Attachments

REPORT OF LEGAL COORDINATOR

RAEL V.

TAYLOR

PROJECT- LAND RIGHTS COUNCIL

Campaign for Human Development Quarterly Report

May 1 -

October 31, 1997

Several significant legal victories have

been

made

possible through the efforts of the

LRC's

Ra.el

v.

Taylor

project since its

inception:

1) Winning of the right to a new trial through

a successful appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court

2) Winning

the right to hold the

trial

locally in San Luis through court hearings in the U. S

.

Federal Court 3) Overturning a

30 year

old judgement

by

winning the first stage of the trial on due process issues, thereby maintaining

the right to proceed with the

full

trial on the merits of the historical claims of Sangre de Cristo

land grant heirs and successors. None of the above victories would have been possible without

the participation of local Costilla County citizens who were mobilized and educated by the Land

Rights Council Rael

v.

Taylor project.

A significant court victory in

September in favor of the property owner heirs to the lands

of

the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant in southern Colorado, has brought the community one step

closer to winning back historic use rights

to

"La Sierra," a 77,000 acre mountain

tract also

known as the Taylor Ranch. The Land Rights Council provided critical support in the form of

publicity, community education, as well as trial preparation

assistance to a team of pro-bono

lawyers. In short, the Rael

v.

Taylor

case is alive and well after over 16 years of litigation,

appeals, and trial. Teamwork between the Land Rights Council and the Rael v.

Taylor

legal

team has

been

greatly

facilitated

by

our liaison work between the community and lawyers

(located

4 hours

away in Denver), to provide communication about the legal proceedings, and

to provide technical help for the case, such as research, administrative, and public relations.

The single focus of our legal coordination during the past six months has been

preparation for trial on due process issues. Over the summer, extensive local research into

property ownership, deeds, family

histories, and geographical analysis took place. Our paid

litigation coordinator,

Jerry

Gordon,

worked extensively to identify and communicate the status

of the legal

and

historical research requirements, expert and

lay

witness preparation, exhibit

preparation, legal pleadings and theories, and trial

strategies to everyone involved in the case.

In addition, Jerry kept a strict trial calendar and oversaw regular weekly meetings of the legal

team

in which tasks were assigned. Gordon's efforts were supplemented

by

attorney Elizabeth

Arenales

of the Colorado La\V}7ers' Committee, who coordinated a team of srudent researchers

in San Luis

throughout the summer

.

Nicki Gonzales, a Ph.D. student from the University of

Colorado Boulder

History

Department, Rebecca Acevedo-Holiday, a law student from the

University

of Colorado

Law

School, and Maria Valdez, a Ph. D. srudent from the University

of New Mexico American Srudies Department were particularly instrumental in these local

research efforts. In addition to support from CHD,

these evidence-gathering efforts were also

subsidized

by

"in-kind" assistance from Father Pat Valdez, the Sangre de

Cristo Parish, and

funds from the Chinook Fund and the Colorado Lawyers Committee. 1...-0cal San Luis residents,

including membeTS of the Land Rights Council Board, and many

Rael

v.

Taylor

Plaintiffs greatly

assisted the legal team

by

helping to locate property documents, providing historical and

geographical information,

and preparing their own testimony in depositions and trial. Plaintit"fs

Charlie

Jaquez,

Eugene Lobato, Emilio Lobato, Shirley Romero Otero, and Gloria Gallegos

underwent intensive deposition~ before the trial,

as well as providing in-depth testimony at trial.

Plaintiffs Gloria Rael Maestas, Corpus Gallegos, Zach Bernal, Boni Lobato, Pete Espinosa,

and

many

others also provided critical testimony and/or support throughout the trial.

Without the

excellent accomplishments in the

course

of all of

the above

activity. a

victory

at

trial would

not

have been possible.

The trial before Judge Gaspar Perricone took place during the week of September 21-25,

1997.

Over

25 witnesses testified, and over 150 exhibits were

presented by

Plaintiffs. Expert

witnesses included:

1)

Landscape architect Arnold Valdez of San Luis, who prepared meticulous

computer

generated 3D maps

to

demonstrate the geographical context for historical claims to

La

Sierra.

These maps were

used

as reference exhibits

throughout

the

trial.

2)

Etbnohistorian Marianne Stoller of Colorado College, Colorado

Springs,

who

testified

as to the historical and cultural basis of and praclice of traditional uses of

La

Sierra

by

the local

commwrity.

3)

Statistician Andy Bardwell of Denver, who used

computerized

mathematical data to show

that

from 50%

to

75%

of

local Costilla County

residents

who were property owners had

not

been named or served by Taylor in his 1960 Torrens Title

Registration

lawsuit.

4)

Real estate lawyers Don Lesher and Robert Skilem of Denver, who testified as to the

appropriate legal obligations of property owners

to name and

serve all "ascertainable" interested

parties

in

quite title actions.

5)

Local

citizen experts and Plaintiffs testified as to historic uses, local propeny records,

and

other relevant matters.

The

trial was held in the small, hot, crowded local courthouse. The courtroom was full

of

respectful

and

interested local

citizens

every day. This local

participation

in the trial was a

major factor showing the

Judge

how important the use rights to La Sierra are to the community.

