Mathew J. Kanapilly's CU

Rio Grande High School is the only public high school serving the South Valley, which is the oldest continuously inhabited European community in the middle Rio Grande valley. In fact, the South Valley neighborhood of Atrisco was founded on the west side of the Rio Grande in 1692, after De Vargas’ reconquest of New Mexico for Spain following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Later, other villages were established throughout the valley. Pajarito, which is considered the mid South Valley, was founded in 1699, and the far South Valley community of Los Padillas was founded in 1705. The town of Alburquerque proper, by contrast, was founded on the east side of the Rio Grande later, in 1706.

The community of the South Valley is consequently very old by New World standards, at over 300 years. It is an agrarian community until the latter half of the twentieth century, many residents of the South Valley derived their existence as their ancestors had done, with subsistence farming on land handed down for generations, utilizing an irrigation (or acequia) system as old as the community itself. The cultural heritage of the Hispanic residents of the valley is as enduring as the acequias; most residents are devout Catholics. Religious and cultural traditions such as Quincineras and Matanzas are still alive and well in the South Valley.

Today, the South Valley still retains much of its rich agricultural and cultural heritage. As of now, it remains unincorporated by the City of Albuquerque. Many residents still maintain gardens as a way of supplementing their tables; some grow beans, chile and alfalfa for market. County regulations currently allow residents to keep farm animals on their ancestral plots.

Rio Grande High School serves the South Valley as its residents’ primary access to education. Every August, about 2,200 students enroll at Rio. About 82 % are of Hispanic origin, 11 % are of Anglo ancestry, 5% are of Native American lineage (Isleta Pueblo feeds into Rio), and about 2% are of African American descent. Most of the valley’s 60,000 plus residents are considered low-income. In fact, the average per capita income of South Valley residents is about half that of Albuquerque as a whole. About 45% of Rio Grande students receive either free or reduced price lunch, and about 31 % are raised in single parent households. About 25% of Rio’s students are enrolled in Special Education, and about 88% are considered Limited English Proficient (LEP). Rio Grande’s drop-out rate is high (almost 12 % a year), and its test scores are low (the mean score for the Terra Nova at Rio Grande is 27 as opposed to 81 at La Cueva).

The South Valley is undeservedly considered by some to be the slum of Albuquerque, and Rio Grande, because of its location as well as the data mentioned above is considered to be the worst high school in the city. Because of cultural isolation and alienation, many valley residents are frustrated with school and don’t see the value of an education. For example, out of the 130 students I usually have in my classes each fall, the parents of about 20 attend Rio Grande’s open house in September. Assuming that public schools are only as good as their parents demand them to be, it is very difficult to effect positive change at Rio given this level of parental involvement.

It was against this cultural and educational backdrop that the now infamous Rio Grande Riot occurred in September of 1998. Rio Grande students, organized by student council leaders, walked out of class as a means of supporting teacher raises, which had been mandated by the state legislature but which APS refused to give. Students assembled peacefully in the school patio and several student leaders began speaking in support of teacher raises. School administrators arrived on the scene, demanded that students return to class and began ripping up the placards some students were carrying. At this point the situation got out of control and a peaceful protest became a riot.

As a result of this event, Rio Grande got a new principal and its teacher governance body (SRC) was disbanded. The SRC was replaced by a school Redesign Team, which began functioning in October of 1999. The purpose of this body was to effect systemic change at Rio Grande High with input from as many interested parties as possible. In March of 2000, the Redesign Team met at an all day workshop and decided to restructure the school over a period of years. Freshmen, and later sophomores, would be grouped into "teams" as students are in middle school. Juniors and seniors would be given a choice after their Sophomore year about which area of focus their studies would take. Different areas of study would be called "guilds." The Environmental Guild, of which this unit is a part, is the first of these guilds to be developed and is thus the cornerstone of the future of Rio Grande High as envisioned by the Redesign Team.

This unit is developed for junior students of English who have chosen to enroll in Rio Grande High’s Environmental Guild. Three core courses, English, History and Science, will be taught from the perspective of the South Valley. In addition, a community service/school-to-career portion will be included. Students who sign up for the guild agree to take all four courses and all that they entail. Block scheduling is preferable, but if this is not possible, constant communication between guild teachers will ensure that students receive a comprehensive education about the South Valley.

There are two goals of the unit. Of primary importance is making students acutely aware of the uniqueness of the South Valley. The South Valley is unique environmentally; there is nowhere else on Earth exactly like it. The South Valley is unique culturally; Pueblo and Spanish cultures blended to create Chicano culture. Later, Anglo culture arrived and evolved into modern American culture, which today is evolving at the digital pace of the 21st century. Recognizing the uniqueness of the South Valley, students will hopefully want to preserve it. The second goal of the unit, therefore, is to instill in students the desire to preserve as much of the South Valley, both environmentally and culturally, as is possible.

