Ray John De Aragon

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road of the Interior, is the earliest Euro-American trade route of cultures and commerce in the United States. It spanned about 1,800 miles from Mexico City, where the road originated, to Santa Fe, in New Mexico. For three centuries, this Spanish colonial road followed a network of ancient Native American footpaths and trails that followed the wide expanse of the Rio Grande valley. There were parajes, or campgrounds, along the way for travelers, and early Spanish settlements were established too. Some of the towns and villages are now modern cities, such as Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. Mexico City, as the former capital of La Nueva Espa a, New Spain, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Center. In 2000, El Camino Real was officially designated as a national historic trail, administered by the US Department of the Interior. In 2005, the El Camino Real International Heritage Center was erected near Socorro, New Mexico. This is an interpretive learning center that presents the history and heritage of the Royal Road in the region as an integral part of Spain's global network of roads and maritime trade routes.

Beginning in the seventeenth century, townsfolk and rural dwellers in the remote Spanish colonial city of Santa Fe maintained a provocative interest in mysterious and miraculous visions. This preoccupation with the afterlife, occult forces and unearthly b

Taking a stand for equality in the Land of Enchantment Veterans returning to New Mexico after World War II found a home altered by more than just the explosion of the first atomic bomb. Former ranchers were forced to eke out a living in zinc mines, leading to protests of conditions that were memorialized in the movie Salt of the Earth, which both the film industry and the government tried to suppress. As the civil rights movement swept across the country in the 1960s, New Mexico found its own champions in activists like Reies L pez Tijerina, who denounced the widespread mistreatment and abuse of the helpless. Ray John de Arag n follows the heritage of protest in New Mexico, from folk heroes like Padre Don Antonio Jos Mart nez to more contemporary battles against racism and prejudice.

Revel in the festive history of the Land of Enchantment. The beautiful red and blue skies of New Mexico have been the perfect backdrop for centuries of celebration, from the venerable Fiestas de Santa Fe to the world famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Ageless folk music and dance intermingle with innovations in rock and salsa. Ray John de Arag n issues an invitation to the profound traditions and captivating performances that accompany New Mexico's Fiestas.

Revel in the festive history of the Land of Enchantment.The beautiful red and blue skies of New Mexico have been the perfect backdrop for centuries of celebration, from the venerable Fiestas de Santa Fe to the world famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Ageless folk music and dance intermingle with innovations in rock and salsa. Ray John de Arag n issues an invitation to the profound traditions and captivating performances that accompany New Mexico's Fiestas.

Pull on the uncanny threads from the legendary tapestry of New Mexico's Native American heritage. Ancient Indian history and present Native American cultures are woven together in the Land of Enchantment. The threads of these tales stretch back to Mimbres burial grounds and prehistoric trade routes. Stories and traditions tie the land to its people, in spite of the cycles of slaughter and theft that have threatened to pluck them apart. Descend into the kivas of Chaco Canyon or seek out the high mountains where the clouds mark the stones. From legends of the Salt Woman to the legacy of the Ghost Dance, Ray John de Aragon examines the mysteries of the mesas.

New Mexico's night sky generated speculation about alien visitation for centuries before the Roswell Incident of 1947. But the luminous spheres known as Bolas de Lumbre weren't the only evidence of unnatural phenomena in play. Locals have grown accustomed to stacking an unending list of questions against a disquieting tally of strange objects, unexplained sightings and unsolved mysteries that perplex scientists and confound skeptics alike. The original inhabitants of the land confidently claimed the distant stars as their ancestral home, but there is nothing remote about the fear many of the state's modern residents feel for the "Evil Eye" or a host of other supernatural threats. From notorious body snatchers to obscure ancient rituals, Ray John de Arag n examines New Mexico's eerie heritage.

When the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo guaranteed previous Spanish and Mexican land grants, as well as rights for Native Americans to their ancestral homelands. However, organized property theft began soon after. People were methodically dispossessed of their homes through manipulation, conspiracy and even organized crime rings, leading to widespread poverty and isolation. Then in 1967, the Tierra Amarilla Courthouse Raid, led by charismatic civil rights leader Reies L pez Tijerina, brought the age-old struggle over these stolen lands to the national stage. Author Ray John de Arag n brings to light the suffering brought to New Mexico by land barons, cattlemen and unscrupulous politicians and the effects still felt today.

