAOSNEWS.COM/TAOSWOMAN • TAOS WOMAN 2016 45