When the Genizaros became unruly in Santa Fe, Governor Fernando Chacon appointed Don Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca to settle them in the Pecos River Valley. The community was first settled by Spanish military personnel and the Genízaro colony of Santa Fe. Genizaros were Indians that did not belong to any tribe, having been captured and sold by the Spanish, educated as Christians, and, consequently, ostracized from their own tribes.

This was one of many colonial towns that the Spanish created to serve as buffer zones against hostile Indian raids. After the community of San Miguel was settled in 1794, the original colonists and others arriving from Santa Fe next established the community of San Jose on the west bank of the Pecos River about 28 miles southwest of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Joseph of the Ford) was originally part of the San Miguel del Vado Land Grant in 1794. Like its neighbor, San Miguel, San Jose Del Vado (St. I do not think another writer could have made it work! Excellent book that made me remember why I adore Bentley Little so much.Native Americans were enslaved by the Spanish. Little weaves Russian and American West Folklore in with Native American mythology to create a tapestry of unique strangeness and creepiness. The difference is this small town had some seriously weird stuff going on and soon the whole family must fight for all they are worth against supernatural powers that are far more powerful and mysterious than they could ever imagine. The town they return to very much like many small towns- some decent folk, some very xenophobic folk too. As far as run down of book, the main characters, a family from California who after winning the lottery move back to the fathers hometown of McWayne, Arizona, are made to be both likable and real by Littles expert storytelling. Little deals with these themes that we are being confronted with globally in 2020 in such a sly and expert way, many might think his work is just 'horror.' I guarantee, it is far more than that. We all have the potential to be racist, nasty, cruel and egocentric. Finding 'The Town', a book I had not yet read by Little, was like finding an old record by your favorite band you have never heard before! This story deals with some very heavy things-mostly the idea that humans are always one tiny misstep into chaos societally. As a Little fan, I am often frustrated by the lack of his books available here. I am so happy to have found this on Audible.

The Association by Bentley Little