Nina Otero
Nina Otero, born Maria Adelina Isabel Emilia Otero on October 23, 1881, in New Mexico, was a prominent figure in the early 20th century, known for her efforts in preserving the cultural heritage of the Southwest. Coming from a lineage of Spanish conquistadores, she was deeply rooted in the region's history and customs. Otero played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement, advocating for the Nineteenth Amendment and serving as state chair of the legislative committee for the Federation of Women’s Clubs. Her influence extended into education as she was elected superintendent of public schools in Santa Fe County from 1917 to 1929 and held various leadership roles in health and community organizations. In addition to her political and educational endeavors, she authored the book "Old Spain in Our Southwest" in 1936, where she documented traditional customs and the social structure of Hispanic life. Despite some criticism for romanticizing the old class system, her work reflects the cultural shifts occurring during her lifetime. Otero's contributions to literature and education were recognized with an honorary degree from her alma mater. She passed away in Santa Fe in 1965, leaving behind a legacy intertwined with the region's evolving identity.
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Nina Otero
Writer
- Born: October 23, 1881
- Birthplace: Near Las Lunas, New Mexico
- Died: January 3, 1965
- Place of death: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Biography
Nina Otero recorded the lore and customs of the old Southwest at a time when its economic and political power was shifting from established Hispanic families to recently arrived Anglos. She was born Maria Adelina Isabel Emilia Otero on October 23, 1881, near Las Lunas, New Mexico, the same year that the railroads extended into the area. Her family claimed descent from the original Spanish conquistadores and were among the area’s landowner class. She attended Maryville College of the Sacred Heart in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1892 to 1894 and then moved to Santa Fe in 1897, where her uncle, Miguel Antonio Otero, had residence as the territorial governor.
In 1914, she entered the suffrage movement. A year later, she was state chair of the legislative committee for the Federation of Women’s Clubs and after that a leader in the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. Her work brought her to political prominence and helped persuade the state’s Congressional delegation to support the Nineteenth Amendment. She was elected superintendent of public schools in Santa Fe County (1917-1929) and later held positions as chair of the State Board of Health, executive board member of the American Red Cross, chair of New Mexico’s Republican Women’s Organization, inspector for the Department of the Interior’s Indian services, liaison officer for the Pueblo Land Board, literacy director for the state Civilian Conservation Corp, and Santa Fe County director for the Office of Price Administration. In 1922, she ran as the Republican Party nominee for Congress but lost. She died in Santa Fe in 1965.
Otero published Old Spain in Our Southwest, her lone book, in 1936. She wrote it on the advice of members in a local artists’ colony who were intent upon preserving local Spanish and Indian traditions. It does so, lovingly, in five sections. In “The Wind in the Mountains,” she speaks of the view from her adobe cottage in first-person narration, establishing the importance of the vast desert landscape to the Hispanic way of life. “An Old Spanish Hacienda,” “Day by Day,” and “A Little History” create a collage of the traditional economy, customs, social structure, and history through personal and historical accounts. The final and longest section, “Songs and Stories,” collects folktales (some written by children during a contest Otero sponsored), songs, and brief descriptive scenes, frequently beginning with simple assertion of character, such as “The Spaniard is dramatic in his love affairs.” Otero idolized the old class hierarchy as a social paradise—shepherds and peons working for patrones (wealthy landowners) who owe allegiance to a hidalgo—a conservative system based upon European feudalism. Later writers criticized Otero for oversimplifying and romanticizing this system, but in any case it swiftly changed during her life time—in fact, in part due to a change in mores and attitudes toward women that she fostered and benefited from.
In 1936, Otero’s alma mater awarded her an honorary bachelor degree in literature for her achievements as an writer and educator.