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Spirit of the Rio Grande / Rio Bravo:
Culture, Environment, and Bioregionalism

Prof. Enrique R. Lamadrid - Seminar Leader

New Mexico’s principal river cuts a 1800 mile course through the largest desert in North America. Over the centuries, a dozen cultures and languages have christened it with names like "big river" - Po'soge, the "great river" - Río Grande, the "wild and brave river" - Río Bravo. Its course spans diverse different geographical and cultural regions, comprising a complex cultural, ecological, and political landscape. It is also one of the most endangered rivers of the continent.

Far from the centers of national power, this bioregion developed its own unique culture and sense of place. As the pressures of urbanization and international commerce strain the ecological resources of the valley, important lessons may be gleaned from the traditional communities who have learned to survive in the desert. Their cultural and environmental knowledge can be applied to the challenges of future.

This seminar examined the natural and cultural resources of an entire bioregion from interdisciplinary perspectives including geology, hydrology, ecology, history, anthropology, demography, and expressive culture. The River which threads and unifies this knowledge was explored as a conceptual and real landscape, with field trips along the upper third of the valley. In the north, we floated from Española to Cochití to follow a wild river to the place of its detention behind on of the largest earthen dams in the world. Our southern itinerary included other major water works and their consequences - the destruction by flood of the city of San Marcial, the near extinction of the silvery minnow at San Acacio, the channeling and unequal division of the river at the Mexican border, and the sacrifice of the neighborhoods of El Paso’s Chamisal area to international diplomacy.

Over half of the seminars were held in the shade of the river’s bosque or cottonwood forest, thanks to the hospitality of the Río Grande Nature Center and Albuquerque Bio-Park. Participants linked their "river experience" to the holistic perspective of bioregionalism as knowledge building, research, and teaching deeply rooted in place. The authors we studied included Paul Horgan, Devón Peña, John Nichols, José Rivera, William DeBuys, Stanley Crawford, and Ida Luján. Discussion topics included:

-The evolving master narrative of Geology - the history of land and water along the Río Grande Rift.
-The natural history of the Río Grande / Bravo Basin.
-Human habitation: prehistory and history.
-The poetics and symbolism of water.
-Acequia culture: irrigation and civilization.
-River as international border.
-The evolving landscapes of Agriculture and Pastoralism.
-Traditional culture and environment.
-La Música del Río - traditional music and poetry of the region.
-Economy and ecology: land and water use and management.
-Domestication of a wild river: dams and channels.
-Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, Middle Río Grande Conservancy: the politics of water.
-Hydrology: water resources, water use, and water debt.
-"Cadillac Desert" vs. Environmental Protection.

The variety and scope of the interdisciplinary curriculum units produced by seminar participants is an indication of how bio-regionalism informs and grounds teaching and learning in a deeply rooted sense of place.

In 2002 a community based exhibit tentatively titled "Traditional Culture and Environment in the Río Grande/Río Bravo Watershed" will open at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. When it subsequently travels to Albuquerque, ATI seminar participants and their students will develop a special section of the exhibit and play a key role in local public programming.