The marker reads:
"PANEL 1 TITLE: SAN LUIS
Colorado's earliest non-Indian occupants were Hispanos. Migrating north from present-day New Mexico in the mid-1800s, these colonists battled the Ute Indians for control of the San Luis Valley while the United States and Mexico warred over the lands of the Rio Grande. The region ended up in U.S. hands, but this valley remained a Hispano enclave. Carlos Beaubien, owner of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant, encouraged fifty families to settle here in 1851. These Hispanos founded San Luis, the first significant town in the state. Today San Luis boasts Colorado's oldest continuously used irrigation ditch, its oldest building, and its oldest families. The village's culture, social structure, language and communal form of agriculture remain firmly rooted in Hispano tradition.
Since opening its doors on June 22, 1857, the R & R Grocery in San Luis - Colorado's oldest continuously used business - has been operated by two of the town's founding families. Original proprietor Darlo Gallegos stocked locally grown produce along with clothing and dry goods hauled in from Santa Fe, St. Louis and points between. In 1874 his daughter married A. A. Salazar, son of another town pioneer; the families operated the store jointly until 1894, when the Salazars took sole control. Over the years R & R has served as a natural community center; folks come to meet and greet as well as to shop. Twice ravaged by fire (in 1895 and 1947), the building still retains some of its original adobe walls.
Images found on this panel:
Photo of storefront
(Caption) The R & R Grocery in San Luis, Colorado's first store
Courtesy Felix Romero
Family photo
(Caption) Several generations of the Lopez family gather, c. 1950
Courtesy San Luis Museum and Cultural Center
Photo of town with adobe structures
(Caption) San Luis, 1899.
Colorado Historical Society
PANEL 2 TITLE: HISPANO FOLKWAYS
In May 1991 Rev. Pat Valdez of the Sangre de Cristo Church journeyed to Rome with twenty-nine parishioners for an audience with Pope John Paul II. They were accompanied by sculptor Huberto Maestas, a San Luis native and creator of the town's Stations of the Cross Shrine. Dedicated in 1990, the shrine symbolizes the central role of religion in southern Colorado's' Hispano communities. Local residents come here throughout the year for prayer, reflection, and celebration. The shrine also makes an important contribution to the San Luis economy, drawing thousands of visitors annually. Perhaps most important, it has rekindled a sense of unity and pride in this, Colorado's first significant settlement.
"When looking at the sculptures, you not only see creations of art; as a whole, you see the spirit of San Luis and all its people." - Huberto Maestas, Stations of the Cross Shrine sculptor
Juán Ramón Velázquez, an itinerant santero (maker of sacred images), left his distinctive mark in San Luis. Because religious artifacts were in short supply on this isolated frontier, local craftspeople met the demand. Drawing upon the rich cultural heritage of Spain and colonial Mexico, these artisans excelled in weaving, carving, and embroidery. The items they produced were not intended as mere decoration; they were used in agricultural festivals birth and death ceremonies, marriage rites, and the daily religious worship that lay at the heart of Hispano life. Traditional crafts have survived in San Luis, and since the 1970s, they have undergone a renaissance.
Images found on this panel:
Photo of sculpture
(Caption) Saint Joseph, carved by Juán Ramón Velázquez, c. 1890
Courtesy Colorado Springs Fine Arts Museum
Photo of textile
(Caption) Rio Grande weaving
Colorado Historical Society
Photo of passion play
(Caption) San Luis residents in Los Pastores, a religious passion play, July 1951.
Colorado Historical Society
Photo of San Luis people with Pope
(Caption) Pope John Paul II speaks with San Luis townspeople, May 1991.
Courtesy Juanita Guruie
PANEL 3 TITLE: ACEQUIAS
The acequia (ah-say-kya) system, a thriving example of environmentally wise self-government, merges influences from Spain and North Africa. Acequias are long gently sloping ditches that carry water from rivers and streams to the fields. All users share responsibility for maintenance, and an elected mayordomo (superintendent) enforces the rules. Long, narrow land parcels run alongside the acequias, guaranteeing all farmers equal access to water. Early settlers depended on cooperation and careful management to preserve this delicate ecological balance of this high, arid basin, and today's farmers still prefer this traditional system over modern irrigation methods. Costilla County's sixty-six active acequias continue to sustain productive harvests.
Nearly every man, woman, and child in San Luis helped build the People's Ditch. Digging with makeshift wooden shovels and hoes, the pioneers carved the acequia in 1851 to transport water from the Culebra River. Because they lacked surveying equipment, they had to open the headgates as they worked to ensure that the channel flowed downhill. This community resource, the oldest recorded water right in the state, remains a focal point of life in San Luis. Every June 24 the town marks the opening of the canal with prayers and blessings honoring San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist). Early celebrations featured children lining the banks to pluck toys and gifts from the surface of the water.
Images found on this panel:
Photo of man near irrigation ditch
(Caption) Working the San Luis People's Ditch
Courtesy San Luis Museum and Cultural Center
Photo of acequia
(Caption) San Luis People's Ditch No. 1
Courtesy San Luis Museum and Cultural Center
Diagram of farm plots
(Title) Sketch of a Hispano Farm" (from (
visit link) )