Once upon a time in the Mora Valley of northern New Mexico there lived a farmer named Ponciano Gutiérrez. On a trip through the mountains he was taken captive by Vicente Silva and his gang of bank robbers. This tale of Ponciano’s quick-witted escape has been a bedtime story for generations in the Paiz family.
New Mexico authors at the turn of the last century published many accounts of the crimes of Vicente Silva. This book is the first to present a Silva legend that has been kept alive by families in Mora since the 1890s. The Paiz family version is presented in English with a Spanish translation by A. Gabriel Meléndez.
This is Book 2 in the Paso Por Aqui Series on the Nuevomexicano Literary Heritage Series. See all Paso Por Aqui Series on the Nuevomexicano Literary Heritage books here.
See More Traditional stories
No one has written a review for 'The Legend of Ponciano Gutiérrez and the Mountain Thieves'
Why not be the first to share your opinion?
A. Gabriel Melendez , professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, is the author of The Biography of Casimiro Barela and many other books. He is also the coeditor of Santa Fe Nativa (UNM Press).
Amy Cordova of Taos, New Mexico, is co-owner of Enger-Cordova Fine A
