Folklorist scribed region's unique Spanish

Ana Pacheco | For The New Mexican

11/10/2008 - 11/11/08

The ancient art of numerology, reputed to have originated on Plato's "lost" island of Atlantis, has played an important role in the world. It provides the mystical interpretation of the Bible found in the Kabala, and it was also taught thousands of years ago in both Egyptian and Greek schools. Today, the 11th day of the 11th month is significant for people who believe in numerology.

The number 11 means intuition, mastery, spirituality, enlightenment and the capacity to achieve. For professor Rubén Cobos, one of New Mexico's foremost Hispanic folklorists, the number 11 means all of the above.

Cobos, who turns 97 today, was born in Piedras Negras, Mexico, on Nov. 11, 1911 — the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of the 20th century. When you have three sets of 11s, they add up to 33, which, according to numerologists, represents a spiritual consciousness developed through experiences and the desire for a higher plane of service. Looking back on all that Cobos has done gives credence to numerology and its many implications.

Cobos is the author of several books of Hispanic folklore, including two that are regarded as classics in their field: A Dictionary of New Mexico and Southern Colorado Spanish and Refranes: Southwestern Spanish Proverbs. His literary contributions to New Mexico's Hispanic culture have provided an educational and historical foundation for generations to come.

It was in his early days that Cobos became interested in the Spanish language of New Mexico. "Spanish was spoken differently here," he explains. "There were many words that I was unfamiliar with but which were similar to the ones I had read about in the book Poesía tradicional de los judíos españoles, written by Manuel Álvarez. That's when I got the idea to write this much-needed dictionary on the way people spoke Spanish in this part of the state."

Mindful of the large concentration of people with Sepahrdic Jewish ancestry in New Mexico, Cobos spent almost 30 years researching his book.

Cobos was 16 when he ventured from Coahuila, Mexico, in 1927 to the Land of Enchantment. "My mother and I came to Albuquerque because my sister Consuelo, who was nine years older than me, had contracted tuberculosis while working as a social worker in Texas. She died at the Presbyterian sanitarium one month after we arrived," explains Cobos.

After the death of his sister, Cobos and his mother decided to stay in New Mexico, where he graduated from the Presbyterian-run Menaul High School in 1932. He went straight to The University of New Mexico, receiving both his bachelor's degree in 1936 and his master's degree in languages in 1940. In 1957, Cobos received his doctorate of languages from Stanford University under the tutelage of renowned Spanish professor Aurelio Espinosa, who was born in Albuquerque in 1907.

Cobos began his teaching career in rural New Mexico in Wagon Mound in 1936. Eventually he made his way back to UNM, where he taught from 1944 through 1977, the year he was named a professor emeritus. During his career, Cobos also taught at Stanford University, the University of Nevada in Reno and at the Universidad Central de Ecuador in Quito.

Cobos has been blessed with all that a wonderful life could offer, especially his beautiful wife of 52 years, Elvira García of Ranchos de Taos. "We met in Ranchos de Taos while Rubén was doing research on his dictionary," his wife recalls. The couple have two children, Rubén Jr., who is a student at UNM, and their daughter, Renee, who is a successful plastic surgeon in Los Angles. Renee and her husband, Robert, have blessed Rubén and Vera with two grandchildren, Sabrina, 11, and Jordan, 15.

Cobos has received numerous awards throughout his illustrious career, including a Doctor of Humane Letters and Doctor of Letters from both Colorado College and New Mexico Highlands University, a place on the New Mexico Folklore Roll of Honor and the Excellence in the Humanities Award from the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities. He also received an award from the Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española, the North American Academy of the Spanish Language.

Cobos isn't much of a numerology buff, but he is looking forward to his 100th birthday on 11-11-11. As he says, "God willing, we're going to have a big party."

Ana Pacheco is the founder and publisher of La Herencia, a culture and history magazine (www.herencia.com, 505-474-2800). Her weekly tribute to our community elders appears every Tuesday.