GENESIS of the book
New Mexico: A Brief Multi-History
Authored by Rubén Sálaz (Márquez)The back cover of NEW MEXICO: A BRIEF MULTI-HISTORY reads in part: “Every book has a history of its own and New Mexico: A Brief Multi-History could be considered one of the mini-sagas worthy of inclusion in this comprehensive chronology…” The following is a true account of how the MULTI-HISTORY came into being. The story begins when the book was chosen to be the first book published by the (National) Hispanic Culture Center in Albuquerque.
CONTENTS:
Part I: Basic Facts
Part II: Paper Trail
Part III: Book Reviews
Part IV: Epilogue
PART I: Basic Facts
1. September, 1997: After a state-wide “Request for Proposal,” the NEW MEXICO: A BRIEF MULTI-HISTORY manuscript was selected for publication by the Hispanic Cultural Center staff in Albuquerque. Michael Miller, Research and Literary Director of the Hispanic Cultural Center, was instructed by Director Ronald Vigil to create a publishing contract for the book authored by Rubén Sálaz (Márquez).
a. Miller created a contract that stated in Section 4-D: “…it being understood that if such revisions are not made by the AUTHOR, the PUBLISHER may publish the revised work…in the name of the person or persons who revised the AUTHOR’S WORK.”
[The entire book would therefore be attributed to whomever revised it if a revision was deemed necessary and Michael Miller would be making that final decision.]
b. The Author rejected the contract because of the 4-D provision that bestowed authorship on anyone who revised it.
c. In an effort to proceed with the publishing process, Director Vigil wrote up a stipulation that created an Editorial Advisory Committee (EAC) to “insure historical accuracy” of the book. The only contractual authority given the EAC had to do strictly with verifying “historical accuracy.”
d. The contract also enabled the PUBLISHER to edit the
work…“provided the meaning of the text is not materially altered.”
2. September 15, 1997: an acceptable contract was signed by the Author and Director Ron Vigil. The contract was approved by Attorney General representative Roberta Joe. An unusual feature of the contract is that Sections 1-B and 4-D contain statements that the “Author shall be acknowledged as the Author.”
a. October 16, 1997: The Board of Directors goes over the contract and approves it although the contract contains no ceiling cost for printing the book. The Board mentions that $37,500 is for printing the book but the figure isn’t written into the contract and the specific amount is negated by Section 9 of the contract.
3. The September 15, 1997 contract is not executed as is necessary to make it legal under N.M. law. The Author is unaware of the contract not being legal. [At a later date, Ron Vigil states that he put Michael Miller in charge of getting the proper signatories to the contract. Miller didn’t do it so the contract isn’t legal.]
a. Believing that the book would be published, everything proceeded as if the contract was legal.
b. (October ?) Ron Vigil is removed as Director of the HCC.
c. December 15, 1997: The EAC (Michael Miller, Carlos Vasquez, Craig Newbill, Robert Torrez, all chosen by Miller), inform the Author of their recommendations for revisions of the manuscript.
d. December 22, 1997: All EAC recommendations have been incorporated into the manuscript and the Author returns the revised manuscript to Miller, who is now totally in charge of he book because Ron Vigil has been removed as Director.
4. Jan., Feb., 1999: the Author isn’t contacted by Miller or other EAC members. It appears to the Author that Miller and Carlos Vasquez, the latter of whom is housed at the HCC for UNM’s oral history programs, have decided to ignore the publishing project to prevent publication of the book.
5. In February or March the Author contacts Acting Director Mariah Sacoman regarding the lack of progress on the book.
a. March 4, 1998: Ms. Sacoman states in her letter to the Author that the book will be published but “…it was inappropriate to enter into the contract until such time as an RFP was issued for printing services and a printer was chosen for the job.” However, Sacoman doesn’t advise the Author to create or sign a new contract.
b. April, 1998: The Author goes to Dr. Edson Way, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs, and asks that Ron Vigil, now working in the Office of Cultural Affairs, be put in charge of the publishing project, which he does.
c. According to Ron Vigil, M. Miller went to Edson Way and asked to retain authority over the project. His request was denied but Miller did get Dr. Craig Newbill to write Ron Vigil saying the book was far from being publishable. (Michael Miller retires as of July, 1998.)
