Native Lens: Ashley Nicole | Rocky Mountain PBS [Video]

Ashley Nicole is of Abiquiú heritage. Her film features her father, Antonio Garcia, a Genízaro from Abiquiú in northern N.M. In the mid-18th Century, Abiquiú became a settlement of Spaniards who Hispanicized local Native Americans. This informs Abiquiú today and its strong sense of community. People far and wide know Abiquiú as the site of Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and studio Ghost Ranch, but the Genízaro people have been living there for nearly 300 years, preserving their culture and identity despite a history of slavery and persecution.

Ashley’s subject, her father, has built a home that was born of the surrounding landscape. Antonio’s parents, Napoleon Garcia and Emma Ferran, bought property in Abiquiú many years ago and then divided it so that each of their ten children had a piece.