El Norte, the Southwestern United States, has for centuries been a crossroads of histories, migrations, trade routes, languages, families, and cultural traditions. This is a world where convergance creates a modern tapestry of Spanish, Mexican, and Indigenous peoples whose lives are tightly interwoven. Through this shared heritage, a rich and compelling story emerges, one that reveals the heart and soul of a people forged in the crucible of two worlds.
Borderlands takes readers on a journey into this unique tapestry where the past is ever-present and the future is built upon a foundation of enduring traditions. This is more than a historical account; it is a profound exploration of identity and belonging, an intimate look at the lives of those who have navigated the complex currents of a shared history. It’s a moving narrative that celebrates resilience, honors heritage, and illuminates the powerful spirit of the Hispanic people in the American Southwest.
Borderlands: Living in Two Worlds
Angel Vigil is an award-winning author, performer, stage director and teacher. His awards include the Heritage Artist Award and the Master Artist Award from the Colorado Council on the Arts. He has also received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education and the Mayor’s Individual Artist Fellowship Award. He also was awarded the Colorado State Theatre Educator of the Year Award.
He is retired Chairman of the Visual and Performing Arts Department and Director of Drama at Colorado Academy in Denver. He also is an educator for the History Colorado Center.
Angel is the author of seven award-winning books on Hispanic and Western culture and arts. His book The Corn Woman, and Other Stories and Legends from the Hispanic Southwest won the prestigious New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age National Award. His book Una Linda Raza, Cultural and Artistic Traditions of the Hispanic Southwest won the Border Library Association Southwest Book of the Year Award and the Colorado Book of the Year Special Recognition Award.
His other books are Borderlands—Living in Two Worlds, The Story of Hispanics in the American Southwest; Teatro—Plays for Young Audiences; Riding Tall in the Saddle—The Cowboy Fact Book; The Eagle and the Cactus—Stories and Legends from Mexico; and Papi, How Many Stars Are in the Sky? —A Children’s Fable.
Angel is a Colorado Heritage Artist storyteller who has performed throughout the nation at festivals, universities, schools and art centers. He has been featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, Keepers of the Word Festival at Amherst College, the Rocky Mountain Storytelling Festival, the International Reading Association, the National Independent School Library Association, the Four Corners Storytelling Festival, the Mesa Storytelling Festival, the 360 ~ Borderlands
Greenville Chautauqua Festival and the Nebraska Storytelling Festival. His specialty is the oral traditions of the Hispanic Southwest.
Angel is also a member of the Colorado Endowment for the Humanities Chautauqua program for his historical presentation. Angel has created five historical characters: El Vaquero, America’s First Cowboy; El Conquistador, The Explorer of New Worlds; Tezcatlipoca, The Supreme God of the Aztec Emperors; Manuel de Lisa, Northwest Trapper and Explorer; and Mariano Medina, Colorado Pioneer.
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