Duende Anatomy

Sightings and aftermath...

Duende Lore

The Lore of Los Duendes

By James Lewis

If you have never volunteered with the Open Space Division to build trails you probably wonder how trails actually become reality.  If you have built trails with Open Space, what you are about to read should be a fascinating tale of how trails are built behind the lore of los duendes.

The new book, “60 hikes within 60 miles” by Stephen Ausherman is a must read for people who love trails, nature, exploration, and interesting facts of the Albuquerque area and the 60 mile radius beyond.  So who are los duendes?  Stephen Ausherman reached the following conclusion after his experience hiking out at Golden Major Public Open Space:  “Weeks passed, and the [pink survey] flags were replaced with a freshly scraped path marked with cairns.  Unable to locate anyone to take credit for the trail work, I reached the only logical conclusion:  the land was beset with los duendes.  Some people describe them as industrious elves, others as evil dwarfs.”  Although Open Space workers and volunteers are industrious, has anyone ever imagined that our trail builders are attributed to mythical creatures?  Ausherman further points out that in a 1910 paper written by Aurelio Macedonio Espinosa titled “New-Mexican Spanish Folk-Lore”, “los duendes are identified as individuals of small stature who frighten the lazy, the wicked and in particular the filthy.”  The Open Space “los duendes” must not be too frightening because we prefer hardworking, good natured, and somewhat clean individuals to help build trails.

I conducted a bit more research about los duendes to inquire if, us “trail builders”, are really this frightening.  I believe that los duendes are not all that bad.  Although us Open Space “los duendes” may be short, fast, sometimes a bit slow, intelligent, , sport huge ears, carry McLeods and Pulaskis, and with almost all of our names beginning with the letter “J”, we are exceptionally good at what we do.  I found that elves are part of the race called feérica and are known by different names throughout the world.  In Europe for example, elves are also known as trolls, fairies, hobgoblins, leprechauns, pixies, gnomes, gremlins, tontems, lutins, kobolds, and trasgos.  The most uplifting piece of evidence I found is that los duendes and their counterparts are defined as guardians of nature and human beings.  Outstanding!

This concludes that los duendes are the builders of sustainable trails that protect nature by reducing erosion and leaving as little impact on the environment as possible.   Furthermore, these sustainable trails help human beings by their carefully designed layouts that minimize sharp turns and steep downhill sections creating an enjoyable recreational experience.  Therefore, the Open Space Division encourages anyone who has wondered about building trails to come out and participate at any of the Open Space Division’s upcoming projects.  Who wouldn’t want to become los duendes for a day?  We promise that it won’t make your ears grow, too much.