Below is a snapshot of the ways that History Colorado helps elevate the considerable contributions of Hispano, Chicano/a/x, and Latino/a/x people in September and beyond, as well as a run-down of the exciting events being hosted at History Colorado sites across the state.

Ways that History Colorado Elevates and Preserves the Experiences of Hispano, Chicano/a/x, and Latino/a/x Coloradans:
At the History Colorado Center in Denver, there are several exhibitions created in partnership with the Chicano/a/x, Latino/a/x, and Hispano communities in Colorado. These exhibitions include: 

• De la Tierra: Reflections of Place in the Upper Río Grande presents the lasting cultural traditions of early Hispano settlers of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Thoughtfully crafted in collaboration with multiple artists and community collaborators, De la Tierra pairs the works of contemporary artists with historical objects to highlight the distinct culture of the Upper Río Grande region. Designed to transcend boundaries on the map, De la Tierra challenges us to consider how we think about Colorado’s borders while also sharing cultural traditions formed in concert with the land.
• El Movimento shares the efforts of Chicano/a/x activists in the 1960s and 70s as they fought to end discrimination, secure rights, and gain political and social power through education, culture, and the arts. The exhibition utilizes artifacts, photos, archival video footage, and the activists’ own voices to tell visitors about the struggle for labor rights, student activism, the Vietnam War, and more.
• Borderlands of Southern Colorado provides an overview of the shifting geopolitical history of Southern Colorado before and after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Throughout the exhibition, artifacts, videos, panels, and photographs detail the experiences of the people from the region while paintings around the space visualize the environment that was forever changed by the Treaty.
• Zoom In is an exhibition with 100 stories to tell. As a historical mosaic of Colorado’s past, the exhibition acknowledges the diverse people who’ve called the plains, mountains, and mesas home for 13,000 years or more. Included in Zoom In are a number of objects which highlight the Hispanio experience in Colorado, including:
  • Felipe and José Espinosa’s Pistols which remind visitors of how the story of the brothers is entwined with the deeply contentious and unresolved history of land rights in the Borderlands of Southern Colorado,
  • The double adobe brick mold made by Pablo Rodriguez which demonstrates the technological innovation of Spanish settlers in New Mexico and Southern Colorado.
• What’s Your Story? features Colorado changemakers and celebrates the ways they disrupted the status quo to pass legislation, forge communities, or pioneer a more equitable future. Some changemakers include:
  • Polly Baca, the first woman of Color to serve in the Colorado State Senate and the First Latina Woman in leadership in any state senate in the country.
  • Casimiro Barela, the longest serving Latino Colorado State Representative who advocated and helped to publish the state constitution in English, German, and Spanish.
  • Federico Peña, a state legislator and first Latino Mayor of Denver who later became the U.S. secretary of energy under President Bill Clinton.
  • Emanuel Martinez, an internationally acclaimed Chicano muralist, painter, and sculptor whose work champions activism and celebrates Latino culture.

Similarly, History Colorado’s Community Museums and partnering institutions across the state feature exhibitions paying homage to Latino/a/x Heritage. Some notable exhibitions include:

• “I am Auraria” which is now on display at the Auraria Library in Denver. “I Am Auraria” is the culmination of a year-long Museum of Memory project that shares the stories of the hundreds of families who were displaced to make room for the higher education campus. In the exhibition, oral histories, photos, materials, and memories are on display as well as resources for those directly connected to the Auraria neighborhood and its legacy.
• Borderlands of Southern Colorado at the El Pueblo History Museum in Pueblo which sets the histories of Southern Colorado in context. Learn how El Pueblo has established itself as crucial to greater Colorado border history – not just regional, but cultural, ethnic, religious, and industrial history too.
• Borderlands of Southern Colorado: The Santa Fe Trail at the Trinidad History Museum in Trinidad which explores how the Trail was more than a highway for people and goods: it was the primary way to exchange ideas, religions, traditions, and understandings. Discover the rarely told and frequently forgotten stories of the Borderlands of Southern Colorado through the numerous and diverse communities that utilized the Trail and how they impact the land today.
• ¡Viva La Causa! Long Live the Cause!: The Art of Change at the El Pueblo History Museum which highlights the intersections of art and activism using artwork created at the peak of two social justice movements – the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and ʼ70s and the Black Lives Matter movement in the early 2020s. Featuring more than two dozen pieces of art – spanning multiple mediums and materials – ¡Viva La Causa! Long Live the Cause! explores themes of identity, equality, and courage in the face of injustices.

