Bless Me, Ultima

by Rudolfo Anaya

All you have to do is to lift up your right hand and cross your right thumb over your first finger in the form of the cross. No evil can challenge that cross, and the swirling dust with the devil inside must turn away from you.

It was interesting to read about this act because it’s something I’ve only seen a distant relative do once growing up in Southern NM. I’m glad to read about it’s use up north.

I had heard many stories of people who had seen the bright balls of fire. These fireballs were brujas on their way to their meeting places.

This sentence made me smile. It reminded me of my childhood when my mom told me that brujas travelled in green balls of fire across the night sky. It is so awesome to read about ones own folklore!

Green chile was roasted and set to dry. Red chile became huge ristras. The roofs of lean-tos were golden with slices of drying apples. The air was sweet with the aroma of boiling jellies and preserves and the laughter of the women. Corn was roasted to make chicos, blue corn was ground into meal, and the rest was stored for the animals.