The small book, La voz de mi conciencia: Life, Times and Talents of Luis S. Martínez, is a cultural-historical gem fortuitously found by Demetria Martínez in the closet of her grandfather, Luis Sedillo Martínez. It is based, as the co-editors Demetria Martínez, Enrique Lamadrid, and Teodoro Martínez state in the acknowledgements/agradecimientos page, “[o]n the memories of Teodoro ‘Ted’ Flores Martínez and Demetria Jaramillo Martínez and their love for father and grandfather Luis Sedillo Martínez.” It consists of sixty-one pages and provides the reader with excellent insights into New Mexico’s history, life, and culture during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In addition, the book contains numerous valuable historical photographs that add to the historical data presented.
La voz de mi conciencia is divided into three main parts: Part I consists of the prologue and provides the background and biographical sketch of the principal subject of the book, Luis Sedillo Martínez. It highlights his importance as a poet, singer, musician, and citizen extraordinaire of New Mexico. He was born in Martineztown (near Albuquerque) in 1898 and proved to be exceptionally talented in writing corridos (Mexican ballads), canciones (songs), and poetry in general.
Part II details the historical framework poetically articulated within the lyrics of the compositions. The biographical information and the specific historical events that transpired during the life of Mr. Luis Sedillo Martínez unite the three parts encompassed in the book. The history rendered here is an important bridge that aids in grounding the entire book.
The first-person narrator, poet, and novelist in her own right, Demetria Martínez, weaves together the oral history related to her grandfather and her father and aids in foregrounding the corridos and songs that will appear in Part III. She frames her grandfather’s poetic production within the Roman Virgilian classical tradition, specifically, Virgil’s epic, The Aeneid (19 BC), by prominently featuring in the title of her major section encompassing the biographical data on her grandfather and his collection of ballads and songs: “Of Arms and Men I Sing” (13). This is also in the tradition of Spanish colonial conquistadors and poets who wrote long poetic historical renditions of the Conquest in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These were the Spaniard, Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (1533-1594) and his classic La Araucana (1569-1589), related to the conquest of Chile, plus Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá (1555-1620), born in Puebla, Mexico, author of Historia de la Nueva México (1610), the history of the conquest of New Mexico.
Part III bears the title of one of Luis Sedillo Martínez’s collections of musical compositions, La voz de mi conciencia: canciones y poemas, which is also the title of the booklet under review. The corridos and songs are in Spanish and are translated into English by Hector Contreras López and Hershel Weiss. Consisting of five corridos and songs and their translations, this section of the book is introduced with “Canción de un soldado” (The Soldier’s Song), dated 1917. It is a soldier’s farewell to family and friends as he is getting ready to leave for war (World War I). The stanzas depict strong emotion since the soldier is aware of leaving loved ones and traveling to unknown lands as he heads for Europe. He will be crossing a mighty ocean, “mar rugiente” (roaring sea), on his way to France. The new recruit acknowledges he is anxious and that he may encounter death and never return to his beloved New Mexico. Nevertheless, he feels a solid sense of duty and patriotism. He is a “brave soldier” ready to defend his homeland for a just cause.
The second musical entry is dated 1930 and is the corrido titled “La voz de mi conciencia” (The Voice of my Conscience); it consists of 25 stanzas. This corrido narrates the events of a crime—stolen property—committed by others and the false accusation leveled at Luis Sedillo Martínez. The events are in chronological order as is typical of corrido constructions. The ballad strongly laments the injustice and treachery he is suffering, but early on Mr. Martínez is confident that truth will prevail and time eventually will confirm his innocence. In fact, this will be the case and he will be declared innocent and will be released from his false imprisonment.
The long corrido is an expression of Mr. Martínez’s sense of honor—the confidence he expresses in God and how the truth will prevail and he will be exonerated. Nevertheless, he is incensed at being falsely accused and lets everyone know through the lyrics of his ballad that he will not be silenced; that the voice of his conscious will speak out.
The third composition, titled “Chávez para Senador” (Chávez for Senator), dated July 27, 1940, contains twenty-four stanzas. It is an example of the numerous corridos Mr. Martínez penned for politicians. His poetic prowess became legendary in New Mexico and politicians were eager to have his services during their campaigns.
Luis Sedillo Martínez also composed what he called “poetic monuments.” The fourth composition, titled “Un monumento” (A Monument), was inspired by his two soldier sons, Ernesto E. Martínez, who died in Germany on September 20, 1945; and Julio Sedillo Martínez, who served in India. The poetic “monument” contains ten strophes, each consisting of eight lines, and bears the date 1944. Although he was thinking about his sons upon writing this “monument,” Mr. Martínez praises all the brave and dedicated soldiers bearing arms for their country and even giving up their life for the United States.
The final poetic composition, number five, “Nada sé yo del futuro” (I Know Nothing of the Future), is a religious testimonial to the power of faith in Jesus. Mr. Martínez is conscious of the uncertainty of life and the future, and he bases his faith on the future in Christ. His deep faith in Christ, he writes, will save him from the vagaries of life.
La voz de mi conciencia offers a strong contribution to New Mexican studies as well as to Chicana/o studies, and more generally to ethnic studies. It adds to our knowledge of the cultural history of New Mexico. By providing an individual historical and biographical portrait of Demetria Martínez’s grandfather, Luis Sedillo Martínez, Demetria Martínez and her co-editors add an invaluable piece of cultural history to our nation.
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[Review length: 1,091 words • Review posted on September 16, 2023]