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Traditions Celebrations Education Religion
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Hispanic Heritage
September 13, 2017
Most Prized Hispanic Traditions are Valley's Churches Often built by parishioners, and rebuilt when fires destroyed them, the many Catholic Churches in the Valley are some of the most prized Traditions of the Southwest.
Oldest parish and its church a Conejos jewel BY TERESA L. BENNS
CONEJOS — As legend has it, Hispanic settlers in the mid-1850s, after following the Rio Grande into Conejos County, were somehow guided from there to the Conejos River where their oxen and mules balked and would go no farther. As it would so happen, they were carrying with them a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and it had tumbled from one of the mule’s packs onto the riverbank. Taking this as a sign of where Our Lady wished them to settle, they put down their roots. The newly arrived settlers from New Mexico then set about immediately to establish the oldest parish in Colorado and to construct Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Conejos. A jacal or wattle and daub church (viga-type poles filled in with mud and gravel or a clay mixture) was built first. The parish was then established under Bishop Lamy of New Mexico of Willa Cather fame (“Death Comes for the Archbishop”), since at that time Colorado was still New Mexico territory. Father V. S. Montano was the first pastor of the church. The building of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church was the dream of pioneer priest, Fr. Joseph Machebeuf, originally a missionary priest from Santa Fe. After securing and consecrating the land, Fr. Machebeuf said his first Colorado mass at the original jacal church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Conejos. A second church was begun in 1860, building around the jacal church so services would not be interrupted. The new church was dedicated on Dec. 12, 1863, feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, under then pastor Father Jose Vigil. From 1871 to 1920, the Jesuit fathers ran over a dozen missions in the area, covering a 120-mile stretch from Saguache to Los Pinos. The Theatine fathers took over the administration of Conejos as
well as San Luis and Capulin in 1920. In 1926, a tragedy grieved the Conejos parish when a fire destroyed their 1863 church on Ash Wednesday. Only the towers and a few walls remained. To preserve their standing as Colorado’s oldest parish, the church was rebuilt in its present location. Some 460 families belong to the church today and both its interior and exterior has been marvelously preserved. The Guadalupe Virgin who promised Juan Diego to carry her children in her arms through every travail brought them through the flames and continues to watch over them today.
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Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Conejos. Altar at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Conejos.
The Penitentes of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico
SAN LUIS VALLEY— On hills, atop rocky ledges, tucked away in crevasses and stony niches in some out of the way place — all across these Southwest desert lands at one time stood crosses large and small, witnesses to the reality that was once the self-inflicted suffering of the Penitente brotherhood. One cross stood for many years on Starvation Peak west of Las Vegas, along the Santa Fe Trail. Even today some are still visible on the road from Santa Fe to Taos. They are living testimony to ceremonies some say are still being practiced today, ceremonies intended to commemorate the Crucifixion of Christ and allow the celebrant a direct share in His Passion. Very few have ever witnessed this strange re-enactment, with its chosen Cristo, crossbearers and whipping brothers, who beat their backs with cactus whips until their blood runs freely. Their most solemn ceremonies are held on Good Friday, although other rites are held at different times each year, such as All Saints Day, Nov. 1. One of the most notable locations in the San Luis Valley for Penitente ceremonies each year was the area of Penitente Canyon, named for the sect. The canyon, with its rock ledges and winding trails made a perfect Way of the Cross. The brotherhood plans their ceremonies each year by meeting in a morada, a stone or adobe meeting house without windows. Most of these moradas have long since crumbled back into the earth, taking their secrets with them. Near each morada generally is erected a small church or chapel. The brotherhood of the morada is set up along lines common to many other fraternal organizations. Ten officers are elected and are known as the Los Hermanos de Luz, or Brotherhood of Light. Some of the titles of the other officers are Warden, Helper, Nurse, Teacher of the novices, Secretary, Pricker, One Who Prays, and Piper. The leader is the Hermano Mayor, or Chief brother, who rules with an iron hand. The mayor guides the ceremonies and settles any disputes between the Penitentes of his colony and also between the members and outsiders. Each night during Lent the brothers meet at
the morada for prayer and instruction. When it is time for the ceremonies to commence, the Piper sounds his shrill flute to notify the brothers. And every night at the eerie sound of this flute, the whippers march from the morada down a path that ends at a wooden cross. First the Piper emerges with his mournful wail, followed by five brothers wearing only muslin trousers. Each of the five carry a whip embedded with Spanish bayonet steel, ending in a ball of cactus spines. Two others carry lanterns, another guides the whippers and the Hermano Mayor brings up the rear. The procession moves slowly as the painful flagellations progress, and the doleful chant of the five brothers resonates in the night air. If one of the brothers cringes or falters, the Guide of the five cuts into his flesh with a bullwhip. When the brothers reach the Cross, the flagellants prostrate themselves before it and sing a hymn. They then return to the morada. The “Christ” is selected by the brothers on Ash Wednesday, and preparations are made for the fearful rites of Good Friday. As the sun breaks over the peaks of the Sangre de Cristos to the east Friday morning, the door of the morada opens and the last ceremony begins. The Piper leads, followed by the Cristo, who stumbles under the staggering weight of the cross. If not assisted by his brothers, he would fall and suffer serious injuries. In the rear are the whippers, naked to the waist and shivering in the cold springtime air. On their way to “Calvary,” the brothers stop 14 times to commemorate the 14 Stations of the Cross. Finally the Stations conclude, and the Cristo faces his fate. When the Cristo is placed on his cross, eyewitnesses report that his arms and legs are bound so tightly to the cross’s timbers that they turn blue. Slowly the Cross is raised upright by the brothers and the Cristo begins the last hours of his passion. Agonizingly, the body turns purple with cold and lack of circulation. All is silent except, perhaps, for the sobs and groan of a mother or wife. Finally, at the sign of the Hermano Mayor, the Cristos is taken down and removed to the morada.