Each day

at

lunch and after trial,

public

informational

meetings were held in which

lawyers

explained

the proceedings and

answered questions. Additionally, press representatives from

newspapers around the state attended each day

of trial,

providing

widespread publicity

about the

trial and the issues involved. Coordination with the press thus became another critical element

of our

legal coordination efforts.

Glenda

Maes, rhe Land Rights Council local organizer, was

particularly instrumental in building community support for the trial, coordinating the educational

community

lunches and meetings each day

of

the triat,

and

mobilizing press coverage.

Also

important

were

the

special

efforts of Dr. Joseph Quintana, President of the LRC Board, who

consistently

encouraged a

unified

effort by all.

The law

finns

representing the local community have

provided

an estimated in-kind

contribution of approximately $20,000 of out-of-pocket legal expenses, not including thousands

of hours of free legal time in the

preparation and execution of the September trial.

Expert

witnesses have

donated

another

$201000 worth of

in-kind

services to the effort.

The Judge's final ruling

contained

both positive

and

negative elements

for tl).e Plaintiffs.

On the most positive side, he ruled

that

Taylor indeed violated the

due

process rights of a group

of

individual

property

owners

in

Costilla County

in his 1960

action.

This

most

important ruling

allows a second trial to take place next Spring,

in

which the underlying historical

claims

of

the

community can be proven. This ruling is very significant in that it overturns a 30

year

old

judgement - a rare occurrence in the

legal

arena.

On

the

negative side,

the Judge dismissed

many Plaintiffs and ruled

that

the case

could not

be

pursued as a

II

class

action, " on behalf of the

entire community of property owners who have historically depended upon the

use

of the Taylor

Ranch (La Sierra)

.

In other words

,

according to the Judge, only a small group of

individuals

have standing to pursue the case. This latter ruling is an appealable issue, and ics reversal will

be vigorously pursued

by

the Rael v. Taylor legal team.

Legal scholars

who

have been

consulted by the legal team express confidence that the class action will be

reinstated on appeal.

In any event, in the absence of class certification, each

of

over 1400 local property owners will

have the

right

to join in the case after the

11

merits"

hearing

this Spring.

In the

me

.

an time

,

legal

coordination continues in anticipation of a week-long trial on the

"merits

II

in late Spring, 1998

.

Significant amounts of research in local property records, family

histories, and other local research in Costilla County will be necessary. Additional expert

witness testimony, including legal and ethnic historians, geographers, and others will be

required. The lawsuit has and will continue to require a full time person to oversee recruinnent

and ongoing coordination of volunteer attorneys, witnesses, and researchers. More importantly,

information flow to the local community in

the

form of

local

information

meetings, wriuen

reports,

articles in La Sierra new~i,aper and other publications, needs

to

continue and increase.

In fact, victory in the next trial will not

he

possible without a full rime legal coordinator.

Coordination of over 10 volunteer lawyers and researchers, as well as liaison activity with the

community

were essential to the

court victory

last September.

This coordination/liaison task will be

even more

critical

to a future

victory

next

Spring.

Jerry Gordon~ our current legal coordinator,

has

obtained full time employment at the

Boulder City Attorney's office. His efforts

will

be

sorely missed! Elizabeth Arenales of the

Colorado Lawyers' Committee, who has also been an indispensable contributor to the

Rael v.

Taylor project, will be available to take over the coordination role when her assignment ends at

CLC

this December. The legal team believes that the funds must be raised co

pay

Elizabeth a

subsistence salary in order for the

upcoming trial

to

take place. Our

fundraising

efforts are

therefore immediately geared

toward locating resources for upcoming legal costs, including a

full-time

coordinator

salary.

The next six months offers unprecedented and historically significant challenges and

opportunities

.

With a shoestring budget made possible by

the

generosity of the CHD and others,

together

with a

virtUally

all-volunteer

effort, we have been amazingly

successful

at each step of

this protracted legal battle. In order to win future victories, the exemplary ongoing teamwork

between the

Rael v. Taylor legal team, the Land

Rights

Council, and the local San Luis

community

must

continue.

___..~~-lr,iy,-s~b~

ey

A.

ldstein

.

BENEFIT DANCE

~

Knights of Columbus Hall

Presents

$8 SINGLE

_$15COUPLE

- , - , - . , - ··-··'-·· ·•···· ... .

e~~

I~

1

t

l

nvi1~

qou

to meet

Th

e

critid\tJ

acclaimed

oufh?r

of

T

he l 1\1

~

1

·

1

\

ag

ro.

B

eanlHf. '. \ l

\\\/./o

W1

r \riloqtJ

and

1

he

S

t

er

il

e Cuc

k

oo

An event

to ·

benefit

t\1e

landmark Ra

e

l v. T

aq

l

or

C

ase

Tlie land l.::>i) ils Council, La Sierra

f

oundalion and Los Amigos Oe:San Luis

Book signing and Receplion. April 27,1997

~!;1/, spf!cia/ que~I

J

o

hn

Nichols

En<

losed is$ _ ____

f

o

p _ _

_

persons al $100.00 per person.

I

wdl

Le

unoble lo

otli

,

,

,

J

nm

l

w

o

uld lik

e

lo

ncl

se m11

f

ox

deducliblt!

don.ii ion

f

$ _ _ _ 111.irle pmJablt! to The

l

onrl Riq~1ls Council Trusl

I

p

,

A

r lo use my Visa OP Mastercard, No # _ _ _ _ _

Expiration dale: ____ Nom : _ _ _ __ _ _ _

Cl":

\ tat : _ _ _ _ lip:

-

---

·

- - - - -·- ···--.;,.:;:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:;:~ ~ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:;....