Beyond these multi-generational in-person exhibitions, History Colorado has several programs, publications, online collections and exhibitions, resource guides, and podcast episodes that explore the contributions Hispano, Latino/a/x and Chicano/a/x communities have made to the Centennial State. Here’s an overview of some of those materials:

• The State Historical Fund continues to fund projects that protect and preserve historical resources that are vital to the Chicano/a/x, Latino/a/x, and Hispano experience in Colorado. Recent examples include The People's Market in San Luis – which was awarded $102,902 to create comprehensive construction documents so this historic grocery space can better serve the needs of the predominantly Hispano community of Costilla County – and Warshauer Mansion in Antonito – which was awarded $250,000 to stabilize and rehabilitate the historic building that serves as the community’s City Hall.
• The online exhibition La Gente: Colorado’s Mexican History features an extensive overview of the ways in which Hispanos, Mexican Americans, Chicanos and Latinos played important roles in Colorado history as ranchers, farmers, explorers, entrepreneurs, sociopolitical advocates, artists, and more. Explore this history spanning from the Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and the American Southwest to the Chicano Movement.
• The Latino History & Heritage Page hosts a rich collection of in-person and online experiences, resources, and community events across the state year-round.
• The Latino Heritage Collection is a repository that documents the contributions of Latinos in Colorado while celebrating Latino culture, history, and the arts. Currently featured on the webpage are ongoing initiatives as well as opportunities to contribute to the Latino Heritage Collection.
• The Hispano Coloradans page hosts numerous stories of Hispano residents that have made their mark on Colorado’s rich history. From articles illuminating the female leaders in el Movimiento to analyses on the need to preserve murals relaying the stories of Hispano Coloradans– this webpage provides past, present, and future examples of the longstanding contributions Hispano residents have made to the Centennial State.
• History Colorado’s publications have a number of ways in which they are elevating Hispano, Chicano/a/x, and Latino/a/x history. From books like Hilos Culturales: Cultural Threads of the San Luis Valley to The Colorado Magazine, which has a substantial catalog of articles such as “Shroud, Destruction, and Neglect”, “The Master Weaver of the San Luis Valley”, and Women of the Borderlands. Indeed, there is no shortage of ways to engage with the diverse histories of Colorado through the written word. 
• From History Colorado’s critically acclaimed podcast Lost Highways: Dispatches from the Shadows of the Rocky Mountains come several episodes exploring Latino/a/x heritage in Colorado. Engage with the fascinating history of the American West through episodes such as “The Miseducation of Freddie Freak”, “Beyond the Valley of a Doubt”, and “A Line in the Sand”, which highlight often undertold or misrepresented stories that are fundamental to better understanding the complete history of the Centennial State.
• The Colorado Encyclopedia (ColoradoEncyclopedia.org) is an online educational resource maintained by History Colorado. The Colorado Encyclopedia includes more than 1,000 entries written and edited by scholars, students, professional researchers, and community members. Included among those articles are a number discussing the Hispano history of the Centennial State.

Many of the Museum of Memory Initiative projects have focused on elevating the undertold stories of Latino/a/x communities across the state of Colorado. This initiative reanimates, centers, and amplifies histories that have long existed only in the margins and creates opportunities for communities to decide how to remember their collective pasts. Listed below are some completed projects where participants recorded oral histories, shared photographs, and detailed the collective memories of their neighborhoods:

