La Acequia del Rito y la Sierra in the Mora Valley is the highest and most famous traditional irrigation system in New Mexico. It carries water up and over a mountain ridge and across a sub-continental divide, from the tributaries of the Rio Grande to the immense watershed of the Mora, Canadian, Arkansas, and Mississippi Rivers. The names and stories of those who created this acequia to sustain their communities have mostly been lost and replaced by myths and legends. Now, when children ask, some parents attribute the task of moving mountains and changing the course of rivers to Juan del Oso, the stouthearted man whose father was a bear.From the mountains of northern Spain to the Andes in South America, Spanish-speaking people have told ancient legends of Juan del Oso and his friends. In this children's tale, agriculturalist Juan Estevan Arellano and folklorist Enrique Lamadrid share a unique version of a celebrated story that has been told in northern New Mexico for centuries.

 

This book is part of a book series called Paso Por Aqui Series On the Nuevomexicano Literary Heritage .

There are 40 pages in this book. This book was published 2008 by University of New Mexico Press .

Enrique R. Lamadrid, professor of Spanish folklore and literature at the University of New Mexico, was awarded the Americo Paredes Prize in recognition of his work as a cultural activist. Juan Estevan Arellano, a native of Embudo, New Mexico, is a poet, artist, writer, and agronomist. He is an expert in traditional Spanish/Moorish agriculture and the sustaining of traditional crops originally brought to New Mexico from Europe and Central Mexico. Amy Cordova lives in Taos, New Mexico, where she is co-owner of Enger-Cordova Fine Art. She is also an educator and has illustrated many children's books. Amy Cordova is an artist, author, educator, and two-time ALA Pura Belpre Honors Award winner for children's book illustration. She lives in La Cienega, New Mexico. Enrique R. Lamadrid is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Spanish at the University of New Mexico. Winner of numerous teaching and writing awards, he is the author of many books for a wide variety of audiences. His most recent book for young readers is Amadito and the Hero Children / Amadito y los Ninos Heroes .