Dr. Manuel Carlos
Obituary
In Memoriam:
Manuel Carlos, 87, passed away surrounded by family, leaving behind a legacy as both a distinguished scholar and a man who truly embraced life in all its dimensions. As professor emeritus at both the University of California, Santa Barbara, and California State University Monterey Bay, Manuel's outstanding professional journey spanned nearly five decades. Those closest to him will remember a man whose curiosity, humor, and zest for life extended far beyond academia.
Throughout his academic career, Manuel was a dedicated advocate for the recruitment and support of Latino/a and Chicano/a faculty and students. He helped to shape the Anthropology Department at UCSB and became a founding faculty member at CSU Monterey Bay. His pioneering research on Mexico's ejido communal farm system earned him international recognition, and led to the Queretaro Research Project, which he founded and directed for over 10 years. The QRP provided invaluable ethnographic field research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students at UCSB and CSUMB. His innovative use of instructional technology to teach ethnographic methods set new standards for the field, making him an influential figure in political and cultural anthropology nationwide.
In the later part of his life, Manuel continued to reinvent himself, applying his deep love for nature and his professional skills to an entirely new venture. With his wife Ann he established a turtle sanctuary in the Bay of Banderas, near Puerto Vallarta, where they had a second residence. The sanctuary reflected Manuel's lifelong commitment to community, conservation, and education, extending his passion for stewardship into the natural world.
Manuel's family fondly recalls him as a man who lived large, with a constant enthusiasm for life. At home, he was a playful but sometimes demanding father, encouraging his children to think critically while also fostering a sense of humor and fun. A devoted husband, Manuel took great joy in cooking for others, throwing legendary parties filled with laughter, delicious food, and the vibrant sounds of mariachi music. He was a man who celebrated life to the fullest, often gathering friends and family around him to share in moments of joy.
Manuel was born in Los Angeles on June 21, 1937 to Soledad and Manuel Carlos, who sought political asylum in the United States during the Mexican Revolution. His youth was split between living in California and his family's ranch in Zacatecas, Mexico. Interactions with the Huichol herders who tended his grandfather Natividad's cattle sparked his deep interest in the indigenous cultures of Mexico and led to his becoming a cultural anthropologist.
After earning advanced degrees at Stanford and UC Santa Barbara, Manuel joined UCSB's Department of Anthropology in 1967. Over the years, his research on Mexico's land reform system took him to rural villages and into the lives of those he studied, a journey he often shared with his wife Ann and their children, Lisa, Andrea, and Roberto. In the 1980s and 90s his work culminated with a major project investigating the effects of modernization on multiple peasant communities in the state of Queretaro, Mexico.
In 1994, after nearly three decades at UCSB, Manuel took on the challenge of helping to build a new institution from the ground up, becoming the first founding faculty member at California State University, Monterey Bay. It was a dream realized as he dedicated the next 20 years of his life to the development of this new university.
Manuel is survived by his wife Ann, his daughter Lisa and her husband Brett Queener, his daughter Andrea and her husband Bruce Willy, and his son Roberto Carlos. He was the proud grandfather of Nathaniel, Nicholas, Katia, Sharp, Anabel, Sofia, and Benicio. His family and friends celebrated his life at the family home in Corralitos on the afternoon of October 13, 2024, where Manuel spent many happy hours tending his garden.
Published in The Pajaronian · October 30, 2024