San Luis in Costilla County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra
The Original Ordinance of the Town of San Luis
| | May 11, 1863 | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
1. Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra Marker
[left panel]
All the inhabitants shall have use of pasture, wood, water, and timber and the mills that have been erected shall remain where they are, not interfering with the rights of others. No stock shall be allowed in said lands, except for household purposes. All those who come as settlers shall abide by the rules and regulations and shall keep, as good citizens, and be provided with the necessary weapons for the defense of the settlement.
Carlos Beaubien
Administrator of Sangre de Christo Grant
Narciscio Beaubien, Grantee
[right panel]
Town rules for the town of San Luis, May 11, 1863 as follows:
1. The town shall be kept as clean as possible and the scattering of trash shall be prohibited.
2. Drunkenness will be prohibited in the presence of women and children.
3. No non-resident shall be allowed to settle in the town of San Luis, before having appeared before the judge and having been approved by said officer.
4. It is prohibited to block the roads leading to town.
5. Any person wishing to buy a lot in the town of San Luis, shall appear before the judge and after having qualified as a good citizen shall pay the price of the lot. Said price of the log shall be turned over to the church for its benefit and use.
Erected
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Hispanic Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 11, 1863.
Location. 37° 11.968′ N, 105° 25.536′ W. Marker is in San Luis, Colorado, in Costilla County. It can be reached from the intersection of 4th Street (County Road P.6) and West Church Place, on the right when traveling west. The marker is near the southwest corner of the San Luis Cultural Center Plaza. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Luis CO 81152, 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: San Luis and Costilla County Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); R & R Market (within shouting distance of this marker); San Luis Valley (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Costilla County Courthouse (about 400 feet away); San Luis Valley Country (about 500 feet away); Acequias (about 500 feet away); San Luis (about 500 feet away); Hispano Folkways (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Luis.
Regarding Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
2. Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra Marker
The marker comprises 4 etched metal plaques.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Mrs. Sally Vigil, 3/31/1977:
In 1848 Don Carlos Beaubien purchased Stephen Lee's share of the Sangre de Cristo land grant and gained full ownership of the million acre grant which took in much of what is now the Southern Luis Valley. One of the requirements under which the grant had been made was that settlement be made in the area. As early as 1846, settlers, many of them from the ranches of Don Carlos, had begun moving into the area. They were not successful in establishing permanent settlements due primarily to the resistance from the Ute Indians. Nevertheless, year after year, the settlers kept returning.
On April 15, 1851, the Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra was established. Not only is this town Colorado's earliest permanent settlement, it represents a culture important to Colorado's history the Spanish. The significance is more than just historical, for while the basic way of life was and remains Spanish, over the years numerous immigrants have been assimilated, a process which, it should be noted, is still going on. The result is an intermingling of various cultures into what at first may seem a closed society, but whose members simplychose to perpetuate Spanish tradition, as a result of the way of life, the language and simple geographical placement.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 20253. Posted above Original Ordinance & Town RulesLa Vega
One of the largest commons in the U.S.A.
633.32 acres
An integral part of the Spanish tradition of San Luis, and something that the local residents are intensely proud of still today, is the Vega. Located east and south of town, this irregular shaped grassland was given to the town by Don Carlos Beaubien in 1853 for the pasturing of the town's livestock. It is still owned by the town today.
Also see . . .
1. San Luis, Colorado (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: San Luis was in the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant awarded by the government of New Mexico to the Carlos Beaubien family in 1843. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo annexed northern Mexico to the United States in 1848, and the Compromise of 1850 created the U.S. Territory of New Mexico.(Submitted on March 4, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Hispanic settlers from the Taos Valley established several small villages along the Rio Culebra in the San Luis Valley and officially took possession of this portion of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant on April 9, 1851. The settlers built a church in the central village of La Plaza Medio. They dedicated it on the Feast of Saint Louis, June 21, 1851, renaming the village San Luis de la Culebra in honor of the saint.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
4. Posted below Original Ordinance & Town Rules
George Romero, Chairman Charles Herrmann, Vice Chairman
William Cardenas, Sec. Treasurer
May 24, 1980
Mounting donated by Vocational Department
Centennial District R-1
May 24, 1980
Instructor: Maggie Deherrera
2. Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra Historic District (History Colorado).
Excerpt: The district contains an important collection of buildings that includes the county courthouse, the convent and Church of Most Precious Blood, numerous residences, and the towns commercial core. The district also includes the Vega, a common ground for animal grazing, and the San Luis Peoples Ditch.(Submitted on March 4, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
5. Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra Monument
The monument is near the center of the San Luis Cultural Center Plaza.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
6. San Luis Cultural Center Plaza Sign
Enter here from West Church Place to visit the San Luis Cultural Center Plaza.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 37 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 4, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