When the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo guaranteed previous Spanish and Mexican land grants, as well as rights for Native Americans to their ancestral homelands. However, organized property theft began soon after. Peop

Establishing New Mexico as a U.S. territory was anything but bloodless. The Mexican-American War brought ferocious battles, brutal sieges, guerrilla warfare and scorched earth tactics. More than three hundred Mexican and American forces were killed or wounded in a single battle near Santa Fe. During the Taos Revolt, Governor Charles Bent was scalped and murdered in his home, and American forces fired cannons into a church where Pueblos and Mexicans sought refuge. Soldiers destroyed entire villages like Los Valles, killing or forcing residents to flee. Author Ray John de Arag n recounts these and other dramatic stories behind the birth of the Land of Enchantment.

Establishing New Mexico as a U.S. territory was anything but bloodless. The Mexican-American War brought ferocious battles, brutal sieges, guerrilla warfare and scorched earth tactics. More than three hundred Mexican and American forces were killed or wou

Santa Fe boasts an incredibly rich multicultural history, and the gorgeous Pueblo architecture conceals a chilling past. Indian spirits haunt the city and the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountain range. La Llorona, the Wailing Woman, cries along the banks of the Santa Fe River. The unnerving ghost of Julia Staab wanders endlessly through the hallways of the La Posada Hotel. And strange noises and unexplained movements stir in the PERA Building basement. Join local historian and author Ray John de Arag n for a frightening journey into the unknown and the forbidden world of phantasms and the beyond.

The continuing adventures of Rosal a and Luc a, two little girls who live in Las Golondrinas, New Mexico. Their imaginations take the two sisters to Candy City, a place that is everyone's dream where they have candy and tasty treats for free, and compete in a volleyball championship match. This delightful children's story is told in both English and Spanish. CANDY CITY is the second book in the Cu ntame un Cuento series of bilingual stories for children and adults, from Event Horizon Press.

New Mexico is a land of shadow and mystery. From the old coal mines near Raton and the isolation of Isleta Pueblo to the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and beyond, ghouls and spirits lie in wait. Witches transform into vampire bats, werewolves howl and the undead rise with the light of the moon. La Llorona walks the banks of rivers and roads, her legendary and mournful cries terrifying any who cross her path. They are stories passed down by the fearless Comancheros, devoted Franciscan monks, fierce ciboleros and others to the present day as warnings of the evil in the world. In a captivating exploration of New Mexico's most fearful tales, Ray John de Aragon recounts stories from the state's rich and spine-chilling cultural folklore.

New Mexico is a land of shadow and mystery. From the old coal mines near Raton and the isolation of Isleta Pueblo to the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and beyond, ghouls and spirits lie in wait. Witches transform into vampire bats, werewolves howl and the undead rise with the light of the moon. La Llorona walks the banks of rivers and roads, her legendary and mournful cries terrifying any who cross her path. They are stories passed down by the fearless Comancheros, devoted Franciscan monks, fierce ciboleros and others to the present day as warnings of the evil in the world. In a captivating exploration of New Mexico's most fearful tales, Ray John de Aragon recounts stories from the state's rich and spine-chilling cultural folklore.

New Mexico's Spanish legacy has informed the cultural traditions of one of the last states to join the union for more than four hundred years, or before the alluring capital of Santa Fe was founded in 1610. The fame the region gained from artist Georgia O

New Mexico's Spanish legacy has informed the cultural traditions of one of the last states to join the union for more than four hundred years, or before the alluring capital of Santa Fe was founded in 1610. The fame the region gained from artist Georgia O'Keefe, writers Lew Wallace and D.H. Lawrence and pistolero Billy the Kid has made New Mexico an international tourist destination. But the Spanish annals also have enriched the Land of Enchantment with the factual stories of a superhero knight, the greatest queen in history, a saintly gent whose coffin periodically rises from the depths of the earth and a mysterious ancient map. Join author Ray John de Aragon as he reveals hidden treasure full of suspense and intrigue."

Beginning in the seventeenth century, townsfolk and rural dwellers in the remote Spanish colonial city of Santa Fe maintained a provocative interest in mysterious and miraculous visions. This preoccupation with the afterlife, occult forces and unearthly beings existing outside the natural world led to early witch trials, stories about saintly apparitions and strange encounters with spirits and haunted places. New Mexican author Ray John de Aragon explores the time-honored tradition of frightening folklore in the Land of Enchantment in this intriguing collection of tales that crosses cultures in the dark corners of the southwestern night."