The Greek Community in Albuquerque

Overview and Brief History:
Greece has had an enormous impact on Western culture as we know it. It’s golden age in the fifth century BC spawned three great philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, and the concept of democracy. Additionally, Greek advances and contributions in art, architecture, drama, literature, mathematics, and science during this golden age remain unmatched by any civilization in world history.

In the first and second centuries BC, Greece declined and was conquered and ruled by the Romans. In the fourth century AD, it became a part of the Byzantine Empire. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in the mid-fifteenth century, Greece became a part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1829, Greece expelled the Turks and became a kingdom. A republic was established in 1924 and the Greek monarchy was restored. In 1935, King George II ascended the throne. During the Second World War, Greece was conquered and occupied by Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria.

Following the Second World War, a Greek Civil War between insurgent Communists, who had been key to German/Italian resistance, and forces loyal to the Republic. The Communists were defeated with aid from the United States.

Immigration to the United States and Albuquerque:
Greek immigration to America did not really begin in earnest until the latter part of the nineteenth century. However, there were Greeks in America before this time. Johan Griego, a Greek who lived in Genoa, Italy, sailed with Christopher Columbus’ crew in 1492. There were Greeks who accompanied Don Juan de Oñate’s party of colonists in New Mexico in 1598. The first Greek Orthodox Church in the United States was established in 1864 in New Orleans by Greek cotton merchants.

The greatest level of emigration from Greece occurred during a 25-year period between 1890 and 1915. Although most of these immigrants were young men from rural farming communities, in America they tended to settle in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Baltimore. Those in the cities found jobs as dishwashers, laborers, cobblers, or street peddlers. Others went west to work in the mines or on the railroads. Still others went to Florida and became sponge divers.

When the Balkan Wars between Greece and Turkey commenced in 1912, 45,000 Greek American immigrants returned home to fight against the Turks. Following the war many of them returned to America to establish their own small businesses. Many of these young men brought Greek women with them. These women in turn brought Greek cultural and social traditions and began to help to establish Greek Communities with Greek Orthodox Churches in America. During this time Greek immigrants established two national fraternal organizations: the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) and the Greek American Progressive Association (GAPA). AHEPA stressed assimilation into American culture while GAPA worked to maintain retention of the Greek language and traditional customs.

The first known Greek immigrants came to Albuquerque came after 1915. Several became restauranteurs. The well remembered Liberty Café on Central and Second was established by a Greek family in the 1920's. Also around that time, AHEPA ran a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients that was located close to the site where Presbyterian Hospital now sits. Many Greeks came as patients of this sanatorium, which eventually closed in the 1940's. Construction began on the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, in 1944. With the church as the center of this community, the Greek population gradually and steadily increased over time and the 2000 Census identifies 2,240 Greeks living in Albuquerque.

Cultural Traditions:
The Greek Church is at the heart of Greek culture in Albuquerque. Greek language classes are taught at the church and have been for many years. Women get together and cook for Church events, sharing recipes and passing them on to their daughters. Greek food is very popular in Albuquerque and there are at least a half-dozen restaurants where one can order the cuisine. Olive oil is at the heart of most Greek cooking and both garlic and lemon live close by.

Typical Greek dishes that can be found in this community include souvlaki (lamb grilled on skewers), dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), keftethes (meatballs), moussaka (eggplant and lamb casserole), and baklava. There are several types of Greek pies, or pitas, many of which are made from tissue-paper thin sheets of dough called filo. The most famous of these is a spinach pie, spanakopita. Rice, cooked as pilaf, is a common Greek staple. Greek cooking is also famous for its olives and feta (goat) cheese.

Some in the Greek community enjoy drinking small demitasse cups of dark, thick, and sweet Greek coffee and reading the coffee cups is a favorite pastime. When the coffee has been consumed, the cup is turned over and the thick residue forms patterns that are said to predict the drinker’s future.

Artistic Traditions:
Orthodox religious iconography is a Greek visual artistic tradition that continues in Albuquerque and there are several quite accomplished iconographers working in this tradition. It is similar to the two-dimensional retablo tradition of painting saints images on wooden panels that is practiced by New Mexican Hispanics. However, many of the saints and imagery in the Greek icons are specific to the Orthodox religion. Techniques are similar in that the wood is typically painted with gesso (a form of thin plaster of paris); but paints are different. In Greek iconography, egg temperas are mixed to create the colors and gold leaf is often used to paint the haloes of Christ and the saints. The resulting art works can be sold, but many are commonly given away for family altars.

Sewing, crocheting, embroidery, and needlepoint are other important crafts in the Greek community. There was once a Greek a sewing club here. When the group existed, women would get together and make bedspreads, tablecloths, and other clothes.

Folk dancing continues to be very popular in Albuquerque’s Greek community and the dances are taught to the youth in three different groups defined by age and corresponding to elementary, middle, and high schools. The elementary school-aged group is named Levendakia, which means handsome. The middle school group is called Kefi, which roughly translates to spirit, and the high school group is Asteria, or stars. The dancers perform in Greek costumes, with males wearing skirt-like outfits and tights. Females wear long skirts and, in some cases, aprons.

Most of the dances performed by these groups are open circle or line dances. There is often a lead dancer at the front of a line who performs more elaborate steps than those behind. Often a handkerchief is held between the lead dancer and those who follow in order to enable him to dance low to the floor or perform acrobatic leaps into the air. Some dances, like the zeibekiko, feature a soloist, usually male, in a trance-like, somber, and elaborate performance. Sometimes these dancers perform feats such as picking up a glass of wine or ouzo by the teeth and drinking it while dancing.

Annual Events and Celebrations:
              
A Greek Festival is held annually at St. George’s Orthodox Church on the second week-end in October. The festival has been existence for about thirty years and is extremely well attended. A Greek band is usually imported for the celebration and there are performances by the three youth dance groups as well as group dancing by the general public. There is plenty of Greek food to eat and one can also purchase Greek cooking supplies to take home. Greek jewelry, books, and artifacts, as well as Orthodox religious items are also available for sale.

Easter is the most important event on the Greek calendar and unlike Christian Easter, it is based upon the vernal equinox. It occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox and is preceded by forty days of Lent. On Holy Thursday before Good Friday eggs are dyed blood red. Traditionally the eggs were boiled with onion skins to achieve the distinctive red coloring and some still do it this way, but most people use commercially available food colorings. Red symbolizes the blood of Christ. Most people in this community prepare a leg of lamb for Easter. Tsoureki, a braided bread with a dyed red egg placed in it, is also served on the Easter table.

On March 25th, many Greeks celebrate Independence from Turkish occupation. Children dress in national costume for the celebration and they narrate poems.

Conclusions:
The Greek community in Albuquerque is very social and organized. St. George’s Orthodox Church is at the center of the community and it serves many of its needs. The church is the primary gathering place and social events and classes in Greek traditions are typically conducted there.