There are three objectives for the unit. First, students will examine the relationship between culture and the environment in the South Valley. The first portion of the unit will be an historical examination of the cultures which have inhabited the South Valley from ancient times to the present (Native American, Chicano, Anglo), and how the relationship between the cultures and the environment varied. Next in the unit, students will explore the uniqueness of the South Valley by contrasting it to modern American suburban culture in general and both Albuquerque’s Heights and Westside in particular. After such a contrast, students will hopefully wish to preserve as much of the South Valley as possible. Finally, as a culminating task for the unit, students will attempt to predict what the South Valley will look like in 50 years, from either of two perspectives: one, in which development is allowed to proceed without any overall plan; and two, in which all development is strictly regulated as a means of preserving the uniqueness of the South Valley for future generations.

This unit is developed with the express desire to instill in Rio Grande High students an appreciation for the uniqueness of their home, Albuquerque’s South Valley. The South Valley is the oldest part of the entire community of Albuquerque. There is nowhere else on Earth that is exactly like the South Valley. It has developed over centuries and is a result of the relationship between the environment and the evolution of the cultures of its inhabitants. Currently, the South Valley is a crossroads. It faces its greatest challenge yet, which is whether the South Valley can retain its identity and survive in the new millennium or whether it will be swallowed by the pervasive culture of subdivisions and consumer society. Hopefully students will gain a new and deeper understanding of and greater respect for their home. Upon gaining such a new knowledge and respect, students ideally will endeavor in their future lives to preserve the incredible beauty and diversity which today is the South Valley.

Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines culture as "the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that depends on man’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations." Culture is one of the most powerful forces on Earth, as it is the greatest influence on how human beings behave. Indeed, culture to a huge extent determines our identities as individuals. All of us are steeped in our cultures from the day of our birth. What language we speak, what religion we practice, what clothes we wear, what food we eat, how we interact with each other, how we raise and educate our children - these and many other aspects of our lives are determined by our culture.

Human beings do not invent their cultures in a vacuum. Human culture arises inevitably as a response to the environment. Because humans are the most adaptable creatures on the planet, and because humans live almost everywhere on the Earth’s surface, there are almost as many cultures as there are environments. Because of the variability of environments in which humans live, there are countless cultural differences among people. For example, the Inuit people of the Arctic have over 30 different words to describe snow. The Arabs of the Sahara wear long flowing robes to protect themselves from the sun and sand. The ancient Polynesian people made navigational charts of sticks and shells depicting both stars and ocean currents to help them traverse the vast distances of the Pacific.

Not only does the environment affect and to an extent determine human culture, but the converse is also true. Human culture, to a great degree, affects and sometimes irrevocably changes the physical environment. For example, the Hoover Dam created Lake Mead and flooded many miles of former canyons and valleys. The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s was created when plowing ripped off the grasses holding the soil together, and wind erosion occurred. The Amazon rain forest is being destroyed at the rate of 3,000 acres per day because of slash and burn farming methods.

Thus it is a delicate, symbiotic relationship between human cultures and the environments they inhabit. Environments affect and determine human cultures, but human cultures affect and determine environments as well. In fact, next to man, the only creature which changes the physical environment to a significant degree is the beaver.

Over time, three distinct cultures have inhabited the South Valley. The first was the Pueblo culture. The second was the Chicano culture. The third was the Anglo culture. The first of these cultures originated here and was thus a natural response to the environment. The second and third of these cultures originated far away, in Europe, and thus imported alien cultures to the South Valley. This fact, it will be demonstrated, is extremely significant.

Pueblo culture flourished in New Mexico by the fourteenth century, following the collapse of the Chaco Anasazi, possibly caused by years of drought, around the end of the eleventh century (Stuart 121). Scholars believe that the Anasazi are the direct ancestors of the Pueblos, and that survivors of the Anaszi downfall migrated to the Rio Grande and its tributaries to build their lives anew (Stuart 147).

At one time, between what are today the pueblos of Isleta and Cochiti, there were about 30 major villages, situated approximately two to three miles apart, on both sides of the Rio Grande. Generally, a pueblo’s lands were narrow, because of competition over the need to irrigate these lands, and stretched east toward the mountains and west toward the mesa (Stuart 150). In what is today considered the South Valley, there were several such villages. One was far south, near present day Turquoise Lodge, one was up on the West Mesa near the present day Pajarito cemetery, and one was in the present day neighborhood of Atrisco (Lusk ).

Pueblo people were excellent farmers. They grew their staple foods of corn, beans and squash in fields supplied with river water by systems of ditches (Rivera 2). In addition to this food, the Pueblos ate roots, nuts and berries they gathered. They also hunted deer, elk, and buffalo, but the majority of their meat came from rabbits and other small game (Stuart 165).

