Carmen Anaya was a remarkable human being. Her life of 79 years both inspires and teaches us. Born in Monterrey. Mexico. a teacher. she moved to the United States as a young woman and married Jos6 Anaya. For the next 20 years as their family grew. they worked as migrant farm workers all across Americaharvesting cherries in Michigan. tomatoes in California. potatoes in Oregon. and sugar beets in the Dakotas. Eventually they opened a small general store in Las Milpas in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. In Spanish. a "milpa" is a temporary field that is cultivated for a few seasons.