Theresa J. Córdova, Ph.D. serves as the owner, founder, and curator of Las Pistoleras Instituto Cultural de Arte in El Prado, New Mexico. Las Pistorelas Instituto Cultural de Arte is a communal space where cultura, activism, art and political histories are at the forefront of community identity. It is a place that fosters and promotes organic intellectualism, formal education, community activism and all aspects of the arts. At this space, Las Pistoleras encourages the practice of community rituals and traditions that enlighten and create healthy, educated, strategic environments that in turn create positive communities that have proven to thrive and continue despite educational, political and pandemic uncertainty. One of the most recent achievements and partnerships of Las Pistoleras occurred with the El Prado Community Center. The collaboration achieved the successful designation of a Traditional Historic Community for the Taos County community of El Prado, thus requiring the larger municipality of Taos to achieve annexation only by the will of the residents as opposed to a hostile takeover against the people’s approval. Currently, Dr. Córdova follows her lifelong passion of cultural preservation by connecting her Chican@ community in Taos county and throughout New Mexico to various digital humanities projects that include the honorable and privileged role of digitization and collection of contemporary oral histories that will ensure a continued presence of our rich cultural and political histories over time and space. Córdova, Chicana Por Mi Raza Digital Memory Project and other partners of Las Pistoleras were pivotal in collaboratively spearheading the Enriqueta Vásquez Digital History Project, an ongoing process. As of 2021, Córdova continues to be a present and active collaborator and partner in unearthing of the Father Luis Jaramillo digital audio collection of 64 cassettes. Dr. Córdova’s future plans include a continuation of cultural and historic preservation.
Theresa Cordova
