MONTE VISTA — On Jan. 14, about 25 people attended a meeting at the Monte Vista Church Project as part of the San Luis Valley History for All Initiative, a subset of the Colorado Heritage for All program led by History Colorado.
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MONTE VISTA — On Jan. 14, about 25 people attended a meeting at the Monte Vista Church Project as part of the San Luis Valley History for All Initiative, a subset of the Colorado Heritage for All program led by History Colorado.
The gathering, sponsored by History Colorado with funding from the Mellon Foundation, was to seek community input on sites to be nominated for listing on the state and federal registers of historic sites. Community input is crucial in this process, as it helps historians identify and preserve the historical sites that are most significant to the community.
Katie Dokson, who is History Colorado community engagement manager, led the group, said, "History Colorado has been tasked with an initiative called Colorado Heritage for all. It is an intentional effort by History Colorado to address the lack of representation of Colorado's diverse communities on the state and national register of historic places. Colorado History for All supports nominations and listing for 150 currently unlisted historic sites in Colorado that tell the story of marginalized communities."
History Colorado surveyed all the currently listed sites and found that less than 4% were from marginalized communities, including people of color, indigenous people, LGBTQ+, women's history, Latino, Chicano, and Asian American people, according to Dokson.
After introductions the group broke up into smaller groups who were instructed to brainstorm and come up with a list of places to be recommended for listing on the registers and sent to state historians.
Sandy Ortega, a tenth-generation resident of San Luis, beautifully expressed her connection to the past, saying, "I'm here to preserve and embrace and make sure that what my parents, my grandparents, my ancestors taught me that we can somehow teach and make sure that our past is the present into the future. So, I'm the bridge."
When one participant recommended moradas be included on the list, Dokson enlisted Ortega to explain what they are, “A morada is a dwelling place, and it is part of Catholicism, if you will. It was a dwelling place for the Penitente, who were layman, the pillars and the fathers of a community. If something happened, you would then go to the morada and talk with a Penitente and they would help you solve things. They were kind of like Jesus Christ dressed up as cute little soldiers," said Ortega.
Darwin Thompson of Sargent recommended celebrating the Colorado Bicentennial and Monte Vista Centennial in 2026. He also mentioned nominating the sites of the Spanish Trail, Natural Arch, and lime kilns.
The group recommended many sites for listing including the Stations of the Cross sculptures in San Luis, the remaining moradas, Rock Creek Cemetery and Schoolhouse, arborglyphs in Saguache County, La Botica, various agricultural sites, and First Baptist Church in Monte Vista.
The initiative's ambitious goal is to list 150 currently unrecognized historic resources that tell the stories of marginalized communities by the end of 2026. As part of Colorado Heritage for All and the efforts of the Monte Vista group, History Colorado eagerly seeks community suggestions for properties vital to understanding the history of the Centennial State.
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 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 11 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 sites.