Martin Heinrich: “in New Mexico, we practice querencia. Querencia is a deep, even spiritual, connection to the land--a love of place that…”

“in New Mexico, we practice querencia. Querencia is a deep, even spiritual, connection to the land--a love of place that demands that we care for what has been passed down to us and protect it so we can pass it along to future generations. Today, I stand on the Senate floor to pay tribute to a man who literally embodied this idea. His name was Ralph Vigil. And Ralph grew up along the Pecos River, at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in Northern New Mexico. With family roots extending hundreds of years, Ralph often called himself ``a twelfth-generation Hispano in a state of Nuevomexicanos.'' He took pride in his Hispanic and indigenous heritage, and every aspect of Ralph's life was really a testament to his commitment and connection to our State and its people. A parciante of his local acequia, Ralph often brought people in to share acequia traditions, and this included Mark Allison, the executive director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. One year, Ralph and his family invited Mark for an annual acequia spring cleaning. So all day, they shoveled and raked and cleared the way for the water to be able to nourish the fields. Once they were done, they went up and opened up the headgate. Ralph's dad moved a few rocks, and Mark and Ralph stood and watched the water come down to water the fields.”