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I was "searching" the internet the other day and bumped into this image of the June 26, 1974 edition of the Santa Fe Reporter. It was their very first issue and guess who was on the front page. An old family friend, now long gone, Miguel Armijo. But I remember Miguel, he was quite a guy, always thought different than the rest of us. We could go and/or come along if we wanted to but he was going ahead anyway. Miguel was a distant relative but very close to the family anyway. More so than some closer relatives.
I remember him as El Asomodeo, second in command to Lucifer himself in Los Pastores in Rowe back in the late 1950's and early 1960's. He was Juan Diego in the local production of the presentation of Nuestrs Sra. de Guadalupe that my mother, Rufegio Benavidez, used to put on back then. Miguel made one hell of an Asmodeo and an even better Juan Diego. Rosina Archuleta (now Herrera) was always cast as Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. There were several "gilas" in los Pastores that I recall.
Miguel always seemed to be ready to help with the productions and was a willing and very good actor. Sort of a natural at it.
I remember that he had a pair of oxen that he had trained and used in parades around the area. The only functioning oxen I have ever saw. Seen plenty of horses and some mules a couple of times, but he had the only oxen team. I figured out the word "buey" from him.
Miguel was also an "hermano", he would pick us up when we were to go to the Morada at Las Colonias for a service or for a regular meeting of la Hermandad.
Anyway, bumping into this picture brought back many memories de Miguel. Que descanse en pas.
1 comment:
Tio Miguel was my grampa andalecio Benavidez half brother. I remember him well when we were growing up. The thing I remember most is when he would go to celebrate a funeral he would shoot his gun outside the church to start the mass. A tradition that is lost with the hermanos de la morada.
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