Through archaeological excavations and conversations with community members, University of New Mexico students explored the history of the religious gathering place and helped preserve memories of traditions that might otherwise be lost.
The Chicana and Chicano Studies class, in collaboration with students from Barnard College and Columbia University, focused on an abandoned Penitente morada, a religious gathering place, in Dixon. Students excavated the site and spoke with community members about the history and traditions of morada religious practices in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
Through their excavations, students uncovered portions of adobe walls, stone foundations, an altar area and a rosary. The combination of archaeological work and oral history also sparked community conversations about the morada traditions and religious practices of their antepasados, or ancestors, that had largely been forgotten.
The course explored four key intersections: Indigenous and Hispano cultures in northern New Mexico; archaeological and oral history research methods for understanding the Embudo Valley’s heritage; academic research and community activism; and collaboration among UNM, Barnard College and Columbia University.
UNM Associate Professor Emeritus Levi Romero taught the class alongside Severin Fowles, a professor at Columbia University and Barnard College.
“I really enjoyed working with the students and seeing how the field class helped them look at their academic research and scholarship,” Romero said.
The site was selected after Romero did a presentation on the history of moradas in the Embudo Valley for Dixon's 300-rear anniversary last December at the Embudo Valley Library.
The summer class included six UNM students and 10 students from Barnard College and Columbia University. Students also had the opportunity to assist Picuris Pueblo with preparations for its Día de San Lorenzo feast day on Aug. 10 and also assisted parishioners make repairs and do preparations at La Capilla de Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores in Pilar for its feast day on Sept. 15.
For Valerie Chavez, a doctoral student in Chicana and Chicano Studies, the field class offered a way to connect community knowledge with archaeological research. Chavez, who participated in the class for the third time, said community knowledge gave meaning to the archaeological work, while excavation provided a way to investigate and document a place whose physical remains had largely disappeared.
“The experience demonstrated that archaeology is not simply about recovering objects from the ground. It can also be about recovering memories, understanding cultural landscapes, honoring traditions, and helping communities preserve histories that might otherwise disappear,” Chavez wrote in her reflection paper at the end of the class.
At the end of each course, the students do a community presentation based on their findings. Additionally, they invite local guest speakers to provide valuable insights, history and knowledge related to the work. Some of the materials are displayed on a permanent exhibit at the Embudo Valley Library.
“We hope that we will eventually have an archive center in the village where we can archive and exhibit the materials,” Romero said. “One such location is the abandoned Sala Filantropica dance hall and community gathering place that is owned by Rio Arriba County.”
Romero said the class demonstrates how UNM courses can collaborate with communities and other academic institutions to offer students alternative approaches to learning that benefit both students and the communities with which they engage.
“All in all, the class was a profoundly rewarding and successful experience. Professor Severin Fowles and I have collaborated teaching the field class since 2018. We plan to continue with further field work and oral history documentations,” Romero said.
The course is open to undergraduate and graduate students. It is cross-listed at UNM with various departments including Native American Studies, Anthropology, Geography and the School of Architecture and Planning.
