Maria Fernandez - The Daily Lobo

Culture

100 years of the historic Route 66

Maria Fernandez | February 2

Coined the “Mother Road” by John Steinbeck in his 1939 “The Grapes of Wrath” novel, the U.S. Route 66 has been a beloved part of New Mexico’s history since its opening in 1926 as an official highway. Route 66 is a landmark of American development and urbanization of the West, connecting Michigan Avenue in Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California — a total of 2,238 miles in its final form, according to The Route 66 website. Though travel on Route 66 lessened as the larger U.S. highway system was built, the magic of the “Mother Road” can still be seen in the cities and towns along its original route and through the oral histories of locals.

Culture

Elizabeth Waters Center for Dance hosts ‘Body as Archive’ event

Maria Fernandez | November 10

As part of the 2025 University of New Mexico Research and Discovery Week, on Friday, Nov. 7, the Elizabeth Waters Center hosted the “Body as Archive” exhibit and guided discussion highlighting the visual documentation of the center’s history. Led by Ninoska M’bewe Escobar, an assistant professor in the department of theater and dance, the event included a tour of the Elizabeth Waters Center to view the photos, concert posters, guest artist biographies and more hung in the hallways between the dance studios in UNM Carlisle Gym. “The event is an opportunity to expand UNM Dance's connection to other disciplinary areas on campus, to foster conversation about the significance of creative practices like dance to American culture and progress, and to expand engagement with local communities and citizens,” Escobar wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo.

News

Lobo food pantry feeds students during shutdown

Maria Fernandez and Jaden McKelvey-Francis | November 10

In light of federal funding for the anti-hunger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lapsing on Nov. 1, many people are looking for other sources to find food. For University of New Mexico students, the Lobo Food Pantry can be one of those resources. The pantry is primarily student-run and allows students with a UNM ID to take up to 10 pounds of items, including fresh produce, canned goods and hygiene items per day, the Director of UNM’s LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center, Lisa Lindquist, said. “Our biggest thing that we try to think about is we want people to feel comfortable using this space. What we see a lot are students saying, ‘Well, other people deserve it more than I do.’ And the truth is that that's just not true, that's a myth. Anybody who needs its food should come in and use it,” Lindquist said.

Culture

Balloon Fiesta reaches the sky for the 53rd year

Maria Fernandez | October 13

The Balloon Fiesta brought visitors from all over the world to the Land of Enchantment to experience the early morning rush to the park to see the balloons take flight. The event, held between Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 12, featured both new and old crowd favorites that ascended in Albuquerque’s blue skies. April and Autumn Nieto, Albuquerque locals, try to attend the fiesta every year, they said. “I like the special shapes day, it’s the best. It’s always great, especially waking up early in the morning,” Autumn Nieto said.

News

City council district three candidates

Maria Fernandez | October 13

The city council election in Albuquerque’s district three sees challengers Christopher Sedillo, Teresa Garcia and incumbent city councilor Klarissa Peña. Garcia could not be reached in time for publication. District three represents the southwest side of the city.

Culture

Fat Bear Week returns: these bears are as hungry as a, well…

Maria Fernandez and Jaden McKelvey-Francis | September 29

In anticipation of the upcoming hibernation season, burly bears are competing to be crowned the fattest brown bear as part of Fat Bear Week, an online voting competition for the public to choose their favorite and plumpest at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Fat Bear Week is a single-elimination style tournament where the bear with the most votes is anointed Fat Bear Week champion, according to the Katmai Conservancy. Voters have the chance to see how the bears looked in the spring and compare them to their current shape, often many pounds heavier in preparation for the winter, and watch them through livestreams. It is recommended that people cast their ballot for the bear they feel most exemplifies fatness and success as a brown bear, according to the competition guidelines. Voting will end on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Culture

Santos: New Mexico’s generational art form

Maria Fernandez | September 22

Throughout New Mexico’s history, art has been an integral part of telling the rich and vibrant stories and beliefs of its local people. One such style of art unique to the southwest is the craft of creating “santos,” the name given to multiple types of artistic demonstrations of figures in Catholicism, including paintings on wooden tablets known as retablos, carved statues called bultos and reredos, panel paintings often displayed behind the altar in churches. Santos were originally displayed in the mission churches the Franciscans built when they came to the southwest, and typically depicted a saint, the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, or the Holy Family, Jana Gottshalk, curator and museum director of the Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum, wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo.

News

REVIEW: Fry and dine at the State Fair

Maria Fernandez | September 15

State fairs are known for selling a wide variety of foods — many of them deep-fried — and this year’s selection was no different. I arrived at the New Mexico State Fair with an appetite — especially after the notorious $1 day traffic — and the food did not disappoint. The State Fair began again at EXPO New Mexico on Sept. 4, bringing back many beloved rides, experiences and best of all; fair foods. My first stop was the Villa Hispana on a hunt for tacos, where I came across The Taco Guy, a locally-owned business.

News

Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center reopens after building demolition

Maria Fernandez | September 15

The Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center re-opened its office on campus after renovations with a grand opening and welcome back event in front of Mesa Vista Hall, on Sept. 3. AAPIRC’s vision and mission are to provide a physical space where students can enrich their university social experience and access student services, programs, research, educational opportunities and build a sense of belonging for all students at UNM by highlighting and celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander cultures, AAPIRC Program Manager Aaron Tuioti-Mariner wrote to the Daily Lobo.

Culture

Stair climb held at University Stadium honors 9/11 victims

Maria Fernandez and Elizabeth Bolke | September 15

On Thursday, Sept. 11, University of New Mexico Reserve Officer Training Corps hosted a memorial stair climb to honor the 2,977 Americans killed during the terrorist attacks committed on Sept. 11, 2001. Led by the UNM Air Force ROTC, the event has been held annually over the last three years in collaboration with the U.S. Army and Navy ROTC branches at UNM, along with support from UNM Athletics, according to Air Force Maj.Vicente Vasquez, UNM associate professor of Aerospace Studies and director of operations for UNM Air Force ROTC. “This year had several firsts, including our first year with local media coverage, first year with a chaplain to provide an opening invocation and first year with a bugler,” Vasquez wrote to the Daily Lobo.