__

____

_

Sunday April

27, 1997

Wynk

oop

Brewing

Company

1634

18th Stred,

Denver, Colorado

Mr.

Ni

chols will discuss th

e cultural and

e

nvi

ronm

ental issues facing

the

or

iginal settlers of S

an

Luis, the

oldes

t town in the State

of

Colorado

Ledure

and

b

ook

signin

g

5

:00

pm

to

7:00pm

Mr.

Nichols' books provided by loitered Cover Book Store

R

ecep

ti

o

n 7:00pm

fo

8:00pm

Cash

Bar

•

Silent Audion

Contribution: $100

per person

RSVP

by

April

25,

1997

477-1515

Sponsorr 11.q: Colorado Hispanic Bar As social ion,

-456-2220 tWATC~FUL NEIGHBORSheir San Luis, Co/JJ., hom: Maria Valdez (fue. Many in the r col111.11~/1) 111st"nds 11ity l'loi111 11•il Ii h.1i,lin ,1,,,, 11.nd, 11r•n.rl11J Arnie, l<!{J!)ing a.nd dtiu(JIIJ.cr, opemtirm Moyis a,[fecn, infrnnttirig th. e qf

MESSAGE TO "HEREDEROS"

T

O USE RIGHTS OF LA SIERRA: JBFP GOLDSTEIN, ATTORNEY

eaent of

R.ael

v.

taylor

Legal Team

.. , .· .. " <A: Possible Taylor/State :Sale.s Con-tract:

. :-tf .:~ '. ::_-::

~

-:w--.

·

.

·

~~

!

taa•

-~ecently been news concerning negotiations bGtw~en the State of

. or

clo

..

and th• Taylor family for the possi.ble sale of La Sierra to the

·

e

~

. .

~>1e:,a.1. .. teUI in Ra•l v. Taylor-wo~ld like to _.clau.fy a few

point

s

-

.-~ ·--

-

~~· and

their

C

.

unity COl\~ert1i.n9_ t~s ne~;_, .

. ·.

;

:

. ":.t/~: -~

/tll>

"' ·:

.~-

·

..

·

.

.·, .. ,;

· ·

·

.

···:·/.

t'

...

.

'····....

.·

~ -· .. ~- · · .. · i.. ~ t-ov•~. • ~

h••

approaeluid'···our '.t•Alft~.to •ettle Rael v. oH.:~-·

~~:f

•••

settlement

neootiation.a

..

are·

und•rway

:

r ,t' •~" ~·~~ .. t'· • • ~" '• ·~f I -• ~~· •• • • ' • ' ·, . • ' ' •'

a#.

•

.

::

•• ·"

'workinq hard on your case

.,,.ry

.

~ee)c'. ~he jucl9t has •et a

. ·c111,

for

September on some

very important

isauea

Aad we •"Peet to work

.... rd ~er ·the next months to get

ready

for that ·hearin.g_ • . We ~i l l need the

faiu,istaace of the coffll1\uriity in this proeess. · ·. · ·

2.

Exploration o! a

pcssible

purchase

of

La

Sierra

by

the

State

i

s still

i

n a

·

preliminary

st.g~.

Even

.

if~

contrac~

is

sigr.ed

now between

the

Taylors

al1d

the State,

i t

will

only be an agreement

to

get

app.raisal.s

and

:, ·atart a p~ocess. whieh MIGHT someday lead to a d1t«l for pi.lrchase of ta

liu;.ra. No final c:ieal ha~ he•n made. No .. purehase price has been set.

Th•r•

is

no

poaaibility

that

any

deal

eould

be

made

f

inal

befor

e

sometime

..

·next

·

year.

.

·

There ia no c• rtain ty that any such deal wip. ever be · made·

. -·

•'

\

3.

:

·

Jet•~•

aay

·

sale to

the

Stat•

·

couic

f

talc•

pla

t

e,

our lawsuit Mould

have

-.~o

be

~olved.

'l't&at: mean• th&t . ."yo\ls. t • WO\llci fight d\l~inq ne9otiatJ.on

'i_~ .wla. the tradit.ional

uae

d9bia

>

tor

··wtiicb

you

·

have

been

atr

u

99li

n9

for

10

lon9. Nowever,

~ have not engaqed

in any auch neqot

i

ationa

s

o

f

a

r and we

don't know

it

ser1,0U$ negoti.Uona will ever t•(.kc pl.:lce. W• will, of

couree, let the you know

i

f

we

ever

_

,tart serious

ne

g

o

t

ia

t

i

ons.

In the

· mean.time, we will continue to work hard .on. -yout· case.

4 . . Your legal team realizes that it· 1.s

.

vti

t

y

i~ortant that we

not

lose

'.. '· concenti=ation because of f:'Ublic discmis.ioh: of the possible sake of La · Sierr-a. We have -1 t.ri!ll for whi~h to •;:ret.. .r~~ady an·:l Wt';; in.t~nd t.,:- do ]ust.

t.