d. Because of Newbill’s letter, Mr. Vigil hires an outside consultant, Dr. Dan Chavez, to investigate if the Author has incorporated the EAC recommendations of December 15, 1997.
e. Consultant Dr. Dan Chavez issues a report that all recommendations have been incorporated into the revised manuscript. A printing contractor (STARLIGHT Publishing) is then selected and the project proceeds without further problems. For contractual purposes, Ron Vigil and the OCA are now “the PUBLISHER.” Personnel from the Hispanic Culture Center are not involved in the project.
f. Mr. Ron Vigil personally interviews Dr. Craig Newbill and learns that “other committee members” had misrepresented the Author’s reactions to Newbill’s efforts with the EAC. Dr. Newbill is “amazed” at the evidence shown him by Ron Vigil.
6. Jan. 1998: Ron Vigil is now retired and newly hired (Nov.-Dec.?, ’98) Eugene Matta is the new Director of the HCC.
a. Carlos Vasquez has “introduced” Matta to N.M. and ingratiated himself to the new Director by driving him around the State. (In time Carlos Vasquez is hired as Research and Literary Director, the post vacated by Michael Miller upon his retirement.)
b. Matta orders the printing contractor to stop all work on the book sometime during the first week of January, ‘98.
[The STARLIGHT letter of 20 January, 1998 verifies stoppage.]
c. Matta, being brand new to New Mexico and the HCC, was not knowledgeable about the book at this time. The “order” to stop the publication was actually instigated by Carlos Vasquez and newly returned part-timer Michael Miller. Denigration of the MULTI-HISTORY was communicated by Vásquez and Miller to Eugene Matta, to Ed Lujan, to Edson Way, none of whom had read the 675 page book.
6. All prepress is complete when the HCC letter of Jan. 7, 1998 is sent to the Author, demanding that major revisions be made to the book. The prepress work done thus far has totaled $43,500.
a. The letter bears the names of Matta, Lujan, and Way. The letter doesn’t mention the ceiling cost of $37,500.
b. Jan. 12, ’98: The Author meets with Matta, Lujan, Way—who freely admit they haven’t read the book. The Author tells them they’ve been duped by Vasquez and Miller. Lujan says he will have the publishing committee investigate the situation--but the publishing committee doesn’t meet and telephone calls from the Author aren’t returned.
Jan. 15 (?), 1998: Ed Lujan informs the Author the original publishing contract was never executed therefore is not legal. Despite the Author sending a new contract to HCC personnel, they do not move to legalize the contract or create a new one.
7. The STARLIGHT letter of 20 Jan. ‘98 states that major revisions required by the letter of 7 January ’98 will add “approximately $20,000” to the final cost of $62,500 for the book.
a. March 7, 1999: Mr. Matta tells the ABQ. Journal that the Board had originally contracted for a 200 page book
b. The contract mentions “approximately 500 pages” in Section 2-A.
c. Major revisions are now required by the HCC and the printing contractor says they will add an additional $20,000 to the final bill.
8. March 31, 1998: Director Matta tells the Board of Directors that the total cost for publishing the book will be around $90,000. The HCC Board of Directors says all it wanted to spend on the book was $37,500 then votes unanimously to end the entire publishing project. The HCC Board of Directors is now officially in a breach of contract with the Author. Ed Lujan later appears on television saying that it is the Author’s right under the law to file a lawsuit if he wishes to. The lawsuit will cost the Author some $90,000 while the HCC has a free attorney from the State.
PART II: PAPER TRAIL
[The following documentation was sent to the entire Board of Directors of the Hispanic Cultural Center.]
¡SALUDOS!
To the Primos and Primas of the New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Center Board of Directors (Loretta, Arsenio, Herbert, Bernardo, Pablo, Frances, Edward, Matt, Evelyn, Ana, Abelicio, Hector, Sharon, Canuto, and Joe):
The following is a factual account (documentation is available if a committee wishes to investigate) of what has transpired regarding the publication of our New Mexico history book authored by Rubén Sálaz:
The PAPER TRAIL is as follows:
1. September 15, 1997: Rubén Sálaz (AUTHOR) signs a contract with the Hispanic Cultural Center (HCC) to publish his manuscript (WORK), New Mexico: A Brief Multi-History.