Pueblo society was highly developed and complex. Each pueblo, surrounded by its farmlands, composed an autonomous political unit. The Pueblos were a very religious; people: every pueblo, both modern and ancient, contained a kiva, which served as as the spiritual center of the pueblo. Religion dominated almost every aspect of the Pueblo’s lives:

The entire fabric of social, political and economic
activity within each village was stitched together by
a common religious thread...Elaborate ritual, filled
with color and suffused with reverence for holy
powers, expressed in dance and song the people’s
aspirations for universal harmony and life-giving
rain (Simmons 50).

Much of Marc Simmons’ writing is quite poetic, and this passage is no exception. It expresses a worldview that the Pueblos share with many other Native American cultures: the best human beings can do is to try to live in harmony with the rest of the cosmos.

The Pueblo people of the South Valley thus lived in highly complex and well organized farming societies. They grew what they needed, hunted what they needed, and lived in balance with the nature of the Valley. It was a simple but indefinitely sustainable way of life. Barring severe drought or European migration, they probably still would be living the same way.

The Spanish era in New Mexico began in 1598 when the colonizer Don Juan de Onate led 200 soldiers, their families and their livestock to the site of the present day pueblo of San Juan. The colony was founded across the river and was named San Gabriel (Simmons 38). Life on any frontier is difficult, and New Mexico especially so. Onate was divided in his attentions between founding a farming colony and searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. Also, Onate’s nephew and second in command, Juan de Zaldivar, was attacked and killed by the Acoma people. Onate retaliated, killing hundreds of Acomas. Furthermore, he punished survivors by cutting one foot off of all men over the age of twenty five and forcing most of the rest of the population into servitude (Simmons 41). This act of brutality is remembered today. Onate continued looking for Cibola, journeying in 1604 and 1605 across Arizona to the Gulf of California. Upon returning, Onate discovered that the majority of the colony had deserted him (Simmons 42). In 1607, because of the colony’s failure to thrive, Onate was suspended by the Spanish crown as Governor of New Mexico. In 1609, under new Governor Don Pedro de Peralta, the capital was relocated to Santa Fe.

In addition to brutality, part of Onate’s legacy was the establishment of two systems of servitude. Under the encomienda system, Pueblos were forced to give food and clothing to the Spaniards. Under the repartamiento system, Pueblos were forced to labor for the Spanish, tending their fields and engaging in other labor.

During the 17th century in New Mexico, called the "great missionary period" because of the Christianizing efforts of 250 Franciscan missionaries (Simmons 57), both the encomienda and repartamiento systems were extensively used. In addition, the Franciscans forbade the Pueblos to practice their native religions and took to flogging and humiliating Pueblo priests.

Thus the 17th century in New Mexico was one of great oppression for the Pueblo people. Finally, in 1680, the Pueblo people of New Mexico united in revolt and defeated their Spanish overlords. The revolt had been coordinated secretly for months by Pope, a priest of San Juan pueblo. The Pueblos attacked the Spanish simultaneously on the morning of August 10, the feast day of San Lorenzo. About 400 colonists were killed, as well as 21 Franciscans. The remainder of the Spaniards, after an attempt at defense in Santa Fe, were allowed to leave. They fled to El Paso (Simmons 71).

The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 is remarkable because it is the only instance in the Americas in which Native people were successful in overthrowing European conquerors. In fact, there were no Spaniards in New Mexico for 12 years following, aside from a failed attempt at reconquest by deposed Governor Otermin in 1681.

When Don Diego de Vargas returned to reclaim New Mexico for Spain in 1692, it was not as an avenging conqueror but as a Christian man of peace. With 200 well armed soldiers at his back, he appeared in Santa Fe in the late summer. He was there, he said, to pardon the Pueblos and to bring them back into the fold of Christendom. The Indians of Santa Fe were won over by de Vargas’ soft words, gentle manner (and threat of violence); they capitulated. Over the next few months, all New Mexico Pueblos did the same.

Thus began a new era in New Mexico. The relationship between Spaniard and Pueblo became much more respectful, tolerant, cooperative and mutually supportive. In fact, the two cultures cominlged to such an extent that over the next two centuries a new race, the Chicano, was born.

It was after de Vargas’ reconquest that the South Valley was settled again. The village of Atrisco was founded in 1692 south of present day Bridge street on Atrisco road. The village of Pajarito was founded in 1699, and Los Padillas was founded in 1705 (Scurlock 3). Both were established in the areas which still bear their names. (The villa of Alburquerque at Old Town, it should be noted, was not founded until 1706.)

Resident farmers in the South Valley grew wheat, corn, beans, squash, chile and melons, among other crops (Scurlock 4). Also very important in the middle valley was grape growing and wine making (Oppenheimer 16). Equally important to the farmers of the South Valley was sheep herding. Albuquerque by the mid 18th century had become a center for both wool production and for the processing of the wool and the weaving of wool items. This developed into a significant cottage industry. In a 1790 census of the 223 residents of Atrisco, there were almost as many shearers, carders and spinners as there were ranchers and farmers (Scurlock 4).

