Maria Paints the Hills

by Pat Mora

Real-life Santa Fe painter Maria Hesch (1909-1994) painted innocent narratives of her life as a young girl growing up along the river and next to her grandfather's alfalfa field that linked the family to the nearby church. In Maria Paints the Hills, acclaimed writer Pat Mora imagines the story of the young Maria revealed in the paintings. She is a sensitive child, alive to the colors and shapes of her world, a child who makes of her solitary playtime the companionship of her budding artful imagination.

"Look, Tia," Maria says excitedly. "See the caballitos galloping in the fire? The flames look like little horses." Pat Mora reminds us that children are the original artists.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Pat Mora (born 1942) is a female Mexican-American author and poet. Pat Mora was born in El Paso, Texas. She is married and has 3 grown children.

Reviews

[Amanda Herman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about Maria, a young girl who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her mother. Her mother spends a lot of time sewing and Maria doesn’t understand why she will not just play with her. Maria’s mama is obviously very religious because she gives lots of reference to saints and them not approving of her inability to focus on her homework. There is also reference to Mexican dishes popular in New Mexico, such as posole and tortillas. It also discusses dia de los muertos and how it is celebrated by Mexican Americans. The story goes on to briefly describe posadas and Maria and her mother discuss what it might be like if Christ was born in New Mexico. The author’s note describes how this is a narration of the beautiful paintings done by Maria Hesch. It gives a glimpse into the year in the life of someone living in New Mexico around the 1920’s.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may not be a five-star book, but I'm giving it five to counteract the nasty average it currently has.
This is a lovely, humble story, like a slice of life, of a girl in rural New Mexico. It would serve well for bilingual education, as Spanish terms are introduced, then explained conversationally- "My mother is making atole azul. She mixes the blue cornmeal with milk, sugar, and spices."

Love of the land and culture is evident. Recommended.