After the October 16, 1997 meeting of the HCC Board of Directors the said Board votes almost unanimously (one negative vote) to publish the WORK.
2. December 5, 1997: Members of the Editorial Advisory Committee (EAC) submit their reports [all of which are in possession of the AUTHOR] on the WORK and are asked to rate it on a scale of 1-to-10, ten being the highest possible:
Michael Miller: Rating 8; “I recommend it for publication with recommended revisions.”
Craig Newbill: Rating 7 (possibility of 10 after recommendations of index, glossary, are included); “I recommend it for publication with recommended revisions.”
Robert Torrez: Rating 8: “I…recommend it for publication with revisions.”
Carlos Vásquez: [No number rating provided.] “I…continue to support its publication by the NMHCC…The manuscript is impressive, timely, and vital. The NMHCC should do everything within its resources to assist the author in making the revisions outlined above so that this book sees publication in 1998.”
3. December 15, 1997: Michael Miller writes to the AUTHOR informing him as to recommended revisions by the EAC, referring to them as OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO.
[The AUTHOR chooses “Option One” and immediately sets to work revising the entire manuscript according to the EAC’s recommended “Option One.”]
4. December 22, 1997: The AUTHOR delivers, in person, the revised manuscript to Michael Miller. All EAC recommendations as stipulated in Option One have been incorporated into the Sálaz manuscript. The AUTHOR’s accompanying letter thanks Mr. Miller and the members of the EAC for their labors in helping develop the WORK.
[During the months of January and February of 1998 there is no written communication from Editor Michael Miller to the Author regarding the completed revision and neither is there any record of EAC activity. The Author makes telephone calls and Mr. Miller finally says that the average cycle for producing a book is “three years,” that one has to be patient. It is the responsibility of Editor Michael Miller to work with the EAC membership. The Author is later to learn that Dr. Craig Newbill of the EAC was never given a copy of the revised manuscript for evaluation.]
5. March 4, 1998: The AUTHOR telephones Acting Director Mariah Sacoman as to status of the WORK and she replies in writing as to the complex workings of State government and procedures which she says are beyond her control.
6. March 26, 1998: Request for printing of the WORK is advertised in the ABQ. Journal.
7. April 14, 1998: The AUTHOR writes to and speaks with Dr. Edson Way, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs, shows him the 3-4-98 letter from Ms. Sacoman, and asks if Ron Vigil could be given the publishing project in order to facilitate the process. It is also pointed out that Editor Michael Miller is retiring in June of 1998. Dr. Way puts Mr. Vigil in charge. (Mr. Vigil informs the AUTHOR that Mr. Miller objected to the transfer of the project to Mr. Vigil.)
8. April 30, 1998: EAC member Craig L. Newbill writes to Michael Miller, saying it is his “understanding” that the AUTHOR was “resistant to suggestions…also rude in his reactions…[and] personalized verbal attacks by the author…” and resigns from the EAC.
[The AUTHOR is completely taken aback by Dr. Newbill’s letter when Mr. Vigil reads it to him for the AUTHOR has never even met Dr. Newbill, much less leveled “attacks” at him.
Since Dr. Newbill is of high standing in the academic community his resignation is considered significant by Mr. Vigil so he decides to seek an outside opinion to evaluate if the AUTHOR has complied with stipulated EAC guidelines. Dr. Dan D. Chávez is hired as an outside party to survey the entire manuscript and submit a written report to Mr. Vigil.]
9. June 23, 1998: Dr. Dan D. Chávez files his report which states that all EAC guidelines as stipulated in OPTION ONE have been complied with by the AUTHOR.
[The project now winds its way through all steps required by State law. A contractor is selected as prescribed by law and the AUTHOR now works with assigned Starlight Publishing personnel. There is no assistance whatever from HCC staff members. The AUTHOR functions as Editor because Michael Miller has retired and no one has been hired to fill the vacancy. The project proceeds on schedule and the manuscript is formed into a book that requires an Index that is thirty pages long.