... ,ii1ff:

·

,_

t-.::·:tr

·

.. ·

·"!;.,

MESSAGB TO "HEREDEROS"

TO

USE RIGHTS OF LA

SIERRA: JEFF GOLDS'l'EIM, ATTORNEY

t of

l\ael v.

taylor

Legal Team

·•·;," ·~A PO.Sible Taylor/State Sales Contract:

•1 .·-ir\~--=.-:· ·

· · .-~-~ _recently been n•w~ concerning negotiations betw.eer. the State of

o%a.do and the Taylor family for the pose-1.ble sale of La Sierra to the

· ·"';~ ·. ···:·legal· team in Ra•l v. 'I'aylor: would like to clart.;_fy a few points

.{:~,

.

.

•~

.

.-;

t:

..

J•n;•

_

a~d

their

conmuiity c~nc;=erning

t

_

his news:

·

·

,1 -~ • • . . . - .. .. . ~· ' j.~ !.· " ·

i ... ~ . : ~-~ : ... ,:·· ~ ;. · _.;;not over. Nebody. h•• •pproachecf our ·~•.am to settle Rael v.

r:

4

.~;-~.

flo~

~

. .

. .

•:

··case

settlement

negotiation•

are

underway.

\?··: ,:.:c

:.:··:2, •.. •• •~e working herd on your case every we.,k. '?he judge has set a

.·· ·•d.119' for S~teaber

on

some very important

isauea

~ad we e,cpec~ to work

· · ·rc1

over.·the

n•xt

months to get

ready

for that hearing. We

will

need the

·

1.

~asi.staace of the community in this pro~ess. ·

2.

Exploration of a pcssible

purchase

of La Sierra by

the State is ~till

'in a prel.iminary

st.ag~.

Even

.

i f . contract .is

sigr.ed

now

between

the

Taylors and the

State, i t

will only be an

· -

agreement to

get appraisals and

.~ :atart a process. which MIGHT someday lead to a

d9•1

for puz;chase of La

•i•%r&. •• final da~l ha~

heen made.

No.

purchase

price has been

set.

Th•r•

is no

pos•ibility

that

any

deal

eould

be

made

final

before some

time

. next

year.

·There 1• no

c•rtainty

that any

such

deal will ever be made,

·-~3<

lefo~•

any

·

sal•

to the

State

·

ecuid

"'

ta{

·

plAte,

our

lawsuit

would

nave

... ~o

be

ffaolved.

That:

mean•

that.

·

yo"

,

hG

'.•f

wovl f19ht d\&.dnq

·

ne9otiatJ.ons

\

~

;

~

·

the

t.radit.ioaal

uae

rlvli

t

i"

.

·

foi

·'·

,·

t

""'

...

,·

hav.

been

atrug9li'n·

9

for ,o

·

lon9.

Nowever,· ..,. have

not

enqaged

in

an1;

.,

aue~

,

neqoti

tiona

10

far and w

e

don• t know i t. serl.OUI negotiations will -~~~~-ta'jtc place. W• will, of

couree, l•t the you know 1 f we .eve~ ... 1ta, . ;::;...1edous negotiations. In the

a11time, we will continue to work hard ori!{yout·· case.

•~

Your

l•ga: team

realizes

.

that

it 1..s

vtt:y

important

that we not

lose

'I. '· concentration because Of ~ublic diSCU$sion· of the posdble sake Of La

• S1er~a. We have a t.ri~l for whi.::h to gE=t.. r .. ~,ady an,:i w~ .int~r,d t,:- do just.

' ' .·· ... ...

b

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..

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f.

.

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•' ... : ..,.·. ·-.•. "'. ... ·.- •, : ._: .. -~ .. . •. ~,I - . ~. '·.

La

MERCED

·

SANGRE

DE CRISTO

··

El Valle de -San Luis, Colorado

.

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._ _________________________ all[lla_,

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.

;",, .. :.

The

SANGRE

DE

·

cmsro

LAND GRANT

·. ~ . •,_~•, ·'. • • . ; , ·,, I '

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. .

CONTENTS

THE SANGllE DE CRISTO LAND GRANT

The following issues are questions which have concerned many people in Costilla county and throughout the South-west. Hopefully in answering the questions it will become more clear to all persons interested what the issues are con-cerning the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant and what we plan to do in the future.

l. What is the Land Rights Council?

2. What are the objectives of the Land Rights Council?

3. What is the Campaign for Human Development? 4. Who is involved with the Land Rights Council?

5. What has the Land Rights Council accomplished? 6. What is a Land Grant historically?

7. What is the history of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant? 8. Where do we go from here and what are our future objectives and goals?

9. What do the people of Costilla County want to do about this issue?

.·

~

·

CONTENIDO

LA MERCED SANGRE DE CRISTO

Los siguientes asuntos son preguntas que conciernen a.

mucha gente en el Condado de Costilla y por todo el Sur-oeste. Esperamos que en contestar las preguntas siguientes se ac/aren para todas personas interesadas los asuntos toe-ante a la Merced de Sang re de Cristo y que anticipamos

-haceren e/futuro.

1. iQ·u~ es el Land Rights Council? ,

2.

i

Que son /os propositos de/ Land Rights Council? 3. i Que es la Campana para el Desa"ol/o Humana? 4. t,' Quien participa en el Land Rights Council?

5. t,' Que ha cump/ido el Land Rights Council?

· 6. t,' Que es una· Merced historicamente?

