The Distaff Side, Kathleen Ernst, Secrets in the Hills

When my editor at American Girl asked if I’d like to write a mystery about Josefina, I was delighted! This project combined several of the things that I love to learn about: history, people with different cultural backgrounds, and an intriguing and beautiful landscape.

I started by reading all of the existing Josefina books. Then I began reading about New Mexico history. But before going too far into my research, I knew I needed to travel to New Mexico and experience Josefina’s terrain myself.

My first stop was El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a wonderful living history museum near Santa Fe, New Mexico. I knew that a visit to El Rancho de las Golondrinas would give me a great glimpse of what Josefina’s rancho would have looked like.

This historic rancho dates from the early 1700s, and was an important stopping point along the famous Camino Real, the Royal Road from Mexico City to Santa Fe. These are the kind of carts traders used. The wooden wheels made so much noise that they could be heard for miles!

El Rancho de las Golondrinas

I was interested in the details of daily life for girls like Josefina. Visiting this living history site let me use all of my senses to imagine life almost two hundred years ago. All those things helped me write Josefina’s mystery.

Ovens, El Rancho de las Golondrinas

The house was built around an inner courtyard. At left are two of the domed bake ovens called hornos.

I found the strings of hot peppers called ristras so beautiful and interesting that I wrote them into a scene in Secrets in the Hills.

ristra

A guide demonstrated how an old loom worked. (This style of loom is different than the Navajo loom Teresita uses in the Josefina books.) The weaver works standing up!

Weaver, El Rancho de las Golandrinas

Aren't these colors beautiful? They were created with natural dyes.

Yarn, El Rancho de las Golandrinas

Next, I went exploring. The New Mexico landscape is very different from what I know at home in Wisconsin! This photograph was taken late in the day, and doesn’t do it justice. I took several hikes, imagining Josefina traveling with her aunt to look for medicinal plants. I was so impressed with some of the rock formations I saw that I decided to use one as a clue in the story.

I visited several very old churches so I could study the architecture and construction styles. How does this adobe compare to the materials used to construct old buildings in your area? What resources were available?

If you’ve read Secrets in the Hills, you already know that a gravestone in the churchyard plays a role in the mystery.

While in New Mexico I also visited several traditional museums. The hand-made malacate (spindle for spinning wool) described in Secrets in the Hills is just like an old one on display in Santa Fe.

Secrets in the Hills

Kathleen Ernst

The Story Behind the Story