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Everything went south in the 70’s and all to hell in the 80’s. I went to college, out of state, in 1970. The word chicano was never used. If you were Spanish, you would be called Spanish-American. Anything else and they were insulted. By 1974, chicano was everywhere. New Mexicans began to lose their tripartite - Hispanic/Anglo/Indian - identification and culture due to the new “Latino” and mexican influences. You also had the hippies, the new yorkers and californicators invade.

My Uncle Bill lived in Espanola. Nice, normal Hispanic town growing up. Though in northern NM they could be a little rough.

Growing up I fished every native trout stream in northern NM. Went everywhere. No problems. My best friends were Hispanic and Indian. I am Anglo. My best teacher, and godfather to my first son, was a Hispanic scholar with a research center in Truchas.

Basically post WWII NM up until to 70’s was a whole different place, politically/ culturally than after. It was a different world.

On a side note, my great grandfather, who lived near Las Vegas, NM., would lend his hunting hounds to Teddy Roosevelt during the Rough Rider reunions there.

A very good film of what I am talking about is Red Sky in the Morning with
Richard Thomas (John boy) if you can find it.