File photo
A stark portrayal of rigorous Penitente practices, with its morada and three empty crosses.
If he does not survive the terrible ordeal he is buried secretly next to the morada, before the dawn of another day. The only word his relatives ever receive of his death is when they find his boots or shoes on the family doorstep, a message that the Cristo has begun a long journey. The family does not learn the location of the grave until years later, when another wayside cross appears. Sometimes the whippers die from their injuries as well, and their death and burial is handled in the same way. Legend has it that the Cristos and whippers are buried upright. In the last ceremony of Good Friday, shortly before sundown, the Piper once again sounds his flute and the entire Hispanic population of the area gathers to participate. A procession is made from the morada to the chapel or church where a service called tinieblas is held in utter darkness. The translation of this word is earthquake, and symbolizes the earthquake that shook Jerusalem on the day of the Crucifixion.
Flagellants who appeared in Italy in 1210. Excommunicated by the Catholic Church, the sect continued to grow until the Spanish settlement of Mexico. It started in Europe as an outgrowth of the Third Order of St. Francis, a group dedicated, in imitation of their founder, St. Francis of Assisi, to honoring the Passion of Christ. The Conquistadors, whose descendants eventually settled in New Mexico and Southern Colorado, brought the sect to America. The Jesuit priests who came to Conejos County served the Catholics of the entire San Luis Valley on horseback. They reconciled many Penitentes with the Church and convinced them to discontinue their more gruesome practices, contenting themselves with prayer and a more moderate form of penance. But still it is said that in the secret places hidden from the eyes of the modern world, the brothers continue their rituals to this day.
This article is taken from the work of Earle History A. Forrest, Missions and Pueblos of the Old The Penitentes are descended from the first Southwest, 1929.
September 13, 2017
Hispanic Heritage
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La Capilla de San Juan Bautista BY TERESA L. BENNS
LA GARITA — Once the center of the Hispano community, La Capilla de San Juan Bautista still raises its six-armed spire against the La Garita Mountains, a poignant reminder of religious festivals and a community’s source of spiritual solace. In the early days of Spanish settlement in the Valley, communities invariably sprang up around the local Catholic Church. As a result, the Catholic Church, its ministrations to the local residents and its involvement with community contributed much to Valley history. Such is the case with the church of San Juan de Bautista in La Garita, also known as St. John the Baptist Church. The historic site is listed on both the national and state historic registers. Carnero Creek Cemetery, also on the registers, adjoins the church.
Area history La Garita originally was founded on La Garita Creek eight miles from the town’s present location. Its founders were Hispanos who came to the Valley from North Central New Mexico to engage in farming and ranching. This was reportedly the first settlement in the northern end of the Valley, along with Las Lomas and Los Valdez further west. A major gold strike on Carnero Creek moved the town from its original to its present site, although some historians believe that two towns co-existed for a time, one predominantly white the other (original) town Hispanic. For several years La Garita, or Gaytown as it became known then, was a supply source for the miners. Initially the Jesuits from Conejos County served the Hispanos in the La Garita area. The order sent priests into the community periodically to offer Mass and administer the Sacraments. This probably took place initially at a private chapel on the site of the Torrez Trading Post. According to the annals of the Jesuits, Masses also were offered at a private chapel in Carnero Canyon. The trading post operated from 1858-1870, according to La Garita historian Frank White. It also was the location of the first school in the area, White states.
A church is built San Juan Bautista was built near its present location from logs and adobe in the early 1870s. Bp. Machbeuf himself reportedly came from Denver to dedicate the church. This church served the northern end of the Valley until 1876, when its administration was transferred to Del Norte. In 1968 the administration of the church fell to the St. Francis Jerome Parish in Center. The original church burned to the ground in 1912 and it took some 12 years to rebuild it. The present church was not completed until 1923-24. A convent also was located on the
St John the Baptist Church in La Garita.
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St. Francis of Assisi Church in Del Norte.