7.

i

Que es la historia de la Merced de Sangre de Cristo? 8. t,' Que se anticipa para el futuro y que son /os objectivos? 9. 1,· Que quiere hacer la gente de/ Condado de f;ostil/a

tocunte a este asunto? ·

· Published by The Land Rights Council

P.O. Box 149,

Chama, Colorado 81126 (303) 672-3361

© All Rights Reserved--1980

DONATIONS

THE LAND RIGHTS COUNCIL IS A NON-PROFIT

OR-GANIZATION SUPPORTED. THROUGH GRANTS A~D

DONATIONS. WE ARE ASKING FOR DONATIONS TO HELP COVER THE COSTS OF PRODUCING THIS PUBLI-CATION AND CONTINUING THE LEGAL RESEARCH OF

OUR ORGANIZATION.

DONACIONES

EL CONCILIO DE DERECHOS SE LA TIERRA ES UNA ORGANIZACION SIN GANANCIAS Y ESTA ~.POYADA POR FUNDACIONES Y DONACIONES. ESTAMOS PID/-ENDO DONACIONES PARA PAGAR LOS GASTOS DE PUBLICAR ESTA REV/STA Y TAMJJIEN PARA CONTJN-UAR LAS INVESTIGACIONES LEGALES DE NUESTRA ORGANIZACION.

RANCHERS IN CHAMA, Co .. in

the late J9rh Century. "They

preserved the land for their

children bur we were robhcd ...

RANCHEIWS EN CHAMA. Co ..

ul Ji11ul de/ Si~lo /CJ. ·

'Co11ser-1·aro11 lu rierru puru sus h{ios pl'ru nos rubaron. · ·

INTRODUCTION

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We have assembled the following information in hopes that we convey to all Chicanos a call for unity in addressing the injustices that keep our people oppressed and confused in modern day America.

We feel that if Chicanos are ever going to get their full rights as required by the Constitution and treaties of this country, it is going to require that every Chicano get involved in whatever capacity he or she is capable. We also feel that in order for any person to get involved in an attempt to cor-rect a wrong, he or she must first know that a wrong that has had drastic effects, on his or her life, has been committed. We find that it is hard to convey to our people the fact that our lands were stolen, that there is inequality and injustice, that there is police repression and many other wrongs being committed against our people on a daily basis as has been

. done throughout our history, but that these wrongs can be

corrected.

We find that it is very hard for our people to get involved because we are unsure of even our own identity. Therefore

clarifying our identity to ourselves is necessary but is very

hard because we have never been educated about our history and our culture. On the contrary, we have been educated to think and act like Anglos by an Anglo system even to the point where some of us feel that we are not Chicanos and that we should not involve ourselves with trying to correct the injustices against Chicanos or Hispanos. Therefore, we fee) that the problem of our identity must first be overcome

if effective efforts are to be made in other problem areas.

This can be done if we study our true history and culture and who we are, where we came from, and where we intend to go from this point on. Thus we can identify the sources of in-• justice and move to correct them.

To that end, we, the Land Rights Council, hope that the following information will stimulate interest and involvement from all elements of the Chicano community and especially the people of Costilla County.

INTRODUCCJON

Queridos Hermanas y Hermanos:

Hemos juntado la informacMn siguiente con esperanzas de comunicar a todos los Chicanos una 1/amada por unidad para confrontar las injusticias que tienen a nuestra gente

oprimida y confusa hoy dfa en America.

Sentimos que si la gente Chicana a/gun dfa va lograr sus derechos garantizados en la Constitucion y en los Tratados de este pafs va ser necesario que nos comprometemos en la

capacidad que cada quien pueda. Tambien creemos para.que ..

· una persona puede tratar de corregir una injusticia tiene

primero que saber que una injusticia que tiene efectos dras-ticos en su vida, se ha cometido. Sabemos que es diffeil comunicar/e a nuestra gente lil realidad de que, nuestras tier-ras f~eron robadas, que hay inigualidad y i:1justicia, que la

fueron robadas, que hay inequalidad y injusticia, que la

policia oprime a nuestra gente y que hay muchas otras in-justicias que se cometen contra nuestra gente dian·amente

como ha pasado por todo nuestra historia, pero estas injust·

icias se pueden corregir.. . .

Hal/amos que es dipcil que nuestra gente se envuelva contra estas injusticias porque no estamos ciertos ni de nuestra identidad y historia, sin embargo es necesario acl!'/ar nuestra identidad para nosotros mismos. Esto es

diftcil porque nunca nos educaron de nuestra historia y

nuestra cultura, a lo contrario, nos han educado a pensar y a presentarnos como ang/os por el sistema de/ anglo hasta el punto de que a/gunos de nosotros creemos que no somos Chicanos y que no debemos envolvemos en querer co"egir las injusticias en contra de Hispanos y Chicanos. Sin em-bargo. sabemos que el problema de ident[dad tiene que ser

vencida ·para poder hacer esfuerzos efectivos en otras

prob-/emas. Esto se puede hacer si estudiamos nuestra historia y cultura verdadera para saber quien somos, de donde ven-imos, y para donde vamos. Entonces podermos indentificar el origen y las ,njusticias, y movernos para correjirlas.

