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8FEOFTEBZ 4FQUFNCFS t 'JSTU "WF t .POUF 7JTUB Catholic traditions among Hispanics BY TERESA L. BENNS
SAN LUIS VALLEY — When explorers from Mexico first came to the Valley it was always with their priests; the Valley was dedicated to God and claimed for the King of Spain by the explorer Vargas in 1706. Vargas also gave the Valley the name of a Catholic saint — St. Louis or San Luis. Plazas in the Valley revolved around the local Catholic churches and were the center of community events for over a century. But slowly the Catholic population and fervor dwindled over the years, following the general decline in religious practice in the U.S. Recent polls reveal the younger generation of Catholic Hispanics has drifted away from the traditional teachings of their ancestors with as many as 24 percent identified as unaffiliated with any church. While statistics show most Hispanics today remain primarily Catholic and continue the Catholic traditions privately, there has been a slow leakage of youth from traditional ways beginning in the 1960s and the ushering in of the changes in the Catholic Church as a result of Vatican II. At that time it is estimated that as many as one-third to one-half of Catholics stopped actively practicing their faith. According to NBCLatino, (http://nbclatino. com/2012/08/23/growing-number-of-latinoshave-no-religious-affiliation/), “the Pew Hispanic Center reports one-in-five (19 percent) of Latino adults say they are Protestant, and 14 percent say they are unaffiliated with any religion. “’The increase has been in the numbers of
those who have withdrawn from identifying with clergy-led parishes, but who remain Catholic at home,’ says Orlando O. Espin, Professor for the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego.� A new phenomenon called house churches, mentioned in the New Testament, became popular about the same time that the changes in the Church appeared. “The small Christian community movement, which began in the 1960s in Latin America, updates the idea of the early house churches. Now small communities of Catholics in the United States and around the world are often led by women. These small groups are trying to connect faith and daily life in ways that can have a profound ripple effect that nurtures Christ’s Church in a powerful way for generations,� (Theresa Doyle-Nelson, http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jul2008/Feature2. asp#F2). This is not unfamiliar to Hispanics and other Catholics living on the American frontier, many of whom were forced to keep their faith for decades without the regular assistance of Catholic priests until missions could be established. So although some Catholics may have left the Church, at home others still honor their religious traditions. What are these traditions, and what is their history?
Our Lady of Guadalupe If it weren’t for Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hispanics would never have been converted to Catholicism in the first place. The Catholic Church Photo by Teresa Benns Please see TRADITION on Page 4 Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Conejos County is the oldest diocese in Colorado.
Hispanic leaders remain true to the Valley
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 was recently in the news as the deciding Carlos F. Lucero Born Nov. 23, 1940, in Alamosa and raised vote when the same sex marriage ban in Utah in and near Antonito, Carlos F. Lucero was the was declared unconstitutional. first Hispanic to be seated on the U.S. Court of Salazars Appeals for the 10th Circuit. The story of the two Salazar brothers is a Nominated on March 23, 1995 by President William J. Clinton to a new seat created by rise from humble beginnings in a rural Conejos statute, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate County home with no lights or running water, on June 30, 1995 and received his commission but with loving parents who emphasized the need for education and sacrificed so all of their the same day. He received his BA in 1961 from children could attend college. John Tony Salazar is the former congressAdams State College and his Juris Doctorate
BY SYLVIA LOBATO
SAN LUIS VALLEY — Though many excellent and notable Hispanic residents have emerged from the San Luis Valley, a number have long moved on. Following is an inclusive list of those who, in the words of the Hon. Carlos Lucero, “dance with the ones who brought you,� meaning their service has been at home.
man for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, serving from 2005 until 2011. Following his service in congress, he was appointed as commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture in the cabinet of Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2011. 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 and owned Spudseed.com, which marketed potatoes, as well as serving as a director of Monte Vista Production Credit Union and Agro Engineering, Inc. He served on several Colorado public bodies including the Governor’s Economic Development Advisory Board, the Rio Grande Water Conservation District and the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Forum. He also served
on the Colorado Agricultural Commission from 1999 to 2002 before being elected to the Colorado House of Representatives from 2003 until 2004. Salazar was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2004, the same year his younger brother became a U.S. Senator. In a year when Republicans made gains, he was one of only three Democratic pick-up seats in the U.S. House. Kenneth Lee “Ken� Salazar was born March 2, 1955 in the hospital at Alamosa and grew up near Manassa in a settlement called Los Rincones. 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 started a private law Please see LEADERS on Page 2
Page 2
Hispanic Heritage
September 21, 2016
Adams State welcomes SLV Migrant Education Program ALAMOSA— The San Luis Valley Migrant Education Program recently made a move of its own – to Adams State University. Previously housed within the San Luis Valley BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services), the Migrant Education Program is now located on ASU’s campus at the southeast corner of Second St. and Richardson Ave. (1424 Second St.) According to Program Director Esmeralda Martinez, the move stemmed from changes at the federal and state levels. With federal funding through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind, the Colorado Department of Education oversees the state’s five regional Migrant Education programs. The Southwest Migrant Education program serves 23 school districts in the SLV and San Juan BOCES. “By moving to Adams, we can take on more state-wide initiatives and create a better pathway to post-secondary education.” Martinez said. “It will also allow more high school students to see the potential of higher education, and we can offer more opportunities for them to come on campus.” For example, 30 students from across Colorado participated this summer in the new Migrant STEM Academy. Developed in partnership with Adams State’s Title V STEM program (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the week-long academy introduced students to opportunities for STEM education and careers. Martinez also looks forward to hosting the Summer Migrant Youth Leadership Institute (SMYLI) on campus. Serving a yearly average of up to 640 students aged 3-22, the SLV Migrant Education program has a staff of nine education staff members who work with families of seasonal agricultural workers. The program connects families with community resources, monitors children’s achievements, and provides continuity as they change school districts. “Children may attend four or more schools in
a given year,” Martinez said. “Our focus is shifting from providing supplemental education during the school year to keeping students engaged over the summer. For families who come in the summer, we help them get ready for the school year and assess and address educational gaps.” Migrant families may also have needs that must be addressed in conjunction with education. “We help them find resources that help with utilities and home weatherization or provide coats and blankets, food and shelter.” Historically, she said, most migrant families were of Mexican background, but the demographics are changing to include more from Central America. “We used to primarily serve Spanish speakers, but now we also have students who speak Quanjobal, Cora, Navajo, English, and other languages.” In addition to area non-profit agencies and the Migrant Seasonal Head Start program, the Migrant Education Program also partners with Adams State’s CAMP (College Assistance Migrant Program). “CAMP is doing such a great a job of making sure students are successful in Courtesy Photo their first year at the university. Our new location Diego Martinez (left) stands with students in the SLV Migrant Education program at a STEM on campus will help us introduce CAMP earlier seminar held last spring. in a student’s high school career. It will also help us see what our students’ post-secondary needs are and address them.” In addition to the pre-K-12 population, the program also works with youth who have left school, helping them earn a GED or enroll in college. “Our work is very rewarding, especially when we have a student who leaves and comes back and says he or she has graduated ALAMOSA—Hilos Culturales has re- troduces feature articles on traditional folk and wants to find out about workstudy employleased a new quarterly eMagazine, for read- artists, and highlights interactive musical ment and other support for a college education,” ing audiences in communities throughout recordings and interviews. Additional Martinez said. the Rocky Mountain Region and beyond. magazine topics include the fiber arts, reTo learn more about the SLV Migrant EduIn partnership with Río Grande Tradi- gional literature, local recipes, upcoming tions, Hilos Culturales designed El Alba cultural events and much more. Subscripcation program, or to refer a family who may Magazine (first light) which offers an tion prices are $24.99 for four quarterly benefit from services, contact: Christina Vargas innovative format with articles on folk issues through 2016–2017. Click on the at 719-589-3455 or email: cvargas@adams. traditions unique to northern New Mexico link to subscribe, http://joom.ag/WfNQ or edu; or Esmeralda Martinez at 719-480-1015 and southern Colorado. The magazine in- call 719-589-6156. or email: emartinez@adams.edu.
Hilos Culturales launches El Alba eMagazine
LEADERS
Continued from Page 1 practice after graduation. until his appointment as Alamosa County Judge In 1986, Salazar became chief legal counsel at the beginning of 2001. He was appointed to to then-Gov. Roy Romer, who subsequently the district court bench in August of 2007 and appointed him to his cabinet as director of the currently handles civil cases. Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Gonzales has always extensively involved In this position, he authored the Great Out- himself in a variety of community activities, doors Colorado Amendment, which created a especially those involving mental health and massive land conservation program of which children. He championed formation of a soche became chairman. Salazar also created the cer team and served as a coach for a number of Youth in Natural Resources program to provide years after his drive was successful. for environmental education in public schools. He also serves as a member of many nonIn his cabinet role, he established reforms that profit boards, including the board of directors forced mining and petroleum operations to for the San Luis Valley Community Correcbetter protect the surrounding environment. tions Board, member of the San Luis Valley He was elected state attorney general in Regional Medical Center medical ethics com1998 and again in 2002. Police operations were mittee, member of the board of directors of the streamlined under Salazar, and several new Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, member branches of law enforcement were created: of the board of directors of the San Luis Valley the gang prosecution unit, the environmental Comprehensive Mental Health Center, memcrimes unit, and the general fugitive prosecu- ber of the Board of Managers of Sycare LLC tive unit, which targeted murderers. He also [mental health MAHAS] and a member of the worked to strengthen consumer protection and 12th Judicial Juvenile services. anti-fraud laws, as well as to protect children through new policy targeting sex offenders. Michael Gonzales In 2004, Salazar declared his candidacy Michael Anthony Gonzales was born in for — and won — the U.S. Senate seat be- Cortez, but has spent most of his working life ing vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Ben in the San Luis Valley. Nighthorse Campbell. He earned his earned his undergraduate He resigned his Senate seat on Jan. 20, 2009, degree in both science and history from Neupon his confirmation by the Senate to become braska’s Creighton University and his Juris Secretary of the Interior under President Barack Doctorate from the University of Colorado Obama. School of Law. He is now with WilmerHale, a firm he was Gonzales began working as Alamosa County attracted to because of the quality of its at- Judge in 2007. Before that, he had his own law torneys and its participation in advocating for practice and worked for the legal aid defender social justice. Its clients have included South program. He also worked as a prosecutor in the African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela. 12th Judicial District Attorney’s office and as an adjunct professor at Trinidad State College, Martin A. Gonzales providing law enforcement training. Twelfth Judicial District Judge Martin A. He was appointed by Gov. John HickenGonzales was born in Alamosa in 1952 and looper to replace retiring District Judge O. John is a fourth generation resident of the San Luis Kuenhold on the 12th Judicial District bench, Valley. He attended the University of Colorado, serving six counties in the San Luis Valley. graduating with a BA in 1975 and a Juris DocHis community work includes volunteer torate in 1978. activities for youth and in the legal profession. He then engaged in a general practice in Gonzales has served on the Board of the San Alamosa, also serving as Conejos and Costilla Luis Valley Bar Association Pro Bono Project county attorney. He served as juvenile magis- and on the San Luis Valley Anti-Violence Task trate for the 12th Judicial District from 1997 Force.
Edward Vigil State Rep. Edward Vigil is a sixth-generation Coloradan, born and raised in San Pablo, near San Luis. He has bachelors and masters degrees from Adams State, where he studied sociology and business administration. He lives in the Fort Garland area. Prior to being elected to the State House, he was a Costilla County commissioner from 2000 to 2008, and served as chairman most of that time. He was elected in 2012 to his third term representing House District 62, which stretches from East Pueblo to the San Luis Valley. He is vice chairman of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee and chairman of the Capitol Development Committee. He also sits on the Local Government Committee and the Water Review Committee. During his time in the legislature, Vigil has been a voice for rural and Southern Colorado. In the 2014 legislative session. Rep. Vigil sponsored legislation creating a grant program
for damaged rural courthouses. The grants may be used to renovate aging buildings or expand facilities that are not able to conduct court business effectively. During the 2013 session, he sponsored legislation that clarifies the use of acequia ditches, allowing their water to be used on a wide variety of properties. He was also co-prime sponsor of a bill that helps recruit doctors to rural areas through rural residency programs. In prior sessions he also sponsored the Green Jobs Colorado Training Program, which offers grants for job training in the wind, solar, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, and a bill that helps provide tailored solutions to address substance abuse problems in rural Colorado. He owns Sangre de Cristo Laboratory in Alamosa with his wife, Evelyn, and has worked in various service roles including factory worker, social worker, substance abuse counselor, peace officer and special investigator for the district attorney.
September 21, 2016
Hispanic Heritage
Page 3
Old Spanish Trail, lifeline to San Luis Valley BY LYNDSIE FERRELL
SAN LUIS VALLEY—According to old newspaper clippings from 1993, there is a system of roads that led generation after generation of explorers and Spanish settlers into the Valley by two separate routes. In the history of the Valley, it has been reported that Don Juan de Onate was the first to bring a colony north from Mexico in 1598. The colony settled in San Juan and from there moved out across the wide valley, making a home and roads for future explorers to take. Imagine the Valley nestled between high rugged peaks reaching into a crisp blue sky, the sand dunes, a small hill barely begun, gathering the dust drifting through the air as a high wind rolls across tall grass plains. Silence pierces the air, only broken by the grunt of an elk as it follows a trail leading from the mountains into the valley below, a place where time has been a friend and impacts from the human race are few and far between. History also shows that much of the information recorded by earlier settlers was lost in between the new colonies and Spain, leaving future explorers with nothing but the evidence of roads where nothing more than ruts from cart wheels cut into the land, some of which can still be seen today. The history of Spanish influence in the Valley can be dated back as far as 1540, according to some historical documents kept in the Rio Grande County Museum in Del Norte, as well as the Del Norte Public Library. Many saw Colorado and the further western territories as a challenge that must be defeated. Some braved the harsh weather and dangerous wildlife venturing into the void of Rocky Mountain wilderness to make a trading route from small villages in New Mexico to Los Angeles. Traders came from New Mexico traveling laden with goods and animals for trade across six western states and over 1,000 miles on foot—a feat dif icult to imagine in this day and age of technology and advanced travel. According to recorded history of the Old Spanish Trail, it originated as a migration trail for big game animals such as deer and elk, weaving through the mountains from New Mexico. The irst to make a round trip along the trail was a group comprised of 60 men and 100 mules. The team was led by Antonio Armijo, who paved the way for future expeditions along the trail in 1829. There are markers located on the eastern and western ends of the Valley that serve as
a reminder of those who were strong enough to brave new territory and make way for what the future had in store. The Old Spanish Trail that has served many purposes during its existence and is now a popular attraction for outdoor activities and history buffs. It is believed the trail may have originated as a migration route for large game animals. Naturally, nomadic hunters would have followed the same trails in search of food. From around 1830 until 1848, the trail is believed to have been used as a trade route between, what is now, New Mexico and California. At the time, traders would traverse the dangerous and dif icult trail, often with very little water. As a trade route, the trail was used to move blankets, furs and livestock west. The trail portion, familiar to those in the San Luis Valley, is actually only one part of a complex trade network used at the time. It is the northern branch of that network. According to the Old Spanish Trail Association website, the trail was also used as a route for emigrants relocating from the south to California. The Spanish Trail’s use lapsed after the War with Mexico ended in 1848. There was no longer any need to link Santa Fe with Los Angeles by this dif icult mule trail, so other wagon-friendly routes were opened. The Spanish Trail was not a route of major emigration to the West; trails to the north and south of it were preferred for this wagon traf ic. Spanish Trail caravans continued to trade with the Mormons in Utah, but by 1853 they were no longer welcome there, and the New Mexican caravans were out of business. In the San Luis Valley, the trail may be most familiar by the monument and interpretive marker along U.S. Highway 160 about six miles west of Monte Vista. There are other, less popular, markers along the trail. Evidence of the trail and its uses still exist around the Valley and more information on the history of the trail is available through the Old Spanish Trail Association. The Old Spanish Trail was designated by Congress as a National Historic Trail in December 2002. By memorandum from the Secretary of the Interior, the Old Spanish National Historic Trail is jointly administered by the BLM and the National Park Service, working in partnership with other federal, state and local government agencies, as well as private landowners who manage or own
Alamosa School District joins Latino leaders in nation’s capital
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Alamosa School Board President Erica Romero, Superintendent Rob Alejo and nearly 65 other Latino policymakers attended a two-day convening focused on improving student outcomes through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) hosted by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund. The organization is the nation’s preeminent nonprofit that facilitates full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. Discussions focused on the state of Latino education and how the ESSA can be used to support the growing Latino and English Language Learner (ELL) student population. The event took place Sept. 9-10, as part of the organization’s 12th Annual National Summit on the State of Latino Education in Washington, D.C. A major focus of this year’s convening was ESSA (signed into law on Dec. 10, 2015) that shifts the educational oversight of student services and accountability systems from the federal level to the state and local levels. To ensure the Alamosa School District and the other Latino leaders from 15 states across the nation are able to successfully navigate the changes in these policies going forward, the two-day convening included a series of informational panels, workshops and strategy sessions focused on furthering policymakers’ understanding of key changes under ESSA and the various components within the legislation that will set the goals and outcomes for English Language Learners and all students. “I am fortunate to be a member of such a great organization that offers opportunities to become informed and educated on matters such as ESSA. This summit allowed us to meet with
Courtesy Photo
Alamosa School District leaders Erica Romero, BOE president and Rob Alejo, superintendent, recently attended a conference in Washington, D.C. focused on improving student outcomes through the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
other districts from all over the nation to hear their concerns and strategies when implementing the updated law,” stated Romero. “Being a Hispanic-serving population it’s a great opportunity to belong to an organization such as NALEO. It was a great opportunity to attend this summit on ESSA and fully understand how this will impact us and how we plan for the change.” As part of the Summit, Romero, Alejo and the other Latino leaders had a unique opportunity to hear from leading education experts from the public, private, and non-profit sectors who tackled a range of pressing policy topics on ESSA and the academic needs of ELLs during this time of transition. A full schedule and list of speakers is available on the NALEO Educational Fund website at http://www.naleo. org/2016_education. This event was made possible through the generous support of Title Sponsors, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and State Farm®.
Photo by Teresa L. Benns
Sculptures designate a stop along the Old Spanish Trail located near Highway 160 between Monte Vista and Del Norte.
lands along the trail route. In the long history surrounding the Valley, through hardships unnumbered, the forefathers of this territory remain etched in the folds of the mountains and the soft lowing plains of the valleys. History is part of everyday life, in the families that homesteaded here for decades and continue on the heritage that began over a 100 years before. It is embraced in the industrial and agricultural blood that feeds life into the cities and towns scattered throughout the high mountain valley and reaches forward for survival in a world packed with opportunities. Some things remain, lingering in the minds of those who remember, the stories and artifacts of a time long ago- a history
that refuses to be forgotten and one that many embrace. Today, only a few remnant traces of the trail can be seen where hundreds of fast trotting mules and their tired drivers once traversed the high country of the southwest on their way to California’s fertile trading ields. Modern adventurers can ind many activities to enjoy near the monument between Monte Vista and Del Norte. There are a number of bicycling trails, rock climbing routes and campsites. The amazing scenery and challenging landscape are nearly exactly the same as those traders would have encountered. Now, visitors can enjoy all of the beauty and excitement offered along the trail with modern conveniences just miles away.
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Hispanic Heritage
TRADITIONS teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the peasant Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill outside Mexico City in 1531. She ordered him to report to his bishop and request a chapel be built at the apparition site in her honor. She instructed him to pick roses growing in winter at the site and take them to the bishop. Juan gathered them in his tilma or cloak and when he delivered them the bishop knelt in awe, for there was the Virgin’s image imprinted on his tilma. This tilma is the object of veneration revered for six centuries at the cathedral built in her honor in Mexico City. No Hispanic is ignorant of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is the subject of flags, tattoos, T-shirts and yard shrines in every Hispanic neighborhood. Her miraculous conversion of six million Mexican natives following the apparition is the reason
September 21, 2016
Continued from Page 1
Hispanics embrace the Catholic faith today.
Novenas Saints common to the Southwest and often venerated by Hispanics who migrated to America include St. John the Baptist, St. James, Archangels Michael and Raphael, St, Anthony of Padua, St. Lawrence, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Isidore the Husbandman, the Holy Child of Atocha, the Blessed Virgin under several titles, and many others. Novenas are offered to these saints (nine days of special prayers) before special feast days and for favors, or in great necessity. In adobe homes of the southwest, niches can be seen carved into the walls where statues of these saints and others were placed.
The Rosary This prayer originated with St. Dominic during the 1200s, who used it to convert the Albigensians, a group of heretics who flourished in various countries in Europe. The short and most common version of the Rosary consists of the Apostles Creed, 53 Hail Marys, five Our Fathers and Five Glory Be’s, all prayers sanctioned by the Catholic Church. The Rosary is associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe and her miraculous conversions, also her love for her children, whom she promised in the apparition to Juan Diego to carry in her arms. Many Hispanics exhibit a La Navidad tender devotion to her in all their daily Christmas is often celebrated cares and faithfully recite their Rosary. with honors paid to the three kings
who came to visit Jesus sometime after His birth. Devotion also is given to El Santo Niño de Atocha, the infant Jesus. On Christmas Eve, candles line the walkways to homes and families participate in la posados, re-enacting Joseph and Mary seeking shelter for the baby Jesus’ birth. Dia de Muertos Although some have returned this celebration to its pre-Catholic roots among the Aztec religion, and often celebrate it as such in Mexico, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of All Saints Nov. 1 and the feast of All (departed) Souls on Nov. 2. This is a holy time to pray for the souls of departed loved ones and for those souls who have no one else to pray for them. The tradition of pray-
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ing for the dead can be traced back to the Jewish religion and is found mentioned in the biblical book of Machabees (in Catholic versions of the Bible). Celebration of this feast varies from place to place. Usually, families go together to visit cemeteries, saying special prayers for relatives and leaving flowers. Some bake the pan de muerto or bread of the dead, in which sometimes is concealed a miniature skeleton. Some also erect elaborate altars to honor their dearly departed, holding vigils and offering prayers at home. While many of these traditions may seem strange to those unfamiliar with such customs, they have comforted generations of Hispanics and are carefully preserved as a part of both their culture and faith.
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