Antonito in Conejos County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Don Celedonio Mondragón
Gran Fundador/Great Founder
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
1. Don Celedonio Mondragón Marker
(S.P.M.D.T.U.)
26 de Noviembre 1900
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Los Primeros Oficiales
De La Sociedad Protección Mutua De Trabajadores Unidos
Celedonio E. Mondragón — Presidente
Rafael Lucero — Secretario
José Ramón Quintana — Tesorero
Andrés Trujillo — Consejero
Juan Antonio Márquez — Calificador
Teodoro Trujillo — Mariscal
Juan Filomenc Trujillo — Guardia
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Dedicado El Día 2 De Septiembre de 2000
(S.P.M.D.T.U.)
November 26, 1900
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The First Officers
Of the Mutual Protection Society of United Workers
Celedonio E. Mondragón — President
Rafael Lucero — Secretary
José Ramón Quintana — Treasurer
Andrés Trujillo — Counselor
Juan Antonio Márquez — Qualifier
Teodoro Trujillo — Marshal
Juan Filomenc Trujillo — Guard
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Dedicated On The 2nd Day Of September 2000
Erected 2000 by Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Hispanic Americans • Labor Unions. A significant historical date for this entry is November 26, 1900.
Location. 37° 4.63′ N, 106° 0.538′ W. Marker is in Antonito, Colorado, in Conejos County. It is at the intersection of Main Street (Highway 285) and West 6th Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Main Street. The markers and statue are located at the northwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 603 Main Street, Antonito CO 81120, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and in the San Luis Valley. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: S.P.M.D.T.U. Concilio Superior (a few steps from this marker); Warshauer Mansion (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fred "Lightning Heart" Haberlein (about 600 feet away); The Horse and the Indian (approx. 0.4 miles away); Welcome to Colorado / Antonito Country (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Cumbres & Toltec (approx. 0.4 miles away); La Sociedad (approx. 0.4 miles away); Welcome to El Valle de San Luis (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Antonito.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos
Also see . . .
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
2. First SPMDTU Officers Marker
1. Origins of SPMDTU (History Colorado).
Excerpt: In the late nineteenth century, Hispano workers in the San Luis Valley and across the Southwest often suffered from racial discrimination. They faced segregation and were not allowed in white schools, hospitals, and restaurants. As a result, Hispano communities across the Southwest established mutual-aid societies to combat racial discrimination, work for social and economic rights, celebrate their culture, and provide basic social insurance programs such as unemployment and burial aid.(Submitted on August 13, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)One of the most important Hispano mutual-aid societies in Colorado was SPMDTU. Founded by the jewelry worker Celedonio Mondragón, the society held its first meeting on November 26, 1900, at his house in Antonito. Membership was restricted to men, who were required to attend meetings, pay dues, and be good citizens.
The society quickly spread across the San Luis Valley, spurred by ongoing discrimination and violence against Hispano workers in the valley, including the murders of several shepherds in 1902. Members initially gathered in houses, with ten members needed to form a new local council. The society had seven councils by 1910 and ten by 1915, including councils in Denver and New Mexico. By the 1910s
the society offered unemployment and sickness subsidies, as well as funeral and burial assistance.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 20253. Don Celedonio Mondragón StatueThe two "founders" markers are mounted atop either side of the sculpture base.In 1902 the society organized the Concilio Superior (Superior Council) to coordinate with local councils and plan for expansion. Composed of eight officers, the Concilio Superior served as the society’s executive body. It called all the local councils together in 1909 to frame a general constitution to guide the society’s activities.
2. Sociedad Proteccion Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos.
Excerpt: The Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos (SPMDTU) was founded on 26 November 1900 in Antonito, Colorado by Celedonio Mondragon, pictured on the right. The organization was formed to assist its members and families during tough economic times and to combat employment and racial discrimination. The first SPMDTU Women's Auxiliary was founded in 1933 and was also first established in Antonito.(Submitted on August 13, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
4. Don Celedonio Mondragón Statue
The statue is near the southeast corner of the 1925 SPMDTU Concilio Superior building.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 13, 2025
5. SPMDTU Concilio Superior
Looking west across Main Street; the Don Celedonio Mondragón Statue is visible on the far left.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 146 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 13, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