• The Salt Creek Neighborhood Memory Project which gathered the collective memories of Salt Creek residents, who are primarily Mexican-American, Hispano, and Chicano, recalling the changes of the Pueblo County neighborhood throughout the 20th century 
• The Dog Patch Neighborhood Memory Project that unites stories of Pueblo’s east side neighborhood through the collection of oral histories and photographs from community members whose voices have been traditionally underheard
• Youth-centered, community-based memory projects like the San Luis Youth Memory Project or the Antonito Youth Memory Project which engage young community members in local history and culture as a pathway for youth leadership, civic engagement, and community cohesion

Finally, History Colorado was recently awarded a grant by the Mellon Foundation to pursue a preservation capacity-building project in the San Luis Valley. This project will include deep engagement with the predominantly Hispano/Latino population of the Valley to assist with listing 10 additional sites on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Additional information about this project can be found here.

New Exhibitions and Featured Attractions in September:
New Exhibition – De la Tierra: Reflections of Place in the Upper Río Grande | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | Now on Display!
De la Tierra: Reflections of Place in the Upper Río Grande, History Colorado’s newest exhibition, shares the lasting cultural traditions tied to early Hispano settlers of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Thoughtfully crafted with multiple artists and community collaborators, this exhibition uses the works of contemporary artists paired with historical objects to highlight the distinct culture of the Upper Río Grande region.

Designed to transcend boundaries on the map, De la Tierra challenges us to consider how we think about Colorado’s borders while also sharing cultural traditions formed in concert with the land; cultural traditions born from a complex history of colonization, ethnic intermixing, and shifting geopolitical borders.

New Exhibition – Special Deliveries | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | Now on Display!
Special Deliveries at the History Colorado Center explores the story of three Colorado health professionals who cared for mothers and babies before, during, and after pregnancies, as well as the realities of childbirth and parenting in the early 20th century. Practicing medicine in a time before jobs came with medical insurance, the medical professionals detailed in Special Deliveries were often paid with eggs, jars of preserved goods, and offers to repaint the provider’s house in return for the care given to mothers and babies. Today, Colorado has more than 300 midwives who build their work on the traditions of expertise, love, and care provided by these dedicated professionals and the communities of women who provided support, resources, and camaraderie to mothers and their “special deliveries.”

Returning Series – Rosenberry Lecture Series: History for the Curious
History Colorado Center | Starts September 18, 2024
History Colorado’s Rosenberry Lecture Series brings speakers from around Colorado and the United States to shed new light on topics in Colorado history. This 8-part series highlightsour state's rich and complex history and invites us to explore our shared past as we shape our collective future. This year’s lineup examines thought-provoking topics ranging from the legacy of Colorado’s own Hattie McDaniel, to how communal gathering places like the Villa Italia Mall shape personal identities.

The opening speaker for this year’s Rosenberry Lecture Series is David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Sicangu Lakota Nation) on September 18, 2024, at 1 and 7 p.m., who will lead a discussion on how Indigenous crime fiction is uniquely suited to tackle complex topics such as colonization and sovereignty. Weiden will examine how the genre can inform non-Native readers about the little-known inequities on reservations and in urban areas while also exploring systemic issues that affect Native citizens in the American political system.

Several ticketing packages and tickets are available for the Roseberry Lecture Series. Tickets for individual lectures ($10-15) are available for the 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. events. A Series Package ($70-100) is also available and includes all eight of the lectures at either the 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. sessions. Tickets can be purchased here in advance of the lectures, so make sure not to miss all the inspiring scholars, historians, curators, journalists, and creatives exploring Colorado’s shared past and collective future. 

September Events:
Trinidad History Museum Coffee & Conversation | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | September 6, 8 – 10 a.m.
Start the first Friday of September with free coffee and tea! Held in Trinidad’s own Bloom Mansion, Coffee & Conversation provides space for community gatherings. Join us, mingle with neighbors, and meet your museum team! We look forward to seeing you!

Matchless: Baby Doe Tabor's Wedding Dress Panel Discussion | Denver, CO
Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin | September 6, 2 — 6:30 p.m.
Tickets ($10 donation) and additional information available here.
Join History Colorado for an open house and discussion on the significance and conservation of one of the most famous wedding dresses in Colorado: Baby Doe Tabor’s 1883 Wedding Dress. This event represents the first time that the gown returns to Leadville following Baby Doe’s death in 1935. Experts will walk guests through the extensive conservation plan designed to restore the gown closer to its original condition and preserve it for future display and research.