The population of the South Valley grew steadily but slowly. By 1870 there were 740 people on the Atrisco grant (Scurlock 5). It may be assumed that the population throughout the Valley was evenly dispersed, and that by the turn of the 20th century no more than 5000 people lived in the South Valley.

Thus under Spanish and Mexican rule did life in the South Valley remain constant as it had under Pueblo influence. The Valley was an agricultural and pastoral area, and the environment provided residents with all their needs. The economic life of the Spanish settlers did not differ appreciably from that of the Indians who preceded them (Oppenheimer 16). The Spanish and Chicano residents of the South Valley were able to live as their Pueblo predecessors had done, in harmony with nature and in balance with the fragile environment of the Rio Grande Valley.

Anglo influence on New Mexico was at first minimal. Contact with the United States was initiated by explorer Zebulon Pike, who visited Albuquerque in March of 1807 and witnessed residents irrigating fields:

We crossed the Rio del Norte just a little below
Albuquerque where it was 400 yards wide, but not more
than three feet deep and excellent for fording. The citizens
were beginning to open canals, to let in the water of the
river to fertilize the plains and fields
which border its banks on both sides (Oppenheimer 17).

Actually, these people are probably Atrisco residents. The area described by Pike is almost certainly the Barelas crossing, which borders Atrisco on the East.

Later Anglo influence on New Mexico occurred with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail. This famous trade route between St. Louis and Santa Fe, founded by Missouri native William Becknell, began operating in 1821, after Mexico’s independence from Spain (Simmons 110). Previously, trade between New Mexico and the United States had been prohibited by Spain. International trade between Mexico and the United States on the Santa Fe Trail continued successfully for about a quarter century until the end of the Mexican American War. Thereafter, trade between St. Louis and Santa Fe continued on the Santa Fe Trail until the opening of the railroad in New Mexico. The United States formally acquired New Mexico in 1848, after the Mexican American War, with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. New Mexico thus became a territory of the United States, though it was not to gain statehood until 1912.

New Mexico was considered a backwater, unimportant territory, so much so that some did not want it. General William T. Sherman, some years after the Civil War, opined that the United States should declare war on Mexico and force it to take back New Mexico (Simmons133). Anglo influence on New Mexico was only slight until the coming of the railroad.

Albuquerque and South Valley residents continued to make their living by either farming or sheep herding, which was the most important industry in the area. In the late 1870’s, an estimated 350,000 sheep per year were driven north and east to stock new ranges (Oppenheimer 30).

Also important in New Mexico in the years following the Civil War was the rise of the cattle industry. In the 1870’s, on the range land of eastern New Mexico there were an estimated two million cattle grazing (Oppenheimer 31). It was the coming of the railroad to Albuquerque which brought the greatest changes to the city in the 19th century. The first train arrived in Albuquerque on April 15, 1880. Because of its central location in New Mexico and its previous importance as a shipping center for wool and other goods, Albuquerque became a railroad boom town. A new part of town, spurred by the railroad, sprang up along the tracks. It was populated almost entirely by Anglos, and it grew rapidly. In 1880, New Town (as it was called) had 1300 residents; by 1892, the population had reached 7,000 (Oppenheimer 33).

Though Albuquerque proper changed very rapidly during the late 19th century, life in the South Valley remained relatively unchanged. It was still agricultural and pastoral; people lived the way their ancestors had for hundreds of years. During the first half of the 20th century, this remained mostly true. A significant change occurred in the 1930’s, however. The newly formed Middle Rio Grande Conservancy district acquired control over 70 community ditches and consolidated all the old acequia associations into one water delivery system (Gonzales 9).

The South Valley, an agrarian community adjacent to Albuquerque, thus remained relatively unaffected by drastic changes in the city itself. However, this began to change after WWII as suburban growth swept the nation and transformed American society.

The tremendous growth of suburbia began in the United States after the Second World War. The country was in a position of geopolitical power seldom, if ever, equaled in the history of human society. The industrialized societies of Europe and Japan lay in ruins. The United States’only strategic rival, the Soviet Union, had been devastated not only industrially by the War but also in human terms: the Soviets lost more people than any other. Economically, the United States was supreme. All of the country’s economic might had been mobilized to fight the Axis powers. U. S. factories had churned out tanks, guns, planes, bombs and other war products at a rate never seen before or since. This factory output was switched to civilian products after the war. Tanks and guns became cars and refrigerators. For this reason, as well as wartime destruction of other nations, the industrial preemince of the U.S. stood unquestioned.

