Book Review of How Hollyhocks Came to New Mexico by Rudolfo Anaya, Nasario Garcia, Nicolas Otero

Hollyhocks belong in the same taxonomic family as:

• Cacao;
• Cotton;
• Okra.

They can be recognized by:

• Alternate, hairy, lobed, veined leaves;
• Bright flowers with five petals and five sepals each;
• Mucous-filled, wand-like stems.

They claim healthily perennial lifespans when:

• Cultivated in sunny, warm, wind-sheltered locations;
• Distanced respectively 18 inches (45.72 centimeters) and 3 feet (0.92 meters) within and between rows;
• Grown in moist, well-drained soils with pH levels of 6.0 – 8.0;
• Propagated from garden-dropped seeds;
• Trimmed to the base after flowers fade.

They exist throughout the United States of America because of inter-continental introductions from their Asian and European homelands. One such injection goes back over 2,000 years ago, thanks to:

• An irate king;
• A near-sighted angel.

January 14 commemorates the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt. It evokes images of Jesus (6 B.C. – A.D. 29), Joseph (died July 20, A.D. 18?), and Mary (18 B.C.? – A.D. 41?) fleeing Bethlehem after:

• Visits by Wise Men Balthazar, Casper, and Melchior;
• Warnings of royal wrath.

But what happens if near-sighted savior angel Sueño (Sleep) confuses the turn for New Mexico as that for Egypt? The mistake leads to:

• Consuming beans, chile, squashes under cottonwood trees;
• Experiencing Thanksgiving;
• Gathering herbal remedies;
• Following the Rio Grande to Belen, Pueblo sites, and White Sands;
• Harvesting piñones (pine nuts);
• Observing dances.

The Holy Trio make a ladder into heaven. Hollyhocks surface from:

• Joseph’s shepherd staff anchored at the base;
• Summer rains.

Rio Grande Books appears as an imprint of LPD Press in Los Ranchos de ABQ, New Mexico, since 2006. The book line centers upon regional art, culture, and history within the southwestern United States of America. The list of publications for 2012 includes How Hollyhocks Came to New Mexico in bilingual format.  The charming story looks to local folklore to explain the pervasive existence of the summer to fall-blooming herbs flourishing outside native homelands westward -- across the vast Pacific Ocean -- in Asia and Europe. It merges the Spanish culture-influenced talents of:

• Rudolfo Anaya, as author of the English storyline;
• Nasario García, as interpreter of the Spanish text;
• Nicolás Otero, as painter of the santero-inspired artwork.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Anaya, Rudolfo. 2012. How Hollyhocks Came to New Mexico. Illustrated by Nicolás Otero. Translated into Spanish by Nasario García. Rio Grande Books.

"The Artist: About Nicolás Otero." Nick Otero Studios.com. Retrieved December 20, 2014.

• Available at: http://www.nickoterostudios.com/about/

Nasario Garcia, Ph.D.com. Retrieved December 20, 2014.

• http://www.nasariogarciaphd.com/