Ronald Roybal’s Cultural Heritage
Some fans have asked me for more information concerning my
heritage. I am Tewa and Mestizo
(mixed blood Spanish/Indian) on my Father's side and Spanish Colonial on my Mother's
side. My genealogical research has documented our oral tradition that my Dad's patrilineal line originated in San Ildefonso Pueblo (Tewa) and migrated from northern New
Mexico to southern Colorado
sometime during the 1870's. My Mother's people also migrated about that time.
Many people from northern New Mexico migrated
to the San Luis
Valley of southern Colorado during that period because of land
base issues and epidemic disease. The families went on to mix with other Mestizos and Spanish Colonial descendants. I was born in
the San Luis
Valley of southern Colorado
and spent my formative years in the village
of San Luis, Colorado
which is north of Taos, New Mexico.
In the year 1598, my Spanish ancestors came to the
land of what is now known as northern New
Mexico. My Tewa ancestors
had already been there for millennia. I am a Mestizo,
meaning a person of mixed ancestry. Raised to be proud of both sides of my
heritage, I chose to embrace the beauty and sensitivity that comes from
accepting The Creator's gift of a unique life experience. To deny my heritage
would be to deny my Creator's gift. However, just as my ancestors were
challenged by their coexistence, my generation has survived by adapting to life
in a changing world. In the process, many connections to the past have been
lost. Much has been forgotten.
It is a fact of my life that I
am neither "puro Indio" nor "puro Espanol". I am a Mestizo whose destiny is tied to the 400 year old drama
played out on the stage that is the land of my people. I am honored and humbled
that my Creator would inspire me to express my heritage in a way that allows me
to make contact with my ancestors, both Indian and Spanish. I pray that I can
give honor to all the generations of my Grandfathers and Grandmothers. They
helped to form me into the person that I am today, and for that I am extremely
grateful. RR
My Dad (2nd
from left) and his brothers…
Back to Ronald’s
Homepage