Ties of my Ancestral Past

My name is Felix Peralta—I was born in Albuquerque, NM, and raised in the South Valley. My mother’s roots—Pepa Aragon-Brown, born in 1942—are planted as deep as the Cottonwood trees in the earth. She was from the little village called El Cerro Loop, bordering Tome, NM.

This was a Farming Community just 30 miles south of Albuquerque which was part of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro trail. The history was rich in this area with a 2,560 kilometer-long trade route between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, from 1598 to 1882. It was the northernmost trail of the four major “royal roads” that linked Mexico City to its major tributaries during and after the Spanish colonial era.

My mother’s grandfather was Antonio Peralta, born April 18, 1889. A tall man, about six-feet-tall, looked even taller wearing his big white cowboy hat. He was a man of few words and was a Genízaro. Genízaro is the ethnic term given to indigenous people of mixed tribal origins living among the Hispano population in the Spanish fashion.

His parents were from “Los Lentes” just North of Los Lunas & Bordered by Isleta Reservation. This, in turn, is why he was a Genízaro—half Isleta Pueblo & Spaniard blood. Antonio Peralta resided in San Fernandez which later became known as “El Cerro Loop.” He was a Borrega as well—a sheep herder by trade. The business and trading that was happening in this era of the 1900s was a very pivotal moment in the industrial evolution of small farming communities along the Rio Grande.

Antonio worked for the prominent German merchants, the Huning brothers. Franz Huning established his own mercantile in Albuquerque in around 1859 and was instrumental in bringing the railroad into Albuquerque in the late 1870s. If you ever wondered about the roots of the Huning District of Albuquerque, the story follows that Franz wanted a district that mirrored an eastern USA look, which featured catalog homes from Montgomery Wards and Sears Roebuck. Within a year of opening, Huning Mercantile Company expanded in Rio Abajo by establishing a mercantile in Los Lunas.

My great Grandfather Antonio Peralta worked for him on one of the many pieces of land that they had set aside for sheep grazing where they would sell meat and wool locally. These goods would be sent back to the east coast to sell for a much higher profit via rail road.

Antonio Peralta would stay out on the land for months herding sheep. Before setting out for his long trip lasting from June to September, my great-grandfather would make sure my great-grandmother was met with provisions to hold her over until his return. Without having any formal education, when he was sheep herding, he would have to keep track of the sheep by using a counting system of pebbles. Working for the Hunings allowed my great-grandfather the opportunity to buy the essentials—tractors and farming equipment for the family farm. This was a luxury that not many could afford in those times which allowed my family to herd sheep until my great-grandfather’s death of a heart attack on August 26, 1958.

As a New Mexican born and raised, never in my life have I felt more tied to the land and my ancestors. As a young musician I lived in the Huning district for many years, my family ties unknown to me; just the spirit of the land always pulling me.

Recently I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to aid fellow musician Lara Manzanares’s family herd one thousand sheep across Tierra Amarilla for two days. This was an experience I will never forget and will always be grateful for. These are just two small examples of how strongly I am tied to my family’s past in the desert of the southwest. I am continuously being gifted with more knowledge and experience about who I am and where I am headed in this life. Now I see how deeply entrenched I am in the history and culture of New Mexico through the ties of my ancestral past. The knowledge of my family history paired with my deep personal growth fuels my life with a sense of purpose and a feeling of being in tune with the land. This inspires me to write more songs about our beautiful state of New Mexico, our rich culture, and my place in it.

My mother’s father, Adán Aragon from Tomé, El Cerro, NM was an amazing accordion player that came from long family history of sheep herders. As a child I would listen to him play for hours. The images of people excited to dance stuck to my memories like glue. It was as if grandpa Adán was a Sorcerer waving his wand. The second he began playing people hopped out of their chairs  dancing to polkas, waltzes, El Indito, Gato Negro and Las Mañanitas, to name a few. The sounds and images of my grandpa’s according playing  have continuously influenced my music’s sound through out my life. To this day I still play my grandpa’s original Hohner accordion. 

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