Charles F. Lummis, The Land of Poco Tiempo

Robert E. Fleming (University of New Mexico)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.3: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Early Twentieth-century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1893

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Guidebooks / Travel writing

Resources

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Charles F. Lummis's

The Land of Poco Tiempo

is the story of New Mexico as Lummis found it when he moved to the territory in 1888 to recover his health. As Lummis translates the Spanish title, “poco tiempo” means “pretty soon” the phrase expresses the lack of haste in the lives of the area's inhabitants. Lummis, who had suffered a stroke because of his high-pressure job in Los Angeles, appreciated this attitude.

Lummis's account ranges from Indian ruins in chapters such as “Cities That Were Forgotten” and “The Wanderings of Cochiti,” to contemporary Native Americans in “The Apache Warrior” and “The City in the Sky” (the latter treating Acoma Pueblo), and, most controversially, to “The Penitent Brothers”. This chapter tells of the author's visit to the tiny

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211 words

Citation: Fleming, Robert E.. "The Land of Poco Tiempo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=390, accessed 16 April 2024.]

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