Para este fin. nosotros, el Conciljo de Derecl,os de la Tie"a, esperamos que la informaci6n siguiente sirva para

. Many injustices e!!§t against many people in the Unit_ed States. fortunately there are many people and· organi"i"ations

attempting to correct them. One of these.groups iS"the Cam:·

paign for Human Development, CHO, a foundation of the Catholic Church. Through the CHD people throughout the country are receiving the moral and financial support that is necessary to gain the "Human Rights" which we are aJJ en-titled to.

During his visit to the United States,

POPE JOHN PAUL

II

met with many members of the Campaign for Human

Development. The Pope is very much concerned with

Human Rights and gave the following message to the Cam-paign on October 5, 1979 in Chicago, Illinois:

Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in Christ, Thank you for your welcome!

I am happy to greet and bless those groups which the

Cam-paign for Human Development has assisted and whose rep-resentatives are here today.

This Campaign has been a witness to the Church's living presence in the world among the most needy, and to her committment to continuing the mission of Christ, who was sent "to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to

the captives, ... and release to the prisioners." (LK 4•18-19).

I commend the Bishops of the United States for their

wis-dom and compassion in establishing the Campaign for

Human Development ten years ago, and I thank the whole

Catholic community for the generous support given to this initiative during aJI these years.

Nearly 1500 groups and organizations, I have been told,

have received Campaign funding. The efforts aimed at es-tablishing self-help projects deserve praise and encourage-ment, for in this way an effective contribution is made to

re-moving the causes and not merely the evil effects of injustice ..

The projects assisted by the Campaign have helped to create a more humane and just social order, and they enable many

people to achieve an increased measure of rightful

self-reliance. They remain in the life of the Church a witness to the love and concern of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God give you strength, courage and wisdom to con-tinue this work for justice. God bless you all.

POPE JOHN PAUL U

2

.

..

Chicana y en particular de la gente de/ Condado de Costilla.

Esta c/aro que muchas injusticias existen entre muchas·

gentes en /os Estados Undios. Afortunadamente, hay

al-gunas personas y organizacio'nes que estd'n haciendo es·:

fuerzos de co"egir las injusticias. Uno de estos grupos es la Campana para el Desa"ollo Humana, la cual es una fund-acion de la Iglesia Cat6/ica. La Campaita ayuda a mucha Rente pobre por todo el mundo ftnancialmente y moral-mente a ganar sus Derechos Humanos y su dignidad a los

cuales todos tenemos derechos. _{- · - , • I}

Durante su visita a los Estados Ua{dos, el Papa Juan Pablo

II

se junt<f con muchos miembros de la CampaKa. El Papa_

esttf muy preocupado con los derechos humanos. y

dto

"

el

mensaje siguiente a la Campana el dfa cinco de Octubre de

'1979 en Chicago, Illinois:

'Queridos Hermanas y Hermanos:

Gracias por SU bienvenida: -: ·.·.

Me da gusto saludar y bendicir esos grupos que la

Cam-pana para el Desa"ol/o Humano ka assistido y que tienen

representates presentes hoy.

Esta Campaira ha sido testame,,to de la Iglesia en la pobresa y de/ compromiso a continuar la mision de Cnsto que Jue mandado a ''Traer bue11as noticfas a /os pobres y

proc/amar libertad a /os cautivos, y librar a /os prisioneros. '•:

ILK. 4: 18-19).

Encomiendo a los Obispos de los Estados Unulos por su sabidud& y su compasi<fn en establecer /a Ca;,,paiia para el. Desa"ol/o Humano diez a-;fos pasados, y doy gracias a toda

. la comunidad Cattlica por su ayuda generosa que han dado

a esta iniciativa durante estos anos.

Mehan die.ho que cerca de mil quinlentos gruposy

organizaciGnes han recivido fondos de la Campana. . Los

esfuerzos para estab/ecar proyectos para ayudar a /os pobres;

merecen encomendaciln y estfmulo, porque de este modo se hace una contribucitln efectiva para eliminar las causes y no solo /o_s effectos ma/os de la ir,justicia. Los proyectos que asist,o la Campana ayudaron a crear una orden social m~ humana y facilitaron llevar a cabo unt1 medida aumentada de.

confianza en sus propias fuerzas de Jos pobres. 1

Los proyectos permanecen en la vida de la Jgltfsia como

testigos de/ amor

y

interfs de nuestro Padre J/tus.

Que Dlos /es de fuerza, valor y sabidurfa para continua,

este trabajo por justicia. DiEs /os bendiga a todos.

EL PAPA JUAN PABLO

II

POPE

John

Paul

11--During his

visit in Chicago, Oct. 5, 1979.

NATIONAL LAND CON-ference. Chama, Co., July J 9-22, J 979. "The right to Our lands must be preser-ved for our children."

CONF. NACIONAL de

Tierra en Chama, Co ..

Julio 19-22. 1979. · 'Los

Derechos a la Tiella tienen que conservarse para nue s-tros hijos. "

LAND RIGHTS COUNCll.

The Land Rights Council is a non-profit organization funded by the Campaign for Human Development. The Land Rights Council was formed in September, 1978. The main efforts of the Land Rights Council are to re-establish the rights of Chama, San Luis, San Pablo, el Rito and other towns in Costilla County, Colorado, to access to, and use of, the once common lands in Costilla County which provided for firewood gathering, lumber, hunting, recreation, and

fishing. ·

:

LAND RIGHTS COUNCIL OBJECTIVES/

\.I

According to the Constitution of the Land Rights Council, the objectives of the project shall be:

1. To research legal issues involving land grants, treaties, adverse possession, property and water rights.

2. To organize community resources and citizens to add-ress issues.

3. To petition legislative bodies to focus attention and leg-islation in alleviating ~and and water problems. _ _ _

4. _ To seek judicial relief and to remedy and resolve land

and water disputes. ·

· 5. To better the social, economic and cultural Ille of

low-income people through the development of a community change oriented organization.