St. Francis Church is a memorial to Hispanic settlers
Main altar inside St. John the Baptist Church, La Garita.
church site and the Sisters of St. Joseph offered religious instruction there in the springtime. The Sisters of St. Joseph came to La Garita from Del Norte, where their order ran the first Del Norte hospital. Once the church was rebuilt, the original San Juan Fiesta held on the Feast of St. John the Baptist June 24 became a much- anticipated local event, held on the church grounds. Horse races, cock pulls, baseball games, horseshoe contests and traditional Hispano meals celebrated the event. The day concluded with a dance in the evening. Fiesta confusion White reports in his booklet that St. John’s Day was celebrated in La Garita in conjunction with the summer solstice, but this is not a verified historical fact, although it may have been an occult local custom. It was never the practice of the Catholic Church to consolidate the feast days of its saints with those of pagan festivals, although many pagan festival days were replaced by Catholic feast days in the early centuries of the Church. While the fiesta may have been celebrated some weekends close to or even on June 21 for convenience sake, this is no indication that there was ever any intent to conjoin these two diverse celebrations. This would entirely contradict Catholic teaching.
File photos
Renovation, Rosary walk What started as a church and cemetery renovation in La Garita nine years ago has resulted in a major rehabilitation of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and grounds, thanks to local Catholics and other Catholics with historical and familial ties to La Garita. The most recent addition to the modest adobe church is an 860-foot Rosary Walk dedicated to St. John Paul II. Anthony Tomas Archuleta, a Monument-based artist and the son of local residents, spent three years applying Please see BAUTISTA on Page 4
RIO GRANDE COUNTY — St. Francis Assisi Church at Seven-Mile Plaza just west of Monte Vista is one of several Valley churches attended by early Hispanic immigrants to Colorado who built their lives here on the foundations of their faith. The history of a the simple little church that became the center of an entire Hispanic community can be found in the application made to the Colorado Historical Society by local historian Virginia McConnell Simmons, dated Oct. 4, 2001, (quoted below.) The application contains genealogical information supplied by Maria Martinez and oral histories from several area residents. The Valdez cemetery existed first and settlers connected to the nearby Loma de San Jose settlement built the church later, in 1881. It sits on five and a half acres; that and graves in the cemetery probably date back to sometime in the 1870s. The church is made of adobe, plastered white and topped with a belfry. Ells were added to the church in 1925 in the form of a cross, conforming to all traditional Catholic churches built in the same period. At the same time, stained glass windows also were added. St. Francis of Assisi Mission Church and its cemetery are located on what was originally part of the Juan Valdez homestead parcel. While there is no written description of the building at the time of its construction, oral tradition consistently indicates that the adobe church was built in 1881. Juan Pio Valdez who died in 1888 and Maria Nestra Salazar Valdez who died in 1886 are buried beneath the altar of the Church. The Valdez family and others established homes on the area’s public land, not as part of a land grant. Oral tradition says that they built their homes wherever they wanted. The site of Plaza de Los Valdeses, also called Seven-Mile Plaza, consisted of several adobe homes scattered in the area, notably those of the Valdez family. Nearly all, if not all, the men in the neighbor-
hood were Penitentes, belonging to the Third Order of St. Francis; a brotherhood dedicating to honoring the Passion of Jesus and performing acts of penance. It is possible that the Los Valdezes church was dedicated to St. Francis as a result of associations with the Third Order. Jesuit fathers from Conejos established the San Juan Parish, administered at El Carnero (today’s La Garita), whence priests rode out on horseback to several widespread settlements. By 1880 or earlier, the names Valdez Plaza, Plaza Valdez, Plaza de Los Valdeses (or Valdeses) and Loma de Los Valdeses were being used for the neighborhood near the property of Juan Valdez and his family. In the early 1900s, the population of the area was about 300. Farming in the area was possible following the construction of irrigation ditches (Silva, Atencio and Lucero Ditches, 1866) which diverted water from the Rio Grande east of present-day Del Norte. Many residents were trying to provide for their families on about 20 acres of land, “not trying to get rich, just trying to survive.” About half of the population had moved away by 1975. The church was heated with wood and at first had an earthen floor, later replaced by a tiled concrete floor. Each parishioner brought a piece of firewood to mass to help with heating needs. During Mass, parishioners played various musical instruments, accompanied by a pump organ. Special feast days were observed with processions and other activities, especially honoring Corpus Christi Feast Day, San Isidro (patron of farmers) in the spring, and St. Francis in the fall. From 1908 -1911, a school was conducted in a two-room schoolhouse on the Valdez property by teaching nuns from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kan. This Catholic religious order also was opening St. Joseph Hospital in Del Norte at this time. Later teachers for the school were secular. The adobe school building lay northeast of the church, a few hundred feet beyond present church property boundaries. Please see ST. FRANCIS on Page 5
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Hispanic Heritage
September 13, 2017
Hispanic leaders eye culture, community BY SYLVIA LOBATO
SAN LUIS VALLEY—Though many excellent and notable Hispanic residents were born in the San Luis Valley, a number have long moved on. Following is an inclusive list of those who have long served the people in the San Luis Valley and/or have deep roots here.
