Fruit, Fiber, and Fire: A History of Modern Agriculture in New Mexico

William R. Carleton's book "Fruit, Fiber, and Fire" explores the industrialization of apples, cotton, and chiles in twentieth-century New Mexico, showing how agriculture has affected the culture of the region. He provides a history of the broader culture of farmers and farmworkers, highlighting the diverse cultural influences, possible futures, and competing visions of how to feed and clothe ourselves.

Format: Hardback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 01 June 2021
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

The Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez Award from the Historical Society of New Mexico, New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Finalist in History, highlights the significant role of agriculture in shaping the culture of twentieth-century New Mexico. Rather than modernization solely spreading from cities to the countryside, the broad project of modernity and resistance often originated in farm fields, agricultural festivals, and agrarian stories. In New Mexico, three crops in particular—apples, cotton, and chiles—have played a defining role in the lives of the people and their landscape during the industrial era.

In his book "Fruit, Fiber, and Fire," William R. Carleton delves into the industrialization of these three iconic plants, exploring how agriculture has impacted the culture of New Mexico throughout the twentieth century. The book examines the physical origins, shifting cultural meanings, and environmental and market requirements of these plants, highlighting the convergence of larger regions—such as the Mexican North, the American Northeast, and the American South—and the diverse regional attitudes toward industry in agriculture.

Through local stories that depict lives filled with meaningful struggles, lessons, and successes, as well as the systems of knowledge from the recent agricultural past, Carleton provides a comprehensive history of the broader culture of farmers and farmworkers. These stories, often considered mere marginalia, such as a farmworkers meal, a small orchards advertisement campaign, or a long-gone chile seed, collectively contribute to an agricultural past with diverse cultural influences, multiple possible futures, and competing visions for feeding and clothing ourselves.

As we continue to reimagine the crops of our future, the insights and lessons from the agricultural past remain relevant. The Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez Award recognizes the profound impact of agriculture on the culture and history of New Mexico, and encourages us to appreciate the diverse and complex ways in which crops have shaped our lives and our world.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496216168