Padre Martinez: Patriot, Villain, or Scapegoat?

 

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site announces a special presentation for Friday, February 27th, 2026, as part of its “Stories from the Borderlands” program series. This presentation will be offered at 2:00 p.m. in the Ed Stafford Theater at Otero College.

 

This free program will discuss Padre Martinez, an important figure in New Mexico history who was a contemporary and rival of Charles Bent. The program will be presented by park staff in conjunction with guest speaker Paul Espinosa, a documentary filmmaker currently working on a project about the life of Padre Martinez.