Author Ana Pacheco is a New Mexico historian/folklorist; this book is an eclectic collection of various essays about death in New Mexico. Included are: Descansos – the death markers set up along highways; funeral customs of New Mexico Hispanics; New Mexico cemeteries and memorial monuments; famous people buried in New Mexico; people who came to New Mexico to escape tuberculosis; executions and murders; and the Día de las Muertos.

There is considerable controversy about descansos; they are banned altogether in some states (sometimes because they are claimed to distract motorists and sometimes because cross symbols on public highways have been deemed to violate church/state separation). Other states only allow them for a limited time, and others only if the death involved drunk driving. In New Mexico, not only are descansos legal but are protected from damage or desecration; if one is removed due to highway maintenance it must be replaced.

Pacheco notes that all though New Mexico is strongly Catholic the territory and state have traditions of religious tolerance. Jewish businessmen in Santa Fe contributed to the construction of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and (at his request) the funeral of Santa Fe’s first rabbi, Leonard Hellman, was held there (he’s buried elsewhere). Professional gambler and madam Gertrudes Barcelo (familiarly known as Doña Tules) is buried in the cathedral, in recognitions of her financial contributions.

Famous people buried in the state include Kit Carson (Taos), Billy the Kid (Fort Sumner), D.H. Lawrence (ashes scattered at Kiowa Ranch near Taos), Georgia O’Keefe (ashes scattered on Pedernal Mountain), and Smokey The Bear (Capitan).

A pleasant (despite the subject matter), interesting and quick little read. Numerous illustrations. I would have liked to have heard more about Native American funeral customs and about the Penitentes, but I believe both groups are reluctant to discuss such things with outsiders. ( )