Latin American Collections (Archival)

Music Collections

John Donald Robb Field Recordings consist of Hispanic, Native American, and Anglo music recorded between 1942-1979 in different parts of New Mexico. The collection contains Hispanic folk music such as the alabado, the pastore, the decimal, and the corrido. Additionally, Native American chants and dances, as well as Anglo cowboy and frontier ballads are represented in the collection

Manuel Areu Collection of Nineteenth-Century Zarzuelas, 1849-1932 contains 131 zarzuelas, miscellaneous music, plays, playbills, and personal papers. Of the zarzuelas, about 100 originated in Spain, and a small number from Cuba and Mexico. There are also several translations and arrangements of French, Italian and Viennese operettas. Almost half of the zarzuelas are one-act works, about one-third contain two or more acts, and the remainder are of undetermined length. Only a dozen works are complete with librettos and orchestral parts, but there are over eighty workable zarzuelas with conductors' scores and/or piano-vocal scores. As a performing collection, it is a valuable source of many possibly rare or unavailable works

Mexican Sheet Music Collection, 1920-1936 contains 270 musical scores from the "Golden Age" of Mexican music. Represented within the collection are various pieces within the genres of canción, canción mexicana, canción regional, fox-trot, march (marcha), bolero, waltz (vals), danza, tango, huapango, schottisch, corrido, son, polka, and romanza, among others. Fifteen of the scores were purchased in Mexico, but published in other parts of Latin America, the United States and Europe

Mexican Popular Music Collection collection of popular music performed in Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century. The songs are quite varied and include performances by a dueto, a trio, conjunto, several mariachis, orchestras, a mission choir, and the Mexican police band. There are songs of the Mexican Revolution, rancheras and huapangos. Also included are songs for Christmas, the well-known Spanish song Granada, a Serenata Azteca, two Cuban danzon numbers, historical and humorous corridos, a vals (waltz) and two marchas: Zacatecas and La Marcha para la Boda (wedding) de Luis Alonzo. The national anthem of Mexico was performed by the Mexican police band. Among the performers are Manuelita Arriola, Miguel Aceves Mejia, Alberto Dominguez, Jorge Fernandez, Martin y Eloisa, Pedro Infante and Alfonso Ortiz Tirado.

Ruben Cobos Collection of Southwestern Folklore and Folk Music, 1930-2013 consists of 591 recordings of folk songs, folklore and local histories collected by Ruben Cobos from 1944-1974 in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Also included are 270 additional recordings of selected music - a few from New Mexico, many from Mexico and Latin America, and others from Spain, Europe and the U.S.

Enrique Lamadrid Collection of Folk Songs, Oral Histories and Photographic Projects, 1930-2011features sound recordings and background information on Juan B. Rael, interviews and photos from the 1995 Farmers’ Markets Project in Colorado Springs, and folk music recordings (corridos, inditas, alabados and other traditional song) and photographs with Native Americans and Hispanics of New Mexico, Cajuns in Texas, and Mexicans on the U.S. Mexican border. Topics covered include life along the Rio Grande, the Penitentes, Matachines, the blessing of the acequias, tributes to New Mexico veterans, discussions of Bless Me Ultima and an interview with author, Rolando Hinojosa.

Hermandad de Nuestro Padre de Jesus Semana Santa Songbooks, 1912-1979 consists of photocopies of handwritten volumes used in the Semana Santa (Holy Week) rituals of the Hermandad de Nuestro Padre de Jesus, held at the Templo San Agustin in Durango, Mexico. Included are two coloquios, or dialogs, and six handwritten songbooks collected by Cecile Turrietta in the city of Durango. The songbooks, containing alabados, belong to the members of the Hermandad. During Holy Week the Hermandad are divided up into eight choirs. Each takes its turn singing in the Templo to provide continuous music for the faithful

Juan S. Lucero and Lora L. Chavez Collection of New Mexico Hispanic Religious and Traditional Songs, 1950-2008  consists of recordings of 58 songs that are original compositions by Lucero. Also included are seven old traditional New Mexico folk songs from the Torreon area. The songs were performed by Lucero or by Lucero and his relatives. The collection includes Spanish alabanzas or songs of praise, corridos, romances, rancheros and samples of a few other song types such as an indita, polka and a waltz.

Roberto Martinez Collection of New Mexican and Mexican Music, 1979-1994 consists of twenty three sound cassettes, two compact discs with line notes, and eleven 45 rpm discs of commercial recordings, dating 1979 to 1994, of popular New Mexican and Mexican music performed by Roberto Martínez, his son, Lorenzo, daughter, Debbie, the music group, Los Reyes de Albuquerque, and other Martínez family members. The 45 rpm discs amd sound cassettes have been reformatted to CDs. The collection contains various types of New Mexican folk music, originating from the 1930's on, including inditas or ballads, popular mariachi songs, traditional dance music, polkas, and others. All songs are in Spanish. There is a title index indicating the number of the compact disc

James B. Wright Collection of Southwestern Native American and Hispanic Music, Interviews and Literary Programs, 1973-1986 broad collection contains traditional Southwestern Native American and Hispanic folk music, and popular music, dances, poetry readings and interviews collected in the 1970s and 1980s. Also included are Spanish medieval music, a Belen Los Pastores presentation, Matachines music from Tortugas, a Corrales history pageant, Anglo American country western songs and fiddle tunes, Laotian songs from Albuquerque, and a lecture by John Donald Robb

Consuelo Luz Entriega Collection collection consists of one recording of the special Hispanic wedding entriega song composed and sung in Spanish and English by Consuelo Luz for the Southwest Hispanic Arts Curriculum Symposium at the University of New Mexico in 1994. Includes also are the meaning of an entriega and the words of this song

Florence Hawley Ellis and Donovan Senter Collection of Hispanic, Isleta, and Laguna Songs Hispanic and Native American field recordings were taped in the mid-1940s by Florence Hawley Ellis and her husband, Donovan Senter. There is also an oral presentation on the status of Spanish American people of NM, ca 1940-1945 and a criticism of a book by Foster. Collection contains material in English, Spanish and the Isleta language (Tiwa).

Indian Music of the Southwest and Mexico Collection collection of sound recordings was donated to the John Donald Robb Archive of Southwestern Music by the Music Department of the University of New Mexico. It consisted of three reels of pre-1963 commercial recordings of Native American music from Mexico and the Southwestern United States, which have been reformatted to cd

Antonio Garcia Collection of Native American Music of New Mexico and Mexico collection of sound recordings was donated to the John Donald Robb Archive of Southwestern Music by Antonio Garcia. The music is mainly from San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, with a few songs of the Huichol of Mexico. In addition, several songs are from the Iroquois and one is from the Ojibwa or Chippewa Indians.

Donald L. Roberts Collection of Music of the Southwest and Mexico The collection contains recordings of Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo songs, as well as a few Apache, Ute, and Kiowa songs. A major part deals with the history and use of sand paintings, native medicine and star beliefs. There are also Matachines dances, a Los Pastores program and a concert of songs performed by the University of Chihuahua Folkloric group. The collection includes detailed explanations of the selections.

Collection Strengths

UNM's Manuscript holdings are particularly strong in Colonial Spanish American Sources, 20th Century Mexican and Guatemalan sources and Visual and Musical resources. Also notable are travel related manuscripts and personal or institutional collections addressing other parts of Latin America. The lists here are not exhaustive, so researchers should consult New Mexico Archives Online (NMAO)– an inventory of archival collections in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, which is technologically and administratively managed by UNM University Libraries. Please contact the Curator of Latin American Collections, Margie Montañez with an questions or recommendations.