During this period the AUTHOR attends a conference in Santa Fe which Carlos Vásquez happens to be filming for the HCC. During the Question & Answer period the Author asks one of the Speakers if he has ever seen the label “Chicano” used in any historical document. The Speaker replies in the negative. Carlos Vásquez then comes up to the microphone and states to all present: “I am a Chicano!” When the conference is over Carlos Vásquez goes up to the Author and tells him: “That book of yours is going down the tubes at the Hispanic Cultural Center.”]
10. November 30, 1998: Dr. Craig Newbill writes to the AUTHOR and states in diplomatic language that “other committee members” had lied to Newbill about the AUTHOR and his reaction to recommendations made to him by the four EAC members. The lies caused Newbill to resign from the EAC and “Unfortunately, I did not communicate with you, the author, and had no way of knowing if the confidential information brought to me was accurate or not.”
11. Around January 2, 1999, the book is plated and ready to be put on the printing press when Eugene Matta instructs Starlight Publishing to suspend all work on the book until further notice.
12. January 7, 1999: The AUTHOR receives a letter from Edward Luján, Dr. Edson Way and/or Eugene Matta, the new Director of the HCC, but in reality from Michael Miller and Carlos Vásquez who are the only ones who have read any part of the MULTI-HISTORY, informing him that the following revisions need to be made before the book can be printed:
(1.) change the title, (2.) eliminate the Introduction by (former Director) Ronald Vigil, (3.) have the Foreword written by someone other than the Author, (4.) terminate the book with the year 1992 [here it must be pointed out that the work was intended to celebrate 400 years of New Mexico history, therefore the stipulation was that the book cover the years 1598-1998; Carlos Vásquez had previously written in 1997: “I…continue to support its publication by the NMHCC…The manuscript is impressive, timely, and vital. The NMHCC should do everything within its resources …so that this book sees publication in 1998.”], (5.) eliminate the TIMELINE text, (6.) revise the Table of Contents, (7.) eliminate the annotations in the Annotated Bibliography, (8.) eliminate the Hall of Fame section, (9.) submit full citations in the Recommended Books and Authors, (10.) and “we” need to review the Index when completed.
The AUTHOR is requested to meet with Dr. Edson Way, Eugene Matta, and Edward Luján to discuss the LETTER of 1-7-99 and its suggested revisions.
January 12, 1999: With Dr. Edson Way, Edward Luján, Eugene Matta, Michael Miller, and Carlos Vásquez present, the AUTHOR states he will create a new manuscript according to the LETTER but an addendum should be added to the original Contract because the mandated revisions are a breach of contract. Additionally, a new EAC should be created because the AUTHOR now has serious philosophical disagreements with retired-but-returned-part-timer Michael Miller and volunteer Carlos Vásquez, who are once more functioning as an EAC. The meeting terminates with Ed Luján saying that the AUTHOR and Miller/Vásquez may write summations which he will present to the HCC Board of Directors at the January 28th meeting and the Board will decide what action to pursue.
The AUTHOR states in writing:
Be advised that the demands of the aforementioned LETTER are pushing the Hispanic Cultural Center toward a breach of contract. The LETTER has totally ignored the contract signed with the State of New Mexico, Office of Cultural Affairs, Hispanic Cultural Division, New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Center, in September of 1997. Even a legal novice like myself can make the following observations:
(1.) Section 3-B of our Contract states: “The PUBLISHER has the right to edit the WORK for original printing and the first reprinting as granted in Section 1A, provided the meaning of the text is not materially altered.” To eliminate the Hall of Fame or any other section of the WORK without my approval is a breach of contract.
(2.) Section 4-D of our Contract states: “The PUBLISHER represents that it will establish an editorial review committee that will be charged with the responsibility to determine the historical accuracy of the WORK.” The sole contractual investiture in the editorial review committee is to determine “historical accuracy.” To require, for example, that I terminate the book in 1992 has nothing to do with insuring “historical accuracy,” and without my approval, is another breach of said Sections 3-B and 4-D.
(3.) Section 2-D states: “…The PUBLISHER will publish the WORK as soon as circumstances permit.” All requirements were fulfilled to the satisfaction of the Officer of Cultural Affairs officer-in-charge Ronald Vigil, all necessary documents were signed by Director Edson Way, and the printing contractor Starlight Publications was awarded the project to bring the project to fruition because “circumstances” permitted.