Against this extremely optimistic background, American G.I.’s returned from the war and began to build families and have children, or pick up where they left off. Thus began the "baby boom," the largest period of native population growth in U.S. history. Between the years 1945 and 1964, 76 million babies were born in the United States, making "boomers" the largest demographic group in the country (Smead 2).

Obviously, these G.I’s and their growing families needed somewhere to live. There was a drastic housing shortage just after the war. In 1947, six million families were "doubling up" with friends or relatives. Another 500,000 were occupying temporary shelters (Jackson, 232). The federal government responded to the need for five million new homes by underwriting billions of dollars of mortgage insurance for the Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Administration (Jackson, 233). With millions of customers ready and willing to buy houses, and with the vast majority of these house mortgages guaranteed by the U.S. government, the housing industry was only too happy to respond. Thus began the frenetic growth of U. S. suburbia.

The prototypical example of the postwar suburban development is Levittown. Levittown was created by Abraham Levitt and his two sons, Alfred and William. As early as 1929 the Levitts were building houses on Long Island in New York. In 1941, the Levitts received a government contract to build 2,350 war workers’ homes in Norfolk Virginia. Thus, even before the construction of Levittown, the Levitts were among the nation’s largest home builders (Jackson, 234). After the War, the Levitts returned to Long Island and bought 4,000 acres of potato farms in the Town of Hempstead. This development, initially called Island Trees, was soon renamed Levittown.

Using their extensive experience in home building, the Levitts refined the process of home building much the same as Henry Ford had refined the process of building a car. The construction process was divided into 27 distinct steps, beginning with the laying of the foundation and ending with a clean sweep of the house. Crews were specialized and trained to do one job; every possible part, especially the most difficult ones, were assembled in a central shop (Jackson 235). The Levitts also controlled as much of the building process as possible in order to lower costs. They defied unions and insisted that subcontractors work directly for them. They made men work five days a week, with Saturday and Sunday understood to be rainy days. the Levitts also made their own concrete, grew their own timber, cut their own lumber and owned the factories where their household appliances were made (Jackson, 235). At the peak of its production, more than 30 houses went up each day in Levittown.

Ultimately comprising more than 17,400 houses and 82,000 residents, Levittown was the largest housing development ever constructed by a single builder. Because of the mass production approach to home building, the Levitts were able to offer home buyers decent housing at the lowest prices. They later went on to build Levittowns in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and Walingboro, New Jersey. All three Levittowns were hugely successful, and they became the industry standard. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the Levitts have been emulated by home builders on a nationwide basis since 1950 (Jackson, 236).

Following the housing market, U. S. demographics has undergone a dramatic shift since 1950. At that time, about 33 % of Americans lived in urban areas, 23% lived in suburban areas, and 44% lived in rural areas. In 1998, urban dwellers accounted for 30% of the population, suburbanites accounted for 50%, and rural people comprised 20% of United States citizens. (Environmental Quality Statistics Index Page). In 50 years, then, the suburban population has more than doubled in the United States, mostly at the expense of the rural population; currently one in two Americans is a suburbanite.

Because of the desired residential "product" and the "Model T" approach to home building, suburbia throughout the nation is remarkably similar. Aside from local geography and landmarks, suburban developments in Denver are indistinguishable from those in Atlanta or San Diego or Fort Wayne.

Nationwide, says Jackson, suburban developments tend to share five common characteristics. The first is peripheral location in relation to cities. The second is relatively low density in comparison to urban or even earlier suburban environments. The third characteristic is architectural similarity. The fourth is easy availability and reduced suggestion of wealth. The fifth and most important characteristic of the postwar suburb, according to Jackson, is economic and racial homogeneity. As William Levitt explained, "We can solve the housing problem, or we can try to solve the racial problem, but we cannot combine the two." In 1960, not one of the Long Island Levittown’s 82,000 residents was black (Jackson, 238-240).

The American suburb, then, is an extremely homogeneous place. Economics dictates its architectural homogeneity. Economics also determines the suburb’s inhabitants. By necessity, houses in a certain price range require buyers from a corresponding economic class. As social critic Lewis Mumford puts it, "Thus, the ultimate effect of the suburban escape in our own time is, ironically, a low grade uniform environment from which escape is impossible." (Mumford, 486).

Albuquerque’s population grew fantastically during and after World War II largely because of its proximity to Los Alamos. It is an accident, really, that Albuquerque has become the metropolitan capital of New Mexico. J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project, had vacationed (prior to the war) in New Mexico and was aware of the remote Los Alamos Boy’s School. He chose this site to build the atomic bomb. Albuquerque grew because it was the closest city to Los Alamos with a large airfield. Albuquerque’s Oxnard Field was renamed Sandia Base and served as the important air link between Los Alamos and the rest of the world (Oppenheimer 51).

