Folklore RGV

06/22/2026

This Father’s Day, I wanted to share a glimpse into an ethnographic oral history project I completed with my dad. While these pages capture only a fraction of the stories, they preserve some of the moments that shaped his early life and, perhaps unexpectedly, my own. What began as a project about a retired priest and his years in Latin America became something much more personal: a story about a father and daughter, about listening differently, and about discovering that the people we think we know best still contain entire worlds waiting to be explored.

https://saltsoilandstory.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-man-who-bathed-in-rivers-daughters.html

Field notes, folklore, exploring people, place, memory intertwine, where anthropology meets story, cultural analysis, ethnography

06/20/2026

The story of emancipation did not stop in Galveston, it continued downriver, where for a brief but important moment, Black soldiers became part of Brownsville's story.

06/14/2026

It’s been a long, glorious journey, and this photo perfectly encapsulates all the emotions I felt in this moment: Finally. Done (…for now). Out of 1,391 liberal arts students, only 69 graduated with honors…I was one of those 69. I’ll post all our pics at the end of this weekend, but for now, I want to savor every millisecond of this moment.

06/10/2026

Latest blog post explores some of the similarities between anthropology and social work! Click the blog link below to read the full interview!

https://saltsoilandstory.blogspot.com/2026/06/a-social-worker-and-anthropologist-walk.html

06/08/2026

Over the past few years, these three books helped shape how I think about identity, sovereignty, colonialism, and self-definition. One of anthropology’s greatest strengths is its ability to remind us that the categories we often take for granted are not universal. These works challenged me to listen more carefully, question assumptions, and think more deeply about who gets to define identity, community, and belonging.

Swipe through for a few thoughts and takeaways from each.

Decolonization

05/19/2026

Doing some archival work for First Presbyterian Church Brownsville — original audio for my ASMR peeps (video sped up for viewing pleasure).

This little 1890 edition of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis was never meant to be rare or precious in the modern collector sense. It was meant to be handled, carried, and read over and over again.

These books were deeply popular during the Victorian era because they offered practical guidance on inner peace, humility, suffering, and spiritual reflection. Pocket-sized theology for everyday life.

This is delicate, slow work. Usually the spine tells you what it can handle. In this case, I’m able to lay the book flat because the spine is mostly detached and several pages have already come loose with time. Even then, every movement has to be intentional. Gentle page turns. Minimal stress on the paper. Listening closely to what the object itself allows, stopping if I hear cracking or popping sounds.

As I work through the book, I’m documenting the things that often get overlooked: inscriptions, marginalia, pressed flowers/papers, bookmarks, stains, wear patterns, old repairs, handwriting, church stamps.

Anthropologically, these details are just as historically valuable as the text itself. Sometimes more.

Archives are never just paper. They are residue of a life once lived.

I’ll post updates as I go along 🫶

05/17/2026

Attended the Lunada: A Night in Havana Festival in the tonight where I ran into my former cast-mate (Juan Julian, Anna in the Tropics) and my favorite local artist, . Great event put on by . Ended the night