The Constitution states the following in regard to member

-ship: ·

1. There shall be no restrictions due to age, race, creed,

color, national origin, polic record or religion. It also states

that the government of this organization win consist of a policy Making Board of nine directors.

EL LAND BIGHTS COUNCIL

El Land Rights Council es una organizacic!n (sin ganancia) apoyada por la CampaKa para el Desarrollo Humano. Esta

. organizaciJn fue formada en Septiembre de 1978, para re-. establecer los derechos de madera, lefi'a, casaderos, pasteos,

y recreo de la gente de San Luis, Chama, San Pablo, El Rito y otros pueblos en el Condado de Costilla tocante a la Merced

Sangre de Cristo. ·.

PROPOSITOS DEL LAND

RIGHTS COUNCIL

Segdn la consiitucion ·de{ Concilio de Derechos ..

de

la, Tie"a, el proposito es:

1. Investigar asuntos legates concemiente a las mercedes, tratados, · posesion · adversa de propiedad y derechos de·

agua.

2. Organizar la communidad para dirigirse a esos asuntos. 3. Suplicar atencio'n de cuerpos legislativos para resolver problemas de tierra y agua.

4. Suplicar ayuda judicial para resolver problemas legates

· concernientes a tierra y agua.

5. Desarrollar una organizacion orientada a cambio en la communidad para mejor la vida econ6mica, social y cultural

. de los pobres. ·

; La Constituci6n dice lo sigiente en cuanto a·miembros:

1. No hay restriccitnes de edad, raza, religitn, color, origen de nacionalidad, record de policfa. Tambiln dice que

el goviemo de esta organizacio'n consistera de una Mesa Dir-ectiva de nueve miembros.

CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN

DEVELOPMENT

The Campaign for Human Development (CHO) is a found-ation of the Catholic Church and was formed in 1969. The funds that CHO has are taken from a single collection a year

from the Catholic Churches throughout the United States.

CHO is the Church's Education Action Program designed to combat domestic poverty.

The objectives of CHO are to educate Catholics and others about poverty and injustice in the United States. It works in motivating and helping the general public to become in-volved and active on behalf of justice. It helps the poor to lift themselves out of poverty and inform Americans about the extent of poverty and oppression in the United States. It also helps in long range solutions to poverty in the critical. areas of legal aid, health care, education, housing, social' development, economic development and communications. CHO believes that poor people, when working together, can make whatever changes are necessary to improve their lives.· In its efforts to motivate people into action, CHO, helps agencies and individuals to become aware of justice educa-tion programs on the local level. The foundaeduca-tion has local leaders involved in educating the Catholic community in its efforts and ,upport. It provides justice education mat-erials for use by schools and other institutions, coordinates similar programs with 161 diocesan CHO directors, consults with poor people's groups and provides training and work-shops on national and diocesan levels.

The CHO-funded projects provide direct educational expe-riences on poverty and injustices. These expeexpe-riences will also help to educate the Catholic Community on the reasons why the Church is involved .in actions on behalf of justice, and why it is funding these agencies. .

In 1979 CHO gave awards and loans to 125 self-help pro-jects in the amount of $6.3 million. Among those receiving CHD funds are such projects as: Prisoner Advocacy and Education Project in Columbia, MI., Small Farm Advocacy

Project in Walthill, NE., Immigration Reform Project in

Laredo, Texas, Project for Low Income Working Women in

Cleveland, Ohio, Land Rights Council in Chama, CO., and many others throughout the United States.

To obtain CHD's support, these projects must meet certain standards such as:

-Benefit the poor; the majority of those benefiting from the:

projects must be members of the low-income community.

-Be self-help projects of poor .and oppressed people, that is, projects must be directed by the low-income groups them-selves.

-Aim to bring about social change by attacking the root causes of poverty; unjust institutions, laws, or policies which keep people poor.

4

.

_....,

CAMPANA PABA

·

EL DESABBOLLO

HUMANO

· La Campana para el Desa"ol/o Humano (CHD) es una fundacicfn de la Jglt'sia Cat6/ica que Jue formada en el aifo mil novecientos sesenta y nueve. El dinero que entra a esta fundacio'n es tornado de una so/a colecta en el ano, de todo!I las Iglesias Catolicas en los Estados Unldos.

El prop6sito principal de CHD es de educar al publico de /a. pobresa y' injusticia que existe en /os Estados Um1los. CHDI

;1e ayuda al p(b/ico a interesarse en pelear activamente pot la justicia y contra la pobreza. CHD ayuda a los pohres a levantarse de la pobresa y a desa"ollarse y defenderse, y

informar al p6blico Americana de la pobreza y opresi6n que hay en los Estados Un/dos en general. Tambil'n trata de ha/far so/ucicfn a la pohreza en las areas crlticas de ayuda Jega/, ayuda de salud, educaci~. vivirndas, desa"ollo social, desarrollo econ&mico y comunicaciones. La Campana'.

