The Los Alamos Historical Society presents a chautauqua performance by Dr. Evangeline Roybal Sena at 7 p.m., March 10 in Fuller Lodge. Sena will portray Maria Josefa Jaramillo Carson, the third wife of Kit Carson. Courtesy/LAHS

Los Alamos Historical Society News:

The Los Alamos Historical Society’s lecture series will present a chautauqua performance by Dr. Evangeline Roybal Sena 7 p.m., March 10 in Fuller Lodge.

Sena will portray Maria Josefa Jaramillo Carson, the third wife of western legend Kit Carson.

Maria Josefa Jaramillo Carson was born in 1828 in a small village north of Santa Fe. She was the great, great granddaughter of early settlers who came to the area from Mexico in 1693 with Don Diego de Vargas when he re-established the colonies after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Not long after Maria’s birth, the family moved to Taos where her father became a merchant on the Santa Fe Trail.

When Maria Josefa was approaching her 15th birthday, she became the third wife of Kit Carson, the American frontiersman who was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and U.S. Army officer. He was away a great deal of the time, leaving her with hardships and loneliness. Her life is the story of a young Hispanic girl who quickly became a woman and fulfilled her destiny as a faithful wife and mother.

Sena grew up on a farm in the San Luis Valley near the town of Blanca, Colo., and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. Approximately two decades later, she earned a Ph.D. in administration and supervision from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She and her husband, Val, were recently awarded the Premio Hilos Culturales Award for their longtime contribution to the traditional arts of Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

Better known as Vangie, Sena was drawn to Maria’s story because of their shared Hispanic heritage. Her ancestors, like Maria’s, made the long journey in the same caravan with Don Diego de Vargas in 1693.

Dr. Sena’s performance in Fuller Lodge is suitable for families with children. The Los Alamos Historical Society’s Lecture Series is sponsored this year by Robin and Richard McLean.