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state historian, writer, memory artist

ESTEVAN RAEL-GÀLVEZ was born into the New Mexican landscape and is the heir to the long stories of its people. Raised herding sheep in northern New Mexico, his imagination was nourished somewhere in between the delicacy of what was spoken by his elders and the strength of the written word. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, and received an MA and PhD in American Cultures at The University of Michigan. His doctoral work focused on the meanings of American Indian slavery in northern New Mexico and Colorado.

He has been the recipient of numerous fellowships including The Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, a fellowship with The School of American Research and fellowships from The University of Michigan, Yale University, The Newberry Library and The Smithsonian Institution. In 2001 he was appointed the State Historian for New Mexico.