After the war, Sandia Base continued to serve an important role in the nation’s defense. Much weapons and high tech research is done there, and there is much collaboration between Sandia and Los Alamos. Sandia’s satellite Manzano Base has served for years as the storage area for most of the nation’s nuclear weapons. Also present at the same site is Kirtland Air Force Base, one of the most important in the nation. This military presence in Albuquerque has been the greatest single influence of the city’s growth. In 1940, there were 35,500 people in Albuquerque. In 1950, there were 96,800. In 1960, there were 201,000. In 1980, there were 331,00 people. Today, there are about 450,000 people in the city of Albuquerque, with about 650,00 in the metro area. (Middle Rio Grande Basin: Albuquerque Population History)

Subdivisions in Albuquerque grew to accommodate this tremendous influx of people. In 1948, Wells Sandia Manor was platted east of Tramway Blvd. In 1957, the first home was sold in the new Four Hills subdivision south of Central. Also in the 1950’s the developer Hoffman began a subdivision east of the city, between Pennsylvania and Wyoming, south of Menaul. Dale Bellamah then began building, between Menaul and Indian school, and San Pedro and Louisiana(Taylor 2).

In the 1960’s development also began on Albuquerque’s West Mesa. In 1961, New York based AM REP Corp. purchased 55,000 acres on the mesa overlooking Corrales. In 1966, the 100th family purchased a home there (Lewis 2).

Also in the1960’s, the subdivision of Paradise Hills was begun, just south of Rio Rancho, also on the West Mesa.In the 1970’s, just to the south of Paradise Hills, the Taylor Ranch development was begun. In the 1980’s, developments were built in the far Northeast Heights, such as Tanoan at Eubank and Academy. In the 1990’s, developments in the Heights included Sandia Heights east of Tramway and north of San Antonio, and on the Westside, Ventana Ranch, due west of Paradise Hills.

Albuquerque’s population has thus grown incredibly in the last 60 years - by 1250 %. This astounding population growth is typical of the postwar boom in the United States, and also typical is the fact that the vast majority of these new residents live in housing subdivisions.

Until the Second World War, the acequia system supported the ancient agricultural lifestyle of the South Valley. Since that time, suburban growth in the South Valley has resulted in the overall decline of agriculture (Gonzales 8). In 1945, the population of the South Valley was about 10,000. By 1999, it had grown, as had the rest of Albuquerque; its population was about 82,000 (SWAP 6).

Currently, the South Valley stands at a crossroads: can it maintain its semi-rural, agricultural identity, or will it be utilized by commercial developers and become yet another of Albuquerque’s suburban neighborhoods? What will the South Valley look like in the year 2050? Will its landscape still be dominated by cottonwoods and alfalfa fields, or will it be a collection of subdivisions and strip malls?

The South West Area Plan, written by City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County officials, is intended to deal with these questions. First published in 1988 and most recently in 2000, it is a compilation of data about many aspects of life in the South Valley. The Plan offers solutions to problems facing the community as well as innovative suggestions concerning preservation of the semi-rural, agricultural lifestyle and culture of the South Valley.

The Plan includes 59 policies which, if adopted, would preserve and protect, as well as enhance, both the physical and cultural environments of the South Valley. Policy 1, for example, establishes techniques to ensure water quality and enhance water conservation in order to prevent further granddaughter contamination. Policy 6 would detail review requirements for the establishment of historic and cultural sites, the destruction of which would result in irreparable loss to the public. Policy 9 would protect fragile land forms and air quality in the Plan area by ensuring that future construction adapts to the natural environment. Policy 20 would ensure that the original village centers of the South Valley (Artisco, Armijo, Pajarito and Los Padillas) again become important centers of community, with both businesses and health care facilities. Policy 39 would attempt to balance economic development and quality of life in both existing communities and newly developed areas.

The Southwest Area Plan is an extremely thoughtful, comprehensive assessment about both the current state, as well as the future of, the South Valley. If adopted by county planners and developers, it would do much to preserve the unique physical and cultural environments of the South Valley.

However, the Plan is not a binding document and thus may or may not be implemented. In 1997, a vote was held in the South Valley concerning its proposed incorporation as a self-governing entity. The vote failed, largely because of residents’ fears about tax increases. In 1999, a state law was changed, allowing all residents of Bernalillo county to vote on proposed changes in its unincorporated areas. Residents of the city of Albuquerque thus have a four to one numerical voting advantage over Bernalillo County residents.

Most recently, a new ordinance was proposed by the County Commission concerning livestock. The proposal would require 10,000 square feet for each horse, cow, donkey or mule. This is about four animals per acre. If adopted, the ordinance would severely limit Bernalillo County residents’ ability to keep livestock on their properties. This would probably largely destroy the rural, agricultural, aspect of South Valley life as well as a good portion of its unique culture.

