'He loved the people of New Mexico': Former activist, politician Roberto Mondragón dies

Roberto Mondragón, a former Democratic lieutenant governor who was known as a "singing politician," for promoting New Mexican culture, and advocating for land grant justice reform and the elderly, died from natural causes on Tuesday.

He was 85.

"Maybe to a fault, in some ways, he cared about people more than he cared about himself," Mondragón's grandson, Chacho Taylor, said in a phone interview.

Mondragón spent decades preserving and sharing New Mexico's bilingual heritage through Aspectos Culturales, a nonprofit he owned and operated with Georgia Roybal, he said.

"Together they produced culturally-grounded bilingual learning materials for elementary, middle school and high school students across the state," Taylor said in a statement.

In politics, Mondragón was a state representative, lieutenant governor during Gov. Bruce King's non-consecutive two terms and a Green Party gubernatorial candidate in 1994. He received more than 10% of the votes cast in that year's general election, which was won by Gary Johnson.

Described as an "old-fashioned populist," Mondragón took on the role of ombudsman in an effort to advance causes to which he was committed: helping the elderly, juvenile justice, migrant worker welfare and Hispanic civil rights, according to New Mexico Senate Memorial 25 (2021).

"He could reach across the aisle and he had a way of expressing his concerns and his thoughts without making people mad," Roybal said. "I mean, he didn't hesitate to say what he thought, but he did it in a way that didn't alienate people. He likely attracted them to him."

Mondragon was born on July 27, 1940, in the central New Mexican community of Anton Chico. He later graduated from Albuquerque High School. When he told his parents about receiving a scholarship to study engineering at Harvard University, his father didn't want him to leave the state, Roybal said.

"That was a blessing and a curse," she said. "I mean, if he had become an engineer, he would probably made more money than he did. But he wouldn't have had the impact on the state that he had."

Instead of going to Harvard, Taylor said, Mondragón got a job working on radios where he met people from local stations. He would move on to work at KABQ-AM. During this time, he "discovered that he could sing well" and started recording music, Taylor said. 

A couple of songs he performed over the years include "Mi Carrito Paseado," a humorous ode to an unreliable car, and "O Fair New Mexico," the official state song. 

Mondragón — known as the "singing politician" — "used his music to connect with people," Taylor said.

"Instead of just giving a speech, he would do a show where he would sing then talk about different issues he was going to support and he thought were important and that's how he built his entire political career," he said. "So, it was all kind of a perfect plan to use his artistic abilities, his passion for New Mexico and the people of New Mexico to put himself in a position where he could try and make a difference."

After starting his first term as lieutenant governor, he told the Santa Fe New Mexican in June 1971 that "I don't make any promises" (and) "I believe the solutions to problems come from the people themselves. They know the problems."

While issues such as improving education and economic improvement were his "major twin concerns" at the time, according to the New Mexican, "bilingual education (was) his banner, his philosophy of uniting and improving the state."

"I would like all the citizens of the state to be bilingual," he told the New Mexican. "This means, in part, that every child should have a bilingual teacher and a bilingual education."

Along with bilingualism, Mondragón wanted better conditions for the elderly.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a former cabinet secretary to what is now the Aging and Long-Term Services Department, credited Mondragón with making the state system what it is today.

"He fought relentlessly for elder rights, public health initiatives, and ensuring that our seniors had access to arts and culture," she said in a news release on Wednesday. "He didn't just advocate from a distance  — he showed up at meetings, visited agencies in person, and made sure his voice was heard on behalf of New Mexicans who needed someone in their corner."

Taylor said Mondragón, who was director of the state commission on aging, not only traveled across the state to visit with seniors but he sang to them as well.

Mondragón is also remembered for wanting laws to investigate land grant claims and possibly compensate communities for land that may have been taken. 

"One of these days justice should be done," Mondragón told the Journal in a story published on Feb. 3, 2000. "The hopes in our minds will become reality sometime in the future."

Taylor said a public memorial service will take place on Jan. 27 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The time is still to be determined.

"He loved the people of New Mexico," he said. "He loved everything about them. He felt connected to this state and the people. And if anyone feels compelled to come and be a part of it, it's an open invitation."

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.