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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. When Tina Tapia was a young girl growing up in tiny Willard, one of the scariest things she could think of was having to drive in the big city of Albuquerque.
After all, she could walk nearly everywhere – from her job at the courthouse in nearby Estancia, to her classes at Estancia High School.
Hers was a huge traditional family, with a grandmother who taught her “how to be a housewife. My brothers were always outside helping my grandfather, and my sister and I were inside cooking, cleaning.
“I always say, ‘I know I never learned how to skate. I never learned how to swim. But I can roll a mean tortilla, that’s for sure. ”