Aaron Abeyta Adams State University professor of English and mayor of Antonito Aaron Abeyta was one of three recipients of the 2017 Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards, which seek out those that are providing selfless service within the creative sector in Colorado, and inspires others by honoring their process and celebrating achievements. The award recognizes Abeyta’s “leadership and commitment to improving Antonito and the San Luis Valley through written word, public service, and community involvement.” Those efforts are one and the same for Abeyta, who said, “We make each place our own by the things we return to it.” As mayor, he’s working to upgrade Antonito’s infrastructure. As a board member of Conejos Clean Water, he opposed rail transport of nuclear waste through the San Luis Valley. Abeyta’s creative work is also award winning. Most of his stories, poetry and essays draw upon places and memories rooted in the San Luis Valley. “Each place carries a human memory with it,” he said. His family’s presence spans nine generations on his mother’s side, eight on his dad’s. “My goal is for students to be able to recognize the trials and obstacles they face. My approach is, let’s study the oppressive forces, where they come from. That way you’re aware of your enemy and might be able to overcome.” In that regard, Abeyta leads by example.
Donald Valdez Conejos County native Donald Valdez is in his first term as State Representative (D-HD 62). He has become a voice of the district and the people in the San Luis Valley for education, agriculture, our water and economic development. He sees several key areas of importance for this district including communication system updates such as fiber optics, renewable energy advancement and educational and economic development opportunities for future generations. Born and raised in La Jara, he grew up on a farm/ranch, was educated in the North Conejos
School District and graduated with a business administration degree from Adams State. He worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), as well as the Conejos County treasurer, clerk and assessor. Replacing term-limited State Rep. Ed Vigil, Valdez knows the value of preserving and protecting the Valley’s surface water, acequias and groundwater, key aspects of the water system. Striving to preserve local culture, he serves on the board of the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area.
Marguerite Salazar Conejos County native Marguerite Salazar is the new executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) moving to that position from a post as Colorado’s Insurance Commissioner. She began her role as DORA’s executive director July 24. Salazar had been insurance commissioner since Aug. 19, 2013, overseeing the regulation of the insurance industry in Colorado as head of the Division of Insurance, one of the nine divisions within DORA. Before that, she served as the Region 8 director for the Department of Health and Human Services. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to oversee the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, not only in Colorado but also in Wyoming, Montana, Utah, North Dakota and South Dakota. For more than 25 years, Salazar led one of the largest Community Health Centers in the country, Valley-Wide Health Systems in the San Luis Valley. As DORA director, Salazar provides leadership and support to nine divisions: Banking, Civil Rights, Financial Services, Insurance, Professions and Occupations, Real Estate, Securities, the Office of Consumer Counsel and the Public Utilities Commission. Functions of the office also include administrative oversight as well as the Colorado Office of Policy, Research & Regulatory Reform (COPRRR) and the Broadband Fund.
Larry “Zar” Zaragoza A resident of Conejos County for the past 40 years, Zaragoza resides in La Jara with his wife, Julie, a lifelong Conejos County resident. They have raised two sons, Geoffrey and Matthew. A graduate of Lafayette High School, he earned both a bachelors and masters degree in education and biology from Adams State. While in college, he was a member of both the Adams State cross country and track and field programs. He earned All-American
honors and was Adams State’s first National Champion in track in 1971. He began his career as an educator for North Conejos School District in 1974. In 1983, he began teaching and coaching in the Alamosa schools. He retired from teaching in 2006, but has continued coaching high school cross country and track & field, which remain his true passion, even after 42 years. From 1985 through 1997, he was the director for the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), a federally funded summer youth sports program developed to serve underprivileged and disadvantaged youth from school districts throughout the San Luis Valley. Upon retiring from teaching, Zaragoza became interested in local government and civil organizations. He has served on the La Jara Board of Trustees since August 2007 and is in his second term as mayor of the town. He currently serves on the Northerner’s Senior Citizens Board and has been a member of the La Jara Glory Days committee for 14 years.
Judge Carlos F. Lucero Born Nov. 23, 1940, in Alamosa and raised
in and near Antonito, he was the first Hispanic to be seated on the U.S. Court of appeals for the 10th Circuit. Nominated on March 23, 1995 by President William J. Clinton to a new seat created by statute, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 30, 1995 and received his commission the same day. He received his BA in 1961 from Adams State College and his Juris Doctorate in 1964 from George Washington University School of Law. He served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge William E. Doyle from 1964-1965 and had a private practice in Alamosa from 19661995. He was an adjunct professor at Adams State from 1968-1995. While practicing law in the San Luis Valley, he was the first Hispanic president of the Colorado Bar Association. Lucero made news as the deciding vote when the same sex marriage ban in Utah was declared unconstitutional.
