Fire-ravaged New Mexico villages cling to faith, ‘querencia’
By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press
As the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. marches across northern New Mexico, residents have been guided by their faith and their connection to each other and the land. They’ve pleaded with God for intervention in the form of rain and calm winds, and protection for their neighbors they see as reflections of themselves. They’ve invoked the Virgin Mary and the patrons saints of firefighters and the various villages scattered across the landscape. The fire has burned hundreds of square miles, destroying dozens of homes in largely Hispanic working-class neighborhoods and forcing thousands to evacuate. Winds will be a major concern this weekend.