(4.) Section 8 states: “This Agreement shall not be altered, changed or amended unless the parties agree in writing.” The Contract was being fulfilled until Eugene Matta unilaterally ordered Starlight to suspend the publication process (all printing plates had been created and were ready to be put on the printing press, according to Daphne Dobecki of Starlight Publishing) in order to require “11th hour” editorial (once again, a violation of Sections 3-B and 4-D) revisions from the AUTHOR. This is a breach of contract.
(5.) Let me now state that I urge you to continue to fulfill our contract because, among many other reasons, creating a new publishing house will be a sterling accomplishment for New Mexico and the HCC. I propose the following for your consideration:
a. if his schedule permits, I would like to have Director Eugene Matta write an Introduction segment for the WORK and I will place it in the WORK;
b. publish the WORK as it is now at Starlight because it will fulfill all contractual obligations with the AUTHOR;
c. because the WORK is so close to completion, the AUTHOR will have final approval on any recom-mendations concerning the WORK;
d. advise Director Matta to order the completion of the WORK without further delays of any kind.
I urge you to make a motion, perhaps it could be referred to as the “Author’s Recom-mendations,” to adopt said “Author’s Recom-mendations” as the basis for continuing the publishing process.
I am not trying to be intransigent in this matter. The fact is I have irreconcilable philosophical disagreements with most of the “eleventh hour” recommendations stipulated in the LETTER. For example, if the WORK ends in 1992, we will lose a number of biographies, some of which happen to include Board members, and a number of which are women, so I will be left open to the “charge” that I am ignoring the role of women in New Mexican history; therefore I am unwilling to accept the 1992 termination recommendation despite statements like “before we approve the book for final printing.” There are others which I can articulate if necessary.
I realize there are also fiscal realities: the project has required more money than was agreed to. Michael Miller, then Research Director and Editor, misinformed you as to costs. The $37,500, which was $5,000 more generous than what he asked for, was not going to cover expenses. A quality hardback, which isn’t generally up to textbook standards, usually runs about $50,000.
I understand that some $43,500 has already been expended, that the total price is around $61,000 (because of necessities like a thirty-page Index and a very readable layout design that utilizes extra space so that the reader doesn’t feel “threatened”). There is about $1,500,000 in the HCC fund and I believe unspent/unallocated monies will revert, so I urge you to fund the remaining expenses. We should sell the book at $49.99 (“nines” are supposed to bode well for financial transactions). I have been promoting the WORK for over a year and there is a market in and beyond the schools. Indeed, Peter Moulson of UNM Press has already expressed an interest in its distribution, as I related to Dr. Edson Way many months ago, and Nob Hill Books wants to stock it.
If my suggestions aren’t acceptable let me say that I remain a loyal and staunch supporter of the Hispanic Cultural Center so long as it revolves around the history, cultures, and people of New Mexico. If you decide it is better for the HCC to terminate our publishing project I will sign the legal document of your choosing so long as I understand it to state unequivocally that our Contract is irrevocably dissolved by mutual consent and neither party shall ever lay claim(s) on the other for any matter or item related to the Contract. When the document is signed, my only comment to the media will be that “We encountered editorial and financial problems that we couldn’t resolve” or other such statements, without sensationalistic negativity, which is perhaps the best way to manage a situation where there is no Hispanic history book with which to commemorate the 400th anniversary of New Mexico, where there is no HCC Press, where I have lost a year and a half of labor, and where the HCC has lost $43,500.
Un abrazo.
Rubén Sálaz M.
[END of PAPER TRAIL.
No answer was received from the Board or any individual Board member.
THE AUTHOR WENT ON WITH THE BOOK PROJECT AND PUBLISHED IT HIMSELF. None of the recommendations stated above, made by Carlos Vásquez and/or Michael Miller, were incorporated into the text. The MULTI-HISTORY was ready for the public by September of 1999.]
PART III (Reviews of the MULTI-HISTORY.)
BOOK REVIEW by Leon Metz.
New Mexico: A Brief Multi-History, by Rubén Sálaz Márquez. Cosmic House, illustrations, soft-cover, 675 pp., $39.95.
