SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 29

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2013

INTRODUCED BY

Richard C. Martinez

A JOINT MEMORIAL

PROCLAIMING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013, "RIO ARRIBA COUNTY DAY" AT THE LEGISLATURE.

     WHEREAS, Rio Arriba county is the home of a diverse, traditional community, including the Jicarilla Apache Nation, many unique villages, the city of Española and the pueblos of Ohkay Owingeh and Santa Clara; and

     WHEREAS, the first European settlement in the United States was established in Rio Arriba county in 1598, inspiring a tradition of cultural struggle and creativity; and

     WHEREAS, the people of Rio Arriba county, often called "Norteños", are a rugged people, descendants of conquistadores and the rebels who struggled against them; of Native Americans, plains peoples, Spaniards, Moors, Jews and escapees from the Spanish inquisition; of farmers, ranchers, artisans and hunters; and of people seeking alternative paths; and

     WHEREAS, for centuries, the people of Rio Arriba county have struggled against unforgiving soils and harsh weather but, despite this, have managed to produce the best chile and apples in the world; and

     WHEREAS, Rio Arriba county has produced grass banks, holistic nursing, waffle gardens, acequias, hermanos and Guadalupanas, retablos, moradas and la musica Norteña; and

     WHEREAS, Rio Arriba county is truly New Mexico's upper river, God's country, the bosom of mother earth, harsh desert and the garden of Eden; and

     WHEREAS, the people of Rio Arriba county have made many innovations in the face of adversity and have had the spirit and courage to rebel when necessary, the common sense to self-govern in days when external support was unavailable and the foresight to carry historical lessons into the present; and

     WHEREAS, Rio Arriba county is recognized for its agricultural innovations; its contributions to health care; the extraordinary beauty of its landscape and the people who have preserved that beauty; the resilience of its people; the ingenuity of its artists; its midwives and curanderas; its educational achievements through northern New Mexico college; the engineers, artists, musicians, farmers, nurses, doctors and teachers it has produced; its diversity; and its extraordinary sunsets, thunderstorms and snow;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Monday, February 18, 2013, be proclaimed "Rio Arriba County Day" at the legislature; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the county commissioners of Rio Arriba county.

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