Dr. Joe I. Vigil Born in Antonito and raised by his mother, Please see LEADERS on Page 5
September 13, 2017
Hispanic Heritage
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LEADERS
Continued from Page 4 he was raised in a community and a family zales was born in Alamosa in 1952 and is a fourth that honored and demanded hard work, rose to generation resident of the San Luis Valley. He the challenge onward from his teenage years attended the University of Colorado, graduating and used those lessons make a positive differ- with a BA in 1975 and a Juris Doctorate in 1978. ence. Vigil holds three master’s degrees and a He then engaged in a general practice in doctorate and has written books espousing his Alamosa, also serving as attorney for Conejos philosophy, not only in exercise physiology, and Costilla counties. He served as juvenile but running techniques. He is an international magistrate for the12th Judicial District from 1997 authority on altitude training. until his appointment as Alamosa County Judge After graduating from Alamosa High School at the beginning of 2001. He was appointed to and serving two years in the Navy, Vigil en- the district court bench in August of 2007 and rolled at Adams State and played football. He currently handles civil cases. coached and taught at Alamosa High School Gonzales has always extensively involved for 12 years before Adams State needed a new himself in a variety of community activities, espetrack coach and he landed the job. His high cially those involving mental health and children. school team had already beaten the college He championed the formation of a soccer team team in an exhibition dual meet. and served as a coach for a number of years after That was in 1965. Soon, he served on a com- his drive was successful. mittee working to attract the marathon trials for He also serves as a member of many nonprofit the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, which made boards, including the board of directors for the sense because Alamosa’s altitude (7,500 feet) San Luis Valley Community Corrections Board, is the same as Mexico City’s. The bid was member of the San Luis Valley Health medical successful. ethics committee, member of the board of direcHis Adams State teams went on to win 87 tors of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, individual titles in cross country and track. At member of the board of directors of the San Luis the 1992 NCAA cross country championships Valley Comprehensive Mental Health Center, they posted a perfect score (15), sweeping the member of the Board of Managers of Sycare first five places. The following year, his last as LLC, a member of the 12th Judicial Juvenile coach there, they won with another ridiculously services School of Law and works with the Equal low score (25). Access to Justice Project for persons involved in civil litigation who can’t afford attorneys.
Martin A. Gonzales Twelfth Judicial District Judge Martin A. Gon-
BAUTISTA
John Salazar John Tony Salazar is the former U.S. Rep-
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his unique talents to what is called “buon frescoes” at San Juan, a method used by Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Archuleta has completed 20 depictions of the four sets of mysteries, events from the life of Jesus. The Joyful Mysteries represent the early events in Jesus’ life, the Luminous Mysteries focus on the principal events of His public ministry, the Sorrowful Mysteries focus on the Passion of Christ, and the Glorious Mysteries celebrate the events beginning with His resurrection on Easter morning. The Rosary is one of the most revered traditions among Hispanic Catholics and Catholics worldwide. Historical background for this article was taken from Frank A. White’s booklet, La Garita and the 1995 study completed by historical archaeologist Richard F. Carrillo and his assistant Bonnie J. Clark, with funds provided by the Colorado State Historical File photo Society. References also were quoted from Anthony Archuleta's beautiful Vatican-style the diaries kept by the Jesuit fathers in frescoes grace the Rosary Walk at St. John the Baptist Church. Conejos.
ST. FRANCIS The main altar of the church was replaced in the 1940s and alterations were made to the church to accommodate the new altar. Also at this time electricity was brought in for the church by German prisoners of war. Later changes to the church’s altar also were made according to the changes mandated by the Vatican II council. Cohesiveness remains strong because of intermarriage among local families, devotion to the Roman Catholic faith which permeated daily life, Penitente affiliation in earlier years, cultural tradi-
Continued from Page 3 tions, language, and proprietary feelings about St. Francis of Assisi Mission Church. Roy and Mary Manzanares maintained the church in the past, with linens being changed on a regular basis. Today, owing to a shortage of priests, services at the Church are held only on St. Francis’ feast day, Oct. 4. Like San Juan Bautista in La Garita, St. Francis Assisi Church stands as a living memorial to Hispanics who settled the Valley and their descendants today.
resentative for Colorado’s 3rd congressional district, serving from 2005 until 2011. In 2001, following his service in congress, he was appointed as Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture in the cabinet of Gov. John Hickenlooper. He has since returned to the family ranching and farming operation near Manassa. Salazar was born July 21, 1953 in the hospital at Alamosa and was raised and educated in Conejos County. He served in the U.S. Army from 1973 to 1976, returning home to work as a farmer and rancher. He received a BS in business administration from Adams State College in 1981. He has succeeded in raising seed potatoes, organic beef cattle and hogs. He has been a director of Monte Vista Production Credit Union and Agro Engineering, Inc., as well as serving on a number of public boards and commissions.