Albuquerque resident Rubén Sálaz Márquez has put together "the most comprehensive" and "must have" book on New Mexico that I have encountered. While some readers may groan at just thinking about hoisting this 675 page volume, it is well worth the effort.
Other readers may argue that they presently already have all the New Mexico books they need since New Mexico is one of the more written-about states. But the Sálaz Márquez MULTI-HISTORY is different. It is unique. It is satisfying. A reader will find it one of the best reference sources, and probably one of the most " turned to " books in their library. That is because the style is different. While this is a ponderous book in terms of size, this is not a ponderous history, nor is it ponderous reading. Yet, it is complete. Turn to any page and start: it will hold your interest.
This MULTI-HISTORY has a timeline format, an agenda that moves the reader easily across the ages, through the generations, past the different characters and events. It begins with a listing of Spanish Governor's followed by Mexican Republic governors, the American occupation governors, the Territorial governors, and finally the State governors, all up-to-date.
Sálaz Márquez then drops back into brief TIMELINE periods beginning with 12,000 to 10,000 B.C. as his history sweeps up through the Pueblo Indians, the European arrivals, the Pueblo Revolt, the alliances, the trail blazers, the traders, the American influences, the elections, the good, the bad and the nasty, high and low society, scientific, political, educational, athletic and artistic accomplishments, the facts and figures on tribal councils, boundary disputes, land titles, water and religious controversies, rocketry, labor, reclamation, migrants, prisons, and you-name-it. The book closes with a substantial Index, plus short summaries of New Mexico's Hall of Fame and the best books relating to the State.
This MULTI-HISTORY with its photos, maps, and general layout is a designer's dream. If you can afford only one book about New México, this ought to be it. Sálaz Márquez has written the perfect gift for the person who loves history.
[Editor's Note: Leon Metz is a well known Texas historian who writes Book Reviews for the El Paso Times.]
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BOOK REVIEW
by DAN HERRERA, Sunday Journal, May 7th, 2000; Section F, PAGE 8.
HEADLINE: Labor of Love
Sub-Headline: Author’s affection for state, its people evident in " New Mexico of Brief Multi-History"
You get all the way to page 33 in " New Mexico: A Brief Multi-History " before the English colony of Jamestown is founded.
The Pilgrims don't land at Cape Cod—illegally it is mentioned--until page 42.
And you get 125 pages of mostly New Mexico history before the Thirteen Colonies on the east coast declare their independence from England.
Rubén Sálaz Márquez, an Albuquerque author and retired teacher, has put together an impressive collection of facts in a big book that shows that the tide of United States history doesn't always flow from east to west.
Events-- important and mundane-- were happening all over, and New Mexico had its share of both. And they all seem to have made it into Sálaz’ book.
The book is purposely set up for the browsing reader in chronological form and, as the title says, contains information about what was going on elsewhere in the world as the events were unfolding in New Mexico, starting with the advent of Sandía Man about 12,000 B.C.
But even though the book is written in brief form, it is much more than a trivial pursuit. There is so much detail that the reader can get a real feel for what day-to-day life was like in New Mexico at any given time. The brief mentions of so many people and events and the large number of maps and photographs also serve as a curiosity builder.
For those who want to find out more, there is a 22 page Annotated Bibliography, which, in fact, is what makes this book much more than just a collection of one man's favorite facts.
Instead, the book becomes an encyclopedia of New Mexico that should have a place in every school and public library in the state. It also would serve readers outside of New Mexico, as the state and its people generally are merely footnotes in most mainstream history books.
“New Mexico” really shows itself as a labor of love by Salaz. You can tell by his word choices that he has deep feelings for New Mexico and his Hispanic culture, which is good and bad.
The good is that his feelings are probably what drove him to complete by himself a book that required an incredible amount of careful research. It did not surprise me that he mentions when Cervantes wrote “Don Quixote.”
The bad is that he gives a very detailed explanations on topics that are dear to him, but sometimes skirts more controversial issues with just a mention--such as the still controversial battle of Acoma.
His love for the people of New Mexico also shows in the many profiles of New Mexicans, some famous, some infamous and some ordinary. These profiles give life to the book. They are it's very heart.
But he might have avoided the political conflict that eventually engulfed his book by including only dead people or picking a cut off date that excluded people who are in today's headlines.
