Adelita Hanson

Adelita Guadalupe Tafoya Hanson Born December 11th 1950

Died July 27th 2023

Adelita was one of 9 children born to Pablo and Adelina Tafoya of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She grew up on Camino San Acacio on Santa Fe’s east side. As a child Adelita thoroughly enjoyed school, loved reading and playing with her siblings, enjoying the carefree life of a child in the 1950s. As the 1960’s approached, Adelita began to immerse herself in the art and culture of the times, especially in the realms of poetry and music. She began writing her own poetry at this time and was a fan of Folk music and Canciones Mexicanas and in fact was named by her father after the corrido “La Adelita.”. Taking full advantage of the unique artistic influences of living in Santa Fe, Adelita explored all the different aspects of her hometown with a worldly eye for culture and art.

In 1967, at the age of 16, Adelita was in an accident resulting in her being in a coma for 2 months with a traumatic brain injury and paralysis of her left arm and many other injuries that affected her for the rest of her life. With the loving care of her family, especially her parents, she was able to recover and live independently, eventually marrying her husband Bruce Hanson in 1977. They were married for 26 years until Bruce’s passing in 2003. They enjoyed many happy times, visiting all the galleries on Canyon Rd, imbibing on wine, shopping at second hand stores and almost always listening to the local Classical radio station. Adelita was constantly writing poetry in both English and Spanish and would gladly recite them, in her own dramatic and engaging way to family and friends and the occasional public poetry reading. In 2009 she was able to publish a wonderful collection of her poetry in her book “Masking Tape”.

Adelita is preceded in death by her parents, Pablo and Adelina Tafoya, her husband Bruce Hanson, sister Zenaida Tafoya, sister Consuelo and brother-in-law Elias Valdez, brother, Peter Tafoya, brother-in-law George Buchan, brother-in-law Felipe Padilla, nephew Jimmy Lee Loftis and niece, Donna Lance.

She leaves behind her beloved brothers and sisters, Viola Buchan, Martha Maria Padilla, Luis Tafoya, Mateo Tafoya, Ernestina Tafoya Tait, sister-in-law Marcella Tafoya and many loving nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Dr. Ropp at the Aspen Clinic, the staff at the Christus St. Vincent Wound Clinic and her caregivers, Justina Loya, and especially her caregivers over the past 8 years, Elisabeth Marquez and Patti Ibarra for their outstanding and compassionate care.

A Rosary will be recited at 10:00 AM Tuesday, August  22, 2023 at Cristo Rey Catholic Church.

Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00 AM.   Interment will follow at Santa Fe Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

“Like a wild flower she tries to mingle intimately free…now she’s one, independently free.”

Adelita Tafoya Hanson