He attended St. Francis Seminary and Centauri High School, graduating in 1973, and went on to attend Colorado College, where he earned a BA in political science. His Juris Doctorate came from the University of Michigan School of Law, and he went into private law practice after graduation. In 1986, Salazar became chief legal counsel to then-Gov. Roy Romer, who subsequently appointed him to his cabinet as director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. In this position, he authored the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) amendment, which created a massive land conservation program of which he became chairman. He also created the Youth in Natural Resources program to provide for environmental education in public schools. In his cabinet role, he established reforms that forced mining and petroleum operations to better protect the surrounding environment. He was elected state attorney general in 1998 and again in 2002. Police operations were streamlined under Salazar, and several new branches of law enforcement were created: the gang prosecution unit, the environmental crimes unit, and the general fugitive prosecution unit, which targeted murderers. He also worked to strengthen consumer protection and anti-fraud laws, as well as to protect children through new policy targeting sex offenders. In 2004, Salazar declared his candidacy for — and won — the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. On Jan. 20, 2009, he resigned his senate seat upon his confi rmation by the Senate to become Secretary of the Interior under Ken Salazar President Barack Obama. Kenneth Lee “Ken” Salazar was born He is now with WilmerHale, a fi rm he March 2, 1955 in the hospital at Alamosa was attracted to because of the quality of its and grew up near Manassa in a settlement attorneys and its participation in advocating called Los Rincones. for social justice.
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Hispanic Heritage
September 13, 2017
Adams State celebrates HSI Week
ALAMOSA— Adams State University has been a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) since 2000. In honor of Hispanic Serving Institution Week and National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Adams State Office of Title V will host workshops for campus and community members, on Sept. 14 and 15. The workshop presenters include Dr. Melissa Salazar and Dr. Catherine Martinez Berryhill, who, in 2013, founded ESCALA, after realizing a need for programs designed specifically for the growing number of HSI college instructors. (Escala is the Spanish derivative for ladder, or the analogy of an upswing trajectory). Salazar will present “Fostering Faculty Leadership on Teaching in Hispanic Serving Institutions: Lessons Learned from Work with 30 Hispanic Serving Institutions,” at noon Thursday, Sept. 14, in Porter Hall room 130. That same afternoon, Berryhill will present “Communicating in Hispanic Serving Institutions: Bridging Cultural Context Divides,” at 3 p.m. in McDaniel Hall room 101. The first workshop offered, “What it Means to be an HSI, Nationally, Regionally, Locally,” by Darsella Vigil, doctoral candidate, begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in the Student Union Building room 127. In this keynote address, Vigil will review the impact of Hispanic Serving Institutions on the national regional and local landscape of education. Following the presentation, Vigil will facilitate a breakout sessions, “HSI High Impact Practices are Learner High Impact Practices,” which will review high impact practices innovating Hispanic Serving institutions across the nation.
About the workshops Fostering Faculty Leadership on Teaching in Hispanic Serving Institutions: Lessons Learned from Work with 30 Hispanic Serving Institutions More institutions of higher education are recognizing that faculty who work collectively to study and improve student learning can have a positive influence on their colleagues and on the students they teach. Salazar began ESCALA Educational Services LLC in 2013 with the aim of increasing Hispanic student success in higher education using a long-term, cohortbased model, rather than one-shot professional development. Since then ESCALA has worked with over 200 faculty in 30 HSIs across the US, including a cohort of STEM faculty at ASU in 2015. In this lunchtime talk, ESCALA will share
Catherine Martinez Berryhill
Darsella Vigil
Melissa Salazar
some key findings from their work with faculty, including why cohorts incentivize faculty’s work on their teaching, how peer coaching can foster faculty leadership on teaching, and ways that Hispanic Serving Institutions are counteracting stereotypes about underrepresented minority students in STEM.
in the East Campus Building, north end. The GSSC welcomes you to join us as we present who we are, the services we offer as well as the staff that is here to help you attain success in your graduate endeavors. This is brought to you by the PPOHA Grant, Title V Initiative.
teachers. A native of northern New Mexico, Berryhill specializes in cultural disconnects in Hispanic Serving Institutions. Vigil, a doctoral student in the Higher Education program at the University of Denver, works as a part-time advisor for the Community College of Aurora. She earned her master’s degree in educational leadership, policy, and advocacy at New York University, where she worked for the Higher Education Opportunity Programs, providing academic support to historically underrepresented students. As a first-generation college student herself, Vigil’s research interests include examining post-secondary access and attainment for various underrepresented populations, such as Black, Latino, first-generation, immigrant, and undocumented students. She continues to mentor and support Latino and Black young adults, of all statuses, in both Denver and New York public schools. Since 2000, Adams State University has been designated an Hispanic Serving Institution. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) encourages all Hispanic Serving Institutions to observe National Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) week. Each year, HACU Government Relations office works with several members of Congress to recognize the contributions of HSIs in their communities and submits a proclamation request to the White House. For more information call 719-587-7591 or 719-587-8833.
