Mayordomo: Chronicle of an Acequia in Northern New Mexico

Stanley Crawford

Irrigation ditches are the lifelines of agriculture and daily life in rural New Mexico. This award-winning account of the author's experience as a mayordomo, or ditch boss, is the first record of the life of an acequia by a community participant.

Winner of the 1988 Western States Book Award fro Creative Nonfiction

" . . . a timeless, near-classic. . . . This is the sort of book you will read, shelve, and take down to read parts or all of again. And again." --Books of the Southwest

"Crawford writes with clarity and true pitch about the climate, the wildlife, and the social complexities of northern New Mexico village life. . . . As a contribution to naturalist literature the book is equally rich. . . . Mayordomo is sure to become a classic regional study . . . Crawford's sensitive pen captures the conflicts and continuities with poignancy." --El Palacio

"Stanley Crawford has . . . turned the history of an acequia into a startling and lovely celebration of life. . . . Crawford's artistry draws the reader . . . into the lives of those simple and strong people . . . [His] narrative technique effectively leads the reader through the past's mundane tasks of yearly digging and scraping ditches . . . Mayordomo illustrates the joy of "living life deliberately" without modern conveniences--it reveals to the reader the strength and hardihood found only in those who live close to the land and depend on the environment for survival. It is a testament to the human spirit . . . " --Western American Literature

Mayordomo is informative non-fiction writing at its best . . . Moreover, it has been perceived as a fine piece of living archeology . . . [Crawford] applied his skill as a writer of smooth and sensitive prose." --Taos County Historical Society

Stanley Crawford lives in Dixon, New Mexico.

5.5 x 8 243 pages Map