Sálaz originally had a book deal with the Hispanic Cultural Center, which wound up rejecting the book after he had completed it. It is easy to imagine that the profiles of current figures had much to do with that decision, as well as the Hall of Fame at the back of the book, a list of many people of whom he thinks highly. (My own name is listed as a responsible journalist.)
The Cultural Center’s rejection was a shame because with only minor changes the book deserves the backing of a major publisher. Sálaz self-published it.
[NOTE: Dan Herrera is a member of the Journal's editorial board.]
BOOK REVIEW
by Mark Simmons, PRIME TIME, April, 2001, p. 27.
Not to be Missed
A friend of mine who socially circulates told me the other day that some of the most avid readers of books on New Mexico history and culture are newcomers, those who have moved here within the last two years. One moment's thought convinced me her assessment was probably true. Old-timers often tend to take our history for granted, while recent arrivals, captivated by it, may plunge into a heavy reading program.
My own library of books on the subject was begun more than 50 years ago and I continue to add it to it. At minimum every literate New Mexican ought to own a handful of basic volumes on the state. I'm thinking of ready reference works that the average person will return to again and again. A good candidate for this basic list, one which I can heartily recommended, is Rubén Sálaz Márquez recent release New Mexico: A Brief Multi-History, self published by the author under the imprint of Cosmic House ($39.95).
This is truly a an amazing book, "monumental" one reviewer described it. I would classify it as "encyclopedic in scope," containing a wealth of New Mexico history. Essentially, the 675-page volume is a chronological outline of events, graced with numerous biographical profiles and heavily illustrated. It also includes a running timeline that ties in happenings outside of New Mexico. Sálaz Márquez tells me that after his retirement from 33 years of public-school teaching he decided to "learn the computer" at the urging of his sons. As an exercise in learning he assembled his MULTI-HISTORY. "The actual writing took five years," he says, "but without the computer I probably would have needed another five.” Anyone who has a particle of interest in our state's past will find his book a pleasure to browse through and difficult to put down. On almost every page I discovered some revelation that was new to me. Do you know who the Gorras Blancas (White Caps) were? What secret role did merchant James Magoffin play in the 1846 conquest of New Mexico? How did land grant fraud redirect the course of our history? What is a punche?
Behind the answers to such questions lie fascinating stories. The superb index allows readers to locate almost any topic or proper name connected to local history. Whether a lifelong resident or a recent arrival, thoughtful New Mexicans ought to consider adding this engaging and valuable book to their bedside tables. It is available in many area bookstores.
PART IV: EPILOGUE
I. October, 2000: The MULTI-HISTORY is officially adopted by the N.M. Department of Education, Instructional Materials Bureau, for use in the public schools. Schools can now buy the book with State money.
II. The first school system to purchase the MULTI-HISTORY is Gallup. (This is done before State monies are available for purchasing the item.)
a. The second school sale is to Menaul High School.
III. December, 2000: Four different book Distributors in as many States (N.M., Ca., Az, and Co.) are carrying the MULTI-HISTORY for distribution to their retailing bookstores.
IV. January-February, 2001: A bill to designate the MULTI-HISTORY as the official commemoration of New Mexico’s 400th anniversary is passed by the N.M. House of Representatives.
a. The Office of Cultural Affairs (Dr. Edson Way is Director) and the State Archives (Robert Torrez is State Historian) send representatives to testify against the bill in Senate committee hearings. The bill gets a “Do Pass” recommendation from the committee but the legislation doesn’t make it to the Senate floor in the final days of the 2001 Legislature.
V. Eugene Matta resigns (March, 2001) as Director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center and moves out of New Mexico.
VI. The MULTI-HISTORY is stocked for sale at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Gift Shop in the spring of 2002.
VII. July, 2001: The New Mexico Blue Book is released by the Office of the Secretary of State. The Blue Book contains some sixteen (16) pages on N.M. history, all excerpted from the MULTI-HISTORY, edited by Carlos Lopopolo and (State Historian) Robert Torrez.
VIII: Expenses incurred for publication of the MULTI-HISTORY are recovered as of April, 2002, despite the fact that the venture is a “one man operation.”