Communicating in Hispanic Serving Institutions: Bridging Cultural Context Divides This interactive talk will use Chavez and Longerbeam’s continuum of integrated vs. individuated cultures (2016) to explain common cultural context differences between students, staff and faculty working in HSIs. The audience members will take a short online quiz to determine their preferred cultural context, and then analyze how similar or different their original cultural context is from the context of US educational institutions. Martinez will guide the audience through “low” and “high” bridging strategies that can be implemented in institutions to engage more students with their instructors and peers. Everyone is welcome at this fascinating and interactive session that will give the audience insight into common communication issues that occur not only on college campuses, but in everyday life. The Graduate Student Success Center (GSSC) will host an open house at 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 15. All are welcome to attend and learn about the opportunities and services available at Graduate Student Success Center, located
About the presenters After earning several degrees in the science fields including a Ph.D. from UC Davis, Salazar realized her true calling was working with teachers of science and math who work with underrepresented minorities. She now has over 20 years of experience in teaching and coaching STEM educators in both K-12 and higher education. At the same time she has instructed science, math and education courses at a wide variety of two and four year institutions including Northern New Mexico College, University of California-Davis, California State UniversityEast Bay, New Mexico Highlands University, and University of New Mexico-Taos. Berryhill received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State University and has over 40 years of experience in teaching and learning from pre-school to the college level. She is the former Dean of College of Education at Northern New Mexico College. Prior to that, Berryhill was a Master Teacher with the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Math & Science Academy where she was an instructional coach and created professional development programs for math and science
Tracing the Old Spanish Trail through the Valley
SAN LUIS VALLEY—The history of this historic trade route began in Santa Fe, N.M in 1829, when merchant Antonio Armijo forged a trail between two remote Mexican provinces, using old tribal and trapping routes. He then proceeded to transport men and horses from Santa Fe to sunny California. Using trails pioneered by Jedediah Smith and the Franciscan padres Escalante and Dominguez, also Rafael Rivera, Armijo and his group skirted the Mojave Desert and Death Valley, following springs and streams to replenish their water supplies. On arrival at San Gabriel mission in California, they traded goods transported by mules and packhorses for more mules and packhorses, hard to come by in New Mexico. Thus began the lucrative trade route known as the Old Spanish Trail, later used for the export of furs by the French and the Colorado mountain men. Today markers for the northern (Valley) branch of the old trail, which extended from New Mexico into southern Colorado, crossing the Continental Divide into Arizona, appear throughout the Valley. Alamosa, Monte Vista, Del Norte, Saguache, La Garita, the Crestone area — these and many other towns sit along the Old Spanish Trail. This year the Old Spanish Trail Association (OSTA) in Del Norte is planning to conduct tours of what is thought to be the Del Norte and La Garita branches of the the Valley. Frye at or visit http://www.museumtrail.org/oldtrail. Some of these trails feature Native Visitors can enquire about the dates for 719-657-3161 spanish-trail---la-vereda-de-norte-chapter. American petroglyphs found throughout the tours by calling OSTA president Ken Info: http://www.oldspanishtrail.org/ html
September 13, 2017
Hispanic Heritage
Page 7
Center ‘dreamer’ sworn in as American citizen BY T ERESA L. BENNS
KANSAS CITY, Mo — Last month a 2010 Center honors graduate came full circle in his long journey to overcome many of the same disadvantages faced by some 800,000 “dreamers” in this country, children who came to America with their parents but who never became citizens. Martin Ramos, now a student at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Mo. won’t have to worry about his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status anymore, now that he has become a U.S. citizen. But he has turned his attention to others who he knows need his help in completing their own personal journey as dreamers. Martin’s earliest memories of immigrating to the U.S. are not pleasant ones. He and his mother were brought by a coyote from Mexico to join his father, then working in California. “I was really, really young,” he remembered. “It was hard to go through. I wore rugged boots and it was hard to run fast. We got caught and when I remember, all I think about is the flashing lights.” Martin and his mother were taken by immigration authorities to a holding cell and were later returned to Mexico. The second time he made the trip, it was successful, and he and his mother made their way to Center where his father felt it would be safer. There they lived in a trailer with 12 other relatives, and Martin remembers sleeping in a dresser drawer “for a lot of years.” His father eventually obtained residency for himself and then the rest of the family. The residency interview was uncomfortable, with authorities asking Martin questions about how his parents treated him, he said. But the family’s residency status was granted and they then were able to rent their own home in Center on Hurt Street. Later they rented a yellow house “and that landlord was the greatest guy,” Martin recalled. He attended Center Schools where he met Center teacher Susan Banning, who encouraged him and paid him to do odd jobs out of her own pocket. Later school counselor Katrina Ruggles also helped him find jobs in his middle school and high school years. He says he aws very grateful to Center teachers and also found comfort and support in attending his church, Valley Fellowship.
