About This Site
This site is a serialization of the out-of-print 2003 book Another Time in This Place, Historia, Cultura y Vida en Questa, by Tessie Rael y Ortega and Judith Cuddihy.
Translating a book to a web site is a little tricky. I’ve chopped it into blog posts, based on sections and chapters, moving the images from the center of the book to individual posts, to keep it visually interesting.
The book is a collection of documents, which can be read in order, or as piques your interest from a title or image.
© 2003 Tessie Rael de Ortega
© 2003 Judith Cuddihy Third printing
From the back cover:
Questa today is the sum of many influences—medieval, religious, Spanish, Native American, Anglo, and French. Played against a dramatic landscape of mountains, val-leys, mesas, and volcanic terranes, these influences have been combined and adapted to form a traditional northern New Mexican village, where faith, family, work, and interdependence have blended with the water and the land.
Another Time in This Place is the story of Questa’s history, culture, and everyday life—the rich tapestry that provides our sense of community. This book first recounts the oral histories of Questa, the stories that form the picture in most minds of how Questa came into being. Next, the history of the area and the village as determined from the archaeological and written records is examined, including information on the three land grants obtained by early settlers in this valley, as well as important events affecting the life of the people of San Antonio del Rio Colorado, the Village of Questa’s original name. How life was lived in Questa—the cycle of birth, life, and death—and the story of everyday life in Questa during the early and mid-20th century are told in the last part of the book.
The history of this area is rich and unique, and it’s an honor to keep it alive. If you have anything to add, please contact us here. If you have your own story to share, there’s another web site for that, Questa Stories.