Traveling Exhibit: Following the Manito Trail - Sept. 1 - 29

The traveling exhibit "Following the Manito Trail" from the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center will be on display at the LCCC Ludden Library from Sept. 1 -29.

"Following the Manito Trail" is a cultural heritage exhibition that shares the migration experiences, creative practices, and largely untold stories of Manito (Hispanic New Mexican) families from Taos County and its surrounding area. These families carried their culture with them through their migrations to other states for seasonal and permanent work during the 19th and 20th centuries. These migrations represent Manito family values in surviving, even if it meant leaving the homes they cherished. Their contributions significantly impacted the American West through their labor in sheepherding, coal mining, railroad construction, and the sugar beet fields. Wherever they went, they never forgot their roots in New Mexico, and they shaped their new homes in other states to preserve and adapt their cultural traditions that they brought with them. For some families, the following generations stayed in their diaspora homes, and, for others, they returned to New Mexico. Through their descendants, Manito families carry on the legacy of shaping the northern New Mexico cultural landscape through professions in medicine, the humanities, the arts, linguistics, and agriculture. Through sounds and sights, this exhibition highlights Manito family histories; the significance of storytelling, farming, agricultural, poetic, religious, and culinary practices to Manito families; and the Hispanic art forms of santos and colchas. 

Ludden Library Hours:

Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday Closed
Sunday  12 p.m. - 4 p.m.