Residents of the South Valley must make a choice: what is more important, economic development and profit for a few, or the preservation of an environment and culture unique on Earth? Indeed, the problems of the South Valley are a microcosm of the problems facing the entire planet: how do we reconcile population growth and economic development with the need of our great-great grandchildren for a healthy environment in which to grow up? It is our task to find an indefinitely sustainable balance.

There are two overall goals for the development of the curriculum unit. The first is the desire to impress upon students truly how unique and precious their home the South Valley is. The second goal, which hopefully will arise from attainment of the first, will be students’ desire to preserve and protect the fragile unicity of the South Valley both now and in the foreseeable future.

There are three objectives for the unit. The first objective is to historically examine the relationship between the cultures (Pueblo, Chicano, and Anglo) which have inhabited the South Valley and the environment itself. The second objective is to have students examine and analyze postwar suburban culture in the United States and how its omnipresence and homogeneity have transformed our society. By contasting the South Valley to suburban society, students hopefully will gain a new appreciation for how rare and valuable their home is. The final objective of the unit is to have students realistically predict what they believe the South Valley will become by the year 2050. If development is pursued commercially, the South Valley could become yet another suburb. If development is planned with cultural and environmental preservation in mind, the South Valley could be preserved for generations to come. Students must decide.

Based on the three objectives of the curriculum as whole, the unit may be divided into three parts.

Part 1: South Valley Cultural History
( 12 weeks)
-South Valley environment
-Pueblo culture
-Chicano culture
-Anglo culture prior to WWII

Part 2: Suburban Encroachment
(12 weeks)
-nationwide prosperity after WWII
-baby boom
-housing shortage, government financing
-Levittown
-postwar growth of Albuquerque
-growth of Albuquerque subdivisions

Part 3 : The Present and Future of the South Valley
(12 weeks)
-current state of South Valley:
-environmentally
-culturally
-possible suburban encroachment
-future of South Valley
-unregulated development
-planned development (SWAP)
Which do students foresee?

These plans are a small sample of the lessons which will be incorporated in the unit. Lessons one and two are from Part 1. Lessons three and four are from Part 2. Lessons five and six are from Part 3.

Benchmark: The student analyzes, synthesizes and evaluates information to solve problems across content areas.

1. Conducts research; collects data from in depth field studies.
8. Synthesizes information from multiple research studies to draw conclusions and inferences that go beyond those found in any of the individual studies.

Working in groups of three, students will do research using the school library and the Internet to explore the history of the South Valley and draw a series of maps detailing various time periods:

Students will present and explain maps to class. They will also provide a two page. written discussion of the human effect on the environment during the various periods and defend this before the class.

Benchmark: The student critiques and evaluates the literary and social merit of a variety of historically and culturally significant works.

5. Uses critical analysis to gain meaning, develop thematic connections, and synthesis ideas.
10. Analyzes and evaluates increasingly more complex texts to interpret the subtleties of diverse cultural expressions.

Working individually, students will read The Bible, Genesis Chs. One to Three, paying particular attention to Ch. One, "Have dominion over the fish...", and Ch. Three, "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil..." Students will then respond with one page free-write. Next, students will read the famous speech of Chief Seattle, "How Can You Buy or Sell the Earth?" Again, students will respond with a one page free-write.

Students will write a three page paper comparing and contrasting the two pieces of literature. They must decide which mode of human existence on Earth they agree with and explain why. Finally, a class discussion and debate will be held between adherents of both viewpoints.

Benchmark: The student analyzes, synthesizes, and evaluates information to solve problems across content areas.

Working in groups of two, students will research the growth and development of Levittown, Long Island paying particular attention to methods of design and construction as well as the homogeneity of the physical and cultural landscape. Students will draw a map of Levittown. Students will start by reading excerpts from Jackson’s, Crabgrass Frontiers, and then do independent research using the school library and Internet sources. Students’ next task will be to pick any postwar subdivision in Albuquerque and chronicle its development. Again, they will pay attention to methods of design and construction as well as the homogeneity of the landscape. Students will draw a map of the Albuquerque subdivision.

Students will write a three to four page essay comparing and contrasting Levittown and the Albuquerque subdivision noting variations and anything else that occurs to them. Students will then present their maps to the class and defend their essays.

Benchmark: The student develops and demonstrates proficiency with a variety of reading processes to analyze, interpret, and evaluate a wide variety of informational texts across content areas.

1. Identifies critical questions that would lead to a broader understanding of a literary selection (e.g., author’s voice, historical influence).
2. Synthesizes themes and ideas (e.g., judgments, inferences, cause and effect) in a variety of texts using various strategies.

As students are learning about the history of the South Valley, they will concurrently read excerpts from Jimmy Santiago Baca’s Martin and Meditations on the South Valley and Black Mesa Poems. The poems will be assigned and discussed regularly during the first 12 weeks. As students are learning about the development of suburbia, they will read The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. Sections of the book will be assigned and discussed regularly during the second 12 weeks.

