SENMC to host Rick Hendricks

Southeast New Mexico College is honored to host Rick Hendricks for the first author visit of the summer on June 16, 2023, at 6:30 PM in room 153. The event is free and open to the public.

Rick Hendricks served as the New Mexico State Historian from 2010 through 2019. His books include The Witches of Abiquiu: The Governor, the Priest, the Genízaro Indians, and the Devil;  The Navajos in 1705: Roque Madrid’s Campaign Journal; Four Square Leagues: Pueblo Indian Land in New Mexico; and Pueblo Sovereignty: Indian Land and Water in New Mexico and Texas.

Dr. Kevin Beardmore, Southeast New Mexico College President stated, “We are excited to have Rick Hendricks come and speak at SENMC. His vast knowledge of New Mexico's rich history and his success as an author will make for a great event."

Hendricks will be speaking on his latest publication Pablo Abeita, The Life and Times of a Native Statesman of Isleta Pueblo, 1871–1940. Pablo Abeita was considered one of the most important Native leaders in the Southwest in his day. Abeita was a strong advocate for Isleta and the other eighteen New Mexico pueblos during the periods of assimilation, boarding schools, and the reform of US Indian policy. Working with some of the most progressive Indian agents in New Mexico, other Pueblo leaders, and advocacy groups, he received funding for much-needed projects, including a bridge across the Rio Grande at Isleta. To achieve these ends, Abeita testified before Congress and was said to have met, and in some cases befriended, nearly every US president from Benjamin Harrison to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Abeita dealt with many issues that are still relevant today, including the reform of US Indian policy, boarding schools, and Pueblo sovereignty. The story is one of a people still living on their ancestral homelands, struggling to protect their land and water, and ultimately thriving as a modern pueblo.

Frankie Miller, Bookstore Manager at Southeast New Mexico College said, “I first met Rick Hendricks while I was a graduate student in the History Department at NMSU Main Campus about 18 years ago. I knew he researched New Mexico history from original Spanish archival records. Rick and Mary Taylor were also responsible for the Durango Archive microfilm project. He gave me invaluable insight into my own thesis research. I hosted the author event for Rick’s book the Witches of Abiquiu: The Governor, the Priest, the Genizaro Indians, and the Devil. Rick has served as the New Mexico State Historian and was a guest speaker on the Carlsbad Campus to speak on the Centennial of Statehood.”

Hendricks is the Director of Records and Archives in Santa Fe and has two new releases this year from his research on Pueblo history.

A selection of Rick Hendricks’ books will be available for purchase in the SENMC Bookstore before and after the event.

For more information on the author visit with Rick Hendricks, please contact the SENMC Bookstore at (575) 234-9240.