Tomas Jaehn

The Pastor of New Mexico, Peter Kuppers's Memoirs Tomas Jaehn

There are few foreign original voices talking about early twentieth century Northern New Mexico. Father Peter Kuppers who immigrated from Germany to New Mexico is one of those few voices. Father Kuppers was born in 1885, came to New Mexico in 1911 and aside from a few short trips to Colorado and the mid-West, remained in New Mexico all his life. Rather limited in his knowledge of American culture when he arrived on this continent--after all, he once got mad that folks in New York did not speak German--Kuppers grew to love New Mexico. Always biased and fierce in his protection of Northern New Mexicans, particularly his often poor Catholic parishioners, he became a cultural agent for Hispanics and Anglos and a chronicler of rural small town life. In his sometimes jolly account from the early 20th century, Kuppers discusses growing up in Germany, describes personal experiences in the United States, and particularly in New Mexico, where he had to adapt to rural life, interact with town folks, parishioners, and Penitentes, and his adjustment to cultural surroundings so very different from his homeland in Germany.