!para el Desa"ollo Humano cree que la gente pobre cuando trabajan juntos pueden hacer /os cambios necesarios para mejorar sus vidas.

; En SUS e~fuerzos-para. motivar a

-,a

gente a acci<m~ CH~. ha zncluido en SU apoyo el ayuda de agencias y individua/es a que se den cuenta de programas en educacion de justicia en el nivel local. CHD tambitfn tiene ltderes locales en-. · · vueltos en educar a la comunidad Cat6lica en sus esfuerzos

y apoyp. Tambien ofrece materiales en educaci&n de justicia

. para las escuela~ y otros instituci6nes. y coordinar programas

·de educacirfn de justicia con 161 directores de diocesos de

·CHD, consulta grupos de gente pobre y ofrecen entren-amiento y ta/leres en niveles nacionales.

. Los proyectos a quienes CHD ayuda con dinero ofrecen experiencias directas en educacitf'n de la pobreza y injustic-ias. Estas experiencias tambien ayudan a edu_car_ a la com-unidad Catolica en las razones porque la lgl~ia Catolica

esta envuelta en acci6n por la justicia y porque esta dando dinero a estas agencias.

' En 1979 la Campmia para el Desa"ol/o Humano di6 dinero

a 125 proyectos de las comunidades en el sumo de $6.3 m'illiones. Entre estos se inc/uyen proyectos como: Proyecto para Ayudar y Educar Prisioneros en Columbia, Mo.., Proyecto para Ayudar Rancheros M edianos en Walthill, NE., Proyecto para la Reforma de lmigracitn en Laredo, TX., Proyecto para Ayudar Mujeres Pobres que Trabajan en

Cleveland, OH., Concilio de Derechos de la Tie"a en Chama,

Colorado, y muchos otros por todos /os Estados Unfdos. Para conseguir el apoyo de CHD, es necesario que estos proyectos tengan ciertas normas como:

_,

-Ser de provecho a /os pobres, la mayona de /os que

_aprpvechen de estos proyectos deben ser miemhros pobres. de la communidad.

-Ser proyectos de la communidad para /os miembros pohres y opresados, /os proyectos dehen ser directados por 1_{/os mismos grupos pobres.}

-Tener el propJsito de traer un cambio social por modo de atacar las causas de la pobresa,· instituciones injustas; /eyes, o po/6icos que tienen a la gente pobre.

~-'"

PARTICIPANTS IN THE National Land Confer-ence, July, 1979, Chama, Colorado.

WHO PARTICIPATES IN THE LRC?

. The Land Rights Council is made up of a Board of Direct-.

ors of nine members and an administrative and legal re-search staff.

The duties of the board are to make all decisions concern-ing the work of the Land Rights Council. They are also to assure th~t the organization functions properly and they are empowered to, hire or fire, any employees.

The administrative staff, comprised of three full-time em-ployees and two part-time high sc.hool students, performs all the duties dealing with the Campaign for Human Develop-ment and does the bookeeping work for the organization. ·

The duties of the legal staff are to research and document the issues which relate to land grants and in particular the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant. The main purpose of this re-search is to eventually go to court and/ or take political action concerning the common lands of the Sangre de Cristo Grant. This is necessary in order that the people of Costilla County who pad ri~hts to these lands can once again have those rights returt~ed to them.

However, if we are to be successful in our attempts to regain those rights, it is important that all of the people· of Costilla County who are heirs of the land grant and who are interested in this issue become actively involved in this most important and humane issue.

PARTICIPANTES EN LA Cpnferencia Naciona/ Julio, 1979, en Chama, Colorado.

dQUIEN PARTICIPA EN EL LRCP

El Land Rights Council consiste df1u~a Mesa Directiva de

nueve miembros y de emp/eados legales y administrativas.

· Los deberes de la Mesa Directiva son de hacer todas las

decisi6nes en cuanto al trabajo de/ Land Rights Council. Tambien deben de asegurar que la organizaci~ funciona

propiamenU! y ade_mas hacen decisi6nes en cuanto a quien

emplear O desemplear.

r la administracitn, que estd' compuesta de tres emp/eados

y dos estudianttts, cu_mp/en todos /os deberes que pe~tenecen

u la Campana Para el Desa"ol/o Humano. Tambien hacen todo el trabajo de /os libros financzeros.

Los deberes de /os empleados lega/es son de investigar y documentar /os asuntos que conciemen repartimientos de

tie"as y en particular la Merced Sangre de Crlsto. El

prop6sito principal de esta investigacitn es de 1/evar el caso

· al corte o 1/evar a cabo una accit!n politica en cuanto a las tie"as comunales de la Merced Sa_ngre de Crfsto. Esto es necesario para que la gente de/ Condado de Costilla que tenfan derechos a estas tie"as puedan tener sus derechos otra vez.

Sin embargo, si queremos tener fxito en nuestros esfuer-zos para ganar nuestros derechos es importante que toda la gente de/ Condado de Costilla quienes son herederos de la

Merced y que tienen interls en este asunto, tambiln tienen

que participar activamente en este asunto tan importante

i ' 1 ! i

t;

! . •. 1

'i

_i . "J i

-WHAT HAS LRC ACCOMPLISHED?

HISTOIIICAL AND LEGAL RESEARCH

The main focus of the Land Rights Council is to gather all the materials available legally and historically which relate to the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant. This research is an attempt to gain access to portