Los Caminos Antiguos
Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic & Historic Byway
You have entered the land of the Río Bravo del Norte, the northernmost outpost of sixteenth century Spain. To the Spanish people, the San Luis Valley was a wild and unexplored place known only to the Native people. Amidst the beauty and towering peaks of the valley, the area became the center of conflict and wars born of a clash of cultures.
"We arrived in the San Luis Valley with our religion and culture looking for fertile ground to raise our families. We laid out our plazas, shared common ground, and relied on each other to survive in an unknown place."
“We did not understand the Native beliefs and soon found ourselves in conflict with the Native people. We fought great wars to protect our Spanish communities. Distance cut off our colonies from our homeland."
“We were alone on the frontier."
“Over time, we wove a culture that was closely tied to our religion and to nature making the San Luis Valley a unique culture of its own.”
The People of the San Luis Valley
[Photo captions, clockwise from top right, read]
• The Río Bravo del Norte, or Río Grande, wanders 1,900 miles from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico. Spanish conquistadors ventured into the San Luis Valley along the Río Grande corridor from the south.
• Today
this page online
• Evidence of our unique religious beliefs is still found around the valley.
• Our “fiestas” or celebrations and “Dias de los Santos,” or Pat[r]on Saints days, are still celebrated in our Culebra villages.
[Timeline at bottom of marker not transcribed]
Erected by Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Hispanic Americans • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 37° 39.765′ N, 105° 52.219′ W. Marker is in Mosca, Colorado, in Alamosa County. Marker is on Lane 6N east of State Highway 17, on the left when traveling east. Marker is at a roadside pulloff. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mosca CO 81146, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Welcome "Caminante" to... (here, next to this marker); Great Risk for Great Reward (here, next to this marker); Who Owns This Land? (here, next to this marker); Lt. Zebulon Pike's Southwestern Expedition (a few steps from this marker); "Old Mose"
Also see . . .
1. Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway. (Submitted on November 22, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Los Caminos Antiguos. (Submitted on November 22, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. A Hilltop View of Hispanic Heritage (Miguel Perez, 2014). (Submitted on November 22, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. The quest to save a dying Spanish dialect in Colorado’s San Luis Valley (Denver Post, 2020). (Submitted on November 22, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
5. Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area. (Submitted on November 22, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 22, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 88 times since then and 3 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 22, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