After studying South Valley history and reading Baca’s poems, students will write a two page cultural/environmental analysis: to what extent is the poetry reflective of the environment of the South Valley? After studying suburbia and reading Eugenides’ book, students will write the same two page analysis: to what extent is the novel reflective of the suburban environment? Finally, as a culminating task for this lesson, students will write at least two drafts of a five page essay analyzing the physical and cultural aspects of the literature. How does the environment affect culture, and vice versa? Which of the two environments is more valid, more real to them, and why? A class discussion will conclude the lesson.

Benchmark: The student develops and demonstrates fluency and style in speaking and a command of speaking conventions to describe, narrate, express, explain, persuade and analyze for a variety of purposes and audiences.

1. Demonstrates increased competence and fluency with speaking strategies in the following ways: uses a variety of technology tools (e.g. word processor, overhead projector, multi-media) to present information appropriate for the purpose and audience

After hosting Albuquerque realtors as guest speakers in class, students working in groups of two will pretend that they are Albuquerque realtors. Their task will be to do research and put together a multi-media presentation designed to sell a house to their classmates. One house will be in the South Valley, and one will be in a subdivision anywhere in Albuquerque. Students may use whatever realistic gimmicks and persuasive techniques they choose. The goal of this lesson is to make students aware of the merits and drawbacks of both the South Valley and suburbia.

A student’s success or failure on this project will be determined by the willingness of the rest of the class to "buy" the house the student is selling. A rubric will be used to quantify and examine this willingness.

Benchmark: The student analyzes, synthesizes, and evaluates information to solve problems across content areas.

After becoming familiar with the Southwest Area Plan and doing other research both academic and in the community, students working in groups of two will create their their own visions of what the South Valley will be like in the year 2050. Students will be grouped together according to where they live in relation to the old village centers of Artisco, Armijo, Pajarito and Los Padillas. Their visions must be as realistic as possible, balancing economic factors and desired ideals.

Students will make maps and drawings or they will create muti-media presentations illustrating their visions of the South Valley in the year 2050. They will also have to provide a three page written justification explaining why they see the future as they do. The maps and drawings as well as the written work will be presented to the class and must be defended.

The South Valley is a unique community with an extremely long and rich history, both culturally and environmentally. It has retained aspects of its rural character into the 21st century, which is remarkable. However, the pressures of population growth and economic development threaten the rural community. By learning some of the history of the South Valley, and then by comparing the Valley’s uniqueness to to the genericness that is suburbia, students of this course will ideally gain a greater appreciation for the South Valley and try to preserve it for future generations.

Acosta, Angela G. "Planning in the South Valley: Previous Planning Efforts, Obstacles, and Plan Implementation Strategies." Professional Project, University of New Mexico, 1996.

Baca, Jimmy Santiago. Black Mesa Poems. New York, New Directions Publishing, 1989.

Ruminations on all aspects of life told from the perspective of the South Valley.

---. Martin and Meditations on the South Valley. New York, New Directions Publishing, 1987.

Duany, Andres, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck. Suburban Nation. New York: North Point Press, 2000.

*"Environmental Quality Statistics Index Page." Council on Environmental Quality. 2000. The White House. 17 July 2001.
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq>.

For no apparent reason, five teenage sisters from an outwardly ideal family kill themselves, one by one.

Fernandez, Judith and John Pincus. "Troubled Suburbs:An Exploratory Sudy." Rand N-1759 1982: 7-15.

*Gonzales, Moises. "Methods, Strategies and Implementation of Agricultural Preservation in the South Valley." Professional Project, University of New Mexico, 1997.

A masters’ thesis project detailing the history of agriculture in the South Valley and possible methods to preserve it.

*Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgrass Frontier. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.

An historical analysis concerning the development of suburbia and pop culture in the U.S. after WWII.

*Mumford, Lewis. The City in History. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1961.

*Oppenheimer, Alan J. "The Historical Background of Albuquerque, New Mexico." Planning Department, City of Albuquerque, 1969.

*Rivera, Jose A. Acequia Culture. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1998.

*Simmons, Marc. New Mexico: An Interpretive History. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1977.

*Scurlock, Dan. "Isleta Boulevard; A Corridor of History." Pamphlet. Bernalillo County and the University of New Mexico, 1988.

*Smead, Howard. "Don’t Trust Anyone Over Thirty: The First Four Decades of the Baby Boom." Howard Smead’s Home Page. 2000. Howard Smead. 10 July 2001. <http://www.howardsmead.com/boom.htm>.

*South West Area Plan: 2000 Draft, Extraterritorial Land Use Authority. Albuquerque, 2000.

*Stuart, David E. Anasazi America. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2000.

The Holy Bible written as as prose rather than verse. It is especially useful in the classroom.

Thomas, G. Scott. The United States of Suburbia. Prometheus: Amherst, New York, 1998.