George and Betty Welsh
When Martin was a junior, his father decided to move the family to California. “I was broken-hearted,” he said. “It was very hard in California. It was a big school and I hated it.” So Martin decided to run away. For an entire week, no one knew where he was. He lived on the streets until a Good Samaritan took him in. He helped Martin find a place to stay — a rehabilitation center populated by ex-drug lords, convicts, etc. “I had to get out of there so I went to see my uncle,” he continued. The uncle reunited him with his mother who didn’t know if he was alive or dead, and “I held her for a long time, crying,” he remembered. He later purchased a phone and told her he was moving back to Colorado. Martin credits great friends like Tim Chacon, now owner/operator of High Velocity Graphics in Center, for helping him make the return trip. Chacon’s parents paid for his bus trip back to the town he loves. “They really helped me — I owe them a lot,” he commented. Also among the people he owes a debt of gratitude is former Center Schools superintendent George Welsh and his wife, Becky Reed, as well as “the whole library staff at Center Schools. They were basically my family,” Martin explained. Welsh and Reed let him stay in a house behind their residence and helped him get caught up in school, since many of his credits did not transfer to Center from California. And Banning was once again there for Martin when he returned. At 17 Martin was eligible for benefits and his friends in Center helped him access those, he said. He graduated with honors and went to Trinidad State Junior College where he met his wife Becca, also a Center graduate, “who really encouraged and helped me.” Today he plans to use all the “blood, sweat and tears” of his childhood and teen years to help other DACA dreamers who might not have the good friends and support he had. “Lots of kids used to be in my shoes, and I want to show them the path to stay in this country,” he said. “I learned a lot from the great staff at Center — they held my hand and pushed me to the limits.” After finishing at Maple Woods, he plans to earn a degree in public administration
File photo
Courtesy photo
Center High School graduate Martin Ramos and wife Becca proudly display his U.S. citizenship certificate.
at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kan. From there he plans to become involved in politics, establishing 501(c)(3)nonprofits and assisting local school districts in streamlining the citizenship process to help students like himself. His brother and sister were born in this country and are doing well for themselves, he said. And his parents are now studying to become citizens as well. But his mission is to reach out to those who were not as fortunate and build a platform for them once he has completed his education. “It’s not easy, but it can be done.” Seeing all he has accomplished already, all the hurdles he has cleared, fellow dreamers like Martin can rest assured their future is in good hands. Susan Banning
File photo
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Hispanic Heritage
September 13, 2017
President of AAC&U addressed ASU faculty and staff
ALAMOSA— Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), conducted two days of workshops for Adams State University faculty and staff, Aug. 17-18. Her presentations focused on Adams State’s role as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), as well as on its development of the Adams Pathways. The Adams Pathways Project is a campus-wide endeavor that outlines and implements an undergraduate curriculum and assessment plan based on the framework of inclusive excellence. The reformed curriculum will emphasize place-based education, which draws upon the resources of and contributes to the health and strength of the community – economically, socially, environmentally, educationally, and politically. The goals of Pathways are to improve student learning and increase student engagement, retention, and graduation rates. Pasquerella has been president of the AAC&U since July 2016. With 1,400 member institutions, AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Pasquerella is a philosopher whose career has combined teaching and scholarship with local and global engagement. She has continuously demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to ensuring that all students have access to excellence in liberal education, regardless of their socioeconomic background. She has served as provost of the University of Hartford and as president of Mount Holyoke College. Pasquerella conducted workshops for Adams State’s Executive Team, Cabinet, Academic Council, Essential Learning Task Force, Curriculum Innovation Team, and Title V office. Her visit concluded with a presentation at the university’s all-campus meeting, held at the start of each academic year. She told that gathering, “At Adams State, you are doing an exemplary job of making liberal education and inclusive excellence the foundation of educational practice.” She said three fundamental skills that will prepare students for success in the changing world are analysis, oral communication, and writing. “An unheralded and important aptitude is creative thinking, the ability to see or do what hasn’t yet been done. Higher education must prepare students for long-haul learning over their lifetime. It is not enough to impart skills for a given profession. They may have dozens of jobs. We need to instill such habits of mind as curiosity, problem solving, and above all, reading, in order to develop a stronger sense of self.” She said internships, co-curricular activities, mentoring, and longterm projects have lasting impacts on lives. “In our globally interdependent world, these high-impact practices (HIP) will help students address complex, unscripted questions to which we have no answers. These HIP’s have a more profound, positive effect on underserved
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students.” In her comments at the all-campus meeting, Adams State President Beverlee J. McClure said, “The Pathways Project will align with the Adams Outcomes, which will improve the quality and clarity of the educational experience. This is in sync with higher education changes underway across the nation. The focus is to make our students successful. That is the reason we are here.” The Adams Outcomes were based on recommendations from AAC&U and the Colorado Department of Education for realigning educational outcomes for the Twenty-First Century. They were developed through a shared gov-
ernance process that had campuswide participation. The outcomes specify the knowledge, skills, and abilities that Adams State students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experience with curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular opportunities. The four overarching Adams Outcomes include Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World; Intellectual and Practical Skills; Personal and Social Responsibility; and Integrative and Applied Learning.
Lynn Pasquerella Courtesy photo
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