This panel discussion is a kickoff event for the fundraising efforts to support the conservation of the dress. Click here to learn more about the fundraising effort and to donate.

Tours & Treks Presents: Front Range Winery Tour | Front Range
Starts at History Colorado Center | September 6 & 7
Tickets ($500-628) and additional information available here.
While California and France might have the most prominent reputations for wine, this overnight tour will show that you don’t even have to leave the Front Range of Colorado to taste some delights. While not an American Viticultural Area (AVA), the Front Range has its fair share of grape-related bounties and we’ll visit four wineries, while learning some history and enjoying the beautiful Colorado scenery. There is so much to experience in just two days, but we lift a glass to the challenge!

PAAC Site Stewardship Workshop | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center & Online | September 7 & 8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tickets ($15-35) and additional information available here.
This weekend workshop provides an introduction to archaeological advocacy through site stewardship. On day one, participants both in-person and virtual will learn about the principal mission of preservation and the primary activities of a site steward including the observation, documentation, and reporting of the condition of cultural resources in Colorado. On day two, participants will have the option to join us in the field and practice stewardship hands-on as we visit different locations in Douglas County! 

Outdoor Yoga & Meditation Practice | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | September 8, 15, 22, 8 a.m.
The Trinidad History Museum is holding a series of outdoor yoga and meditation practices in the Baca-Bloom Heritage Gardens. This class will be led by local yogi Jennifer Allen and is a great chance to connect with your body, breath, nature, and neighbors. Outdoor Yoga and Meditation Practice at the Trinidad History Museum is free and open to the public. Don’t forget to bring a mat/blanket and water.

Meditation to Start Your Week with Urban Sanctuary | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | September 8 & 22, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Center for Colorado Women’s History invites you to an enriching meditation offered in partnership with Urban Sanctuary, Denver’s first Black women-run wellness studio located in the historic Five Points neighborhood. This event includes an empowering guided 30-minute meditation in the historic house by practiced Urban Sanctuary facilitators to help you start your week with intention. Afterwards, guests are encouraged to enjoy cups of our revitalizing museum signature Lady Lavender tea with citrus, vanilla, and bergamot. 

Tickets are available on a “pay what you can” basis for the September 8 and September 22 sessions.

How-To: Preserve Family Papers | Online
Online | September 10, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Tickets ($3-5) and additional information available here.
Join Shaun Boyd, History Colorado’s Curator of Archives and resident genealogy nerd, as she shares how to preserve your family papers. Learn about the conditions that make for ideal storage so that you can preserve the papers from your family history for future generations.

Cherry Creek Art Walking Tour | Denver, CO
Shoemaker Plaza | September 11, 9 – 11 a.m.
Tickets ($30-40) and additional information available here.
Cherry Creek isn’t just for shopping or getting water to the South Platte anymore! Art is slowly making its way upstream from the confluence of these two local waterways.Though we can’t see it all, it will make for an enjoyable walk and a pleasing treat for the eye as we appreciate how these walls don’t just keep the creek in its place but provide a perfect canvas for eclectic expressions of the visual arts.

Vecinos Community Coffee | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | September 12 , 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center invites you to join them for warm beverages, good platica, and conversation with neighbors. This is a free event to provide space for community sharing and gathering. This event is located in the Mess Hall at Fort Garland Museum with parking and an entrance available at the rear of the building

12 Tablecloths Artist Talk and Exhibit Tour | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | September 12 & 26, 12 – 1 p.m.
Tickets ($5-7) and additional information available here.
Hear first-hand from artist Chloé Duplessis at the Artist Talk and Exhibit Tour of the 12 Tablecloths installation, currently on view at the Center for Colorado Women's History. These Artist Talks are offered on select dates in August and September, with the program beginning at 12 p.m. for each date. Space is limited, so advanced registration is recommended. 

Faith, Food, and Fellowship: Discussion and Lunch | Denver, CO
South Broadway Christian Church | September 14, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Tickets ($18-28) and additional information is available here.
Join the Blaxplanation team and the Colorado Council of Churches for a lecture and meal around faith, food, and fellowship. This event will provide an opportunity to learn how the American picnic often served as a space to terrorize Black Americans, but was reclaimed by communities to strengthen bonds, offer support, and develop fellowship with one another.

Tea and Chocolate with Risë Jones of TeaLee’s | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | September 14, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Tickets ($17-40) and additional information is available here.
Join tea connoisseur Risë Jones for a tea event and presentation in which guests will explore tea and chocolate pairings through all their senses and come to appreciate how the flavor, aroma and nuance of tea is as complex as fine wine, and made even more delightful when paired with something bittersweet. Guests can expect to taste black, green, and white tea alongside a variety of chocolates while learning about the origins of these treats. This tea event includes a docent-led Museum tour followed by an hour-long tea seating and presentation.

Rocky Mountain Map Society presents "Alexander von Humboldt and the Mapping of the Americas" | Denver CO
History Colorado Center or Online | September 17, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Tickets (Free) and additional information is available here.
Join History Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Map Society for an introduction to the extraordinary life of Alexander von Humboldt. Described by Charles Darwin as "the greatest travelling scientist who ever lived," this presentation will focus on Humboldt’s observations during his perception-changing voyage crisscrossing Latin America in 1799-1804, as well as the subsequent decades of meticulous data analysis that he recorded in 30 lavishly illustrated volumes, including two atlases. Learn more about why this Prussian nobleman is considered the nineteenth century’s most influential scientist, sparking research into the nature of the Americas and far beyond.

MIRASOL: Denver Premiere | Denver, CO
Confluence Theatre at the CSU Spur Campus | September 18, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Tickets ($30) and additional information is available here.
Join us at the Denver premiere of MIRASOL, Looking at the Sun, a groundbreaking documentary film directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ben Knight. Presented and produced by Palmer Land Conservancy, this poignant new film challenges us to think about land and water use in the West through an intimate portrait of a rural farming community in Pueblo, Colorado, as they fight to protect their water, land, and way of life.

Uncompahgre Pow-Wow | Montrose, CO
Ute Indian Museum | September 21, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Join the Ute Indian Museum for its first Uncompahgre Pow-Wow! Hosted by the Western Slope Native American Resource Center and the Ute Indian Museum, the event offers visitors a chance to enter a dance contest, enjoy local food, and more. Over $14,000 in prizes will be awarded with drawings for up to $4,500 in prizes for all dancers who do not win first, second, or third in each of the dancing categories. Please note that parking at the museum is limited but a free shuttle will run every 15 minutes from the Target parking lot from 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Creeporado: An Evening of the Strange & Unusual | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | September 27, 7 – 10 p.m.
Tickets ($20-45) and additional information is available here.
Colorado's own cryptid, the Slide-Rock Bolter, invites you to Creeporado: An Evening of the Strange and Unusual on September 27 from 7 – 10 p.m. Come check out some of the oddest artifacts in History Colorado’s Collection (mountain man dentures? bottles of strychnine? weird dolls?), make your own Victorian hair wreath, hear the best ghost and true crime stories from our state's past, enjoy a creepy cocktail, and browse our night market full of artists selling their mysterious wares. Tickets range from $20 for basic entry, to $45 which guarantees you'll have a black tee with the logo art waiting for you when you arrive. 

Reclaiming and Celebrating Our Communities | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | September 29, 2 – 4 p.m.
History Colorado is proud to partner with Refugees + Immigrants United (RIU) as they launch an exciting and vibrant Colorado coalition that is refugee-founded and refugee-led. A dynamic and passionate group of advocates, RIU is committed to connecting, educating, and inspiring the public with the unique stories and perspectives of Colorado’s diverse communities. This event is a great opportunity to meet the RIU team, connect with thought provoking discussions on the challenges faced by refugees and immigrants, and experience breathtaking cultural performances from around the globe. This event is free and open to the public but RSVP is recommended as space is limited.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 145-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado