Did karma spark the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa fire?
My grandfather Frank S. Mauro Sr., purchased in 1932 the historic Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs. One of the agreements included with the acquisition was that a private pool would be available for descendants of the Tewa tribe, in perpetuity. This pool is known as ‘Ojito.’
For hundreds of years, the ‘Ojito’ agreement was stable; for seventy five of those hundreds of years, my family honored the agreement, providing Tewa descendants private access to the ‘Ojito.’
When the hot springs was acquired from my family by an outside entity in a hostile stock takeover, it was assumed that the ‘Ojito’ agreement would be honored. However, a member of the ‘Ojito’ community informed on me July 1 that current management blocked the ‘Ojito’ with a dirt berm, obstructing it from the community whose bloodlines have lived their for centuries.
This totally ignores the time-honored agreement. Then on Aug. 6 a fire completely gutted the historic bathhouse, along with what was left of the sacred ‘Ojito.’
Perhaps fire elementals purified the area, giving rise, like a phoenix, to a new hope that in the rebuilding, the Tewa descendants will have their ‘Ojito’ created in a totally honorable and accessible way, with ramps, parking, and amenities rendering a respectful experience for the Tewa descendants, thus transforming the fiery flames of karma into the gentle healing, forgiveness of dharma.
Mary Jo Mauro
Pueblo, Colo.