By Andrew Hay

TAOS N.M. (Reuters). Miguel Gandert isn’t sure if the log home of his 19-century family has been set on fire in New Mexico, but he worries that it could cause the destruction of an Indo-Hispano mountain cultural tradition far more ancient than the United States.

This wildfire, which is now the most destructive in America, threatens several villages in Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Gandert’s roots can be traced back to Native Americans and European settlers.

A multitude of houses were set on fire by the blaze in Mora Valley. On Sunday, strong winds threatened ranch houses made from adobe clay bricks, churches and chapels, as well as water mills that date back to the 19th century.

Gandert (a former University of New Mexico Professor) said that it’s nearly a cultural genocide and that the fire is the enemy. He grew up fishing in Mora and helped on the family farm.

Police said that some families of residents have lived in New Mexico since late 17th-century. More than half the population of Mora County (4,500) has also stayed there to protect their homes.

Gabriel Melendez, a Mora native, stated that working class families used their bulldozers and other machinery in Holman, Cleveland, to cut fire breaks with firefighters.

Melendez said that they are motivated by “querencia”, or love for place. This is rooted in their religious sense for the land and pray at Catholic chapels, known as “moradas” (moradas).

Melendez, a retired American studies professor at 69, said, “You are losing inheritance. You’re losing value of these houses.” Melendez, who was referring to Melendez and his nephew Holman, added, “You’re losing wealth. People will rebuild and they’ll work hard to restore the culture. But it is a huge challenge.

Patricia Marie Perea said that those who evacuate feel devastated. Her relatives fled San Miguel County to Albuquerque.

Perea, an adjunct professor of Chicana studies and Chicano studies at University of New Mexico said that three hundred years of my ancestry are in my family. All of this makes it difficult, if certainly impossible, to move.