The Legend of Ponciano Gutiérrez and the Mountain Thieves
The Legend of Ponciano Gutiérrez and the Mountain Thieves
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.
A. Gabriel Meléndez, 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 Córdova is an artist, author, educator and two-time ALA Pura Belpré Honors Award winner for children’s book illustration. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, within the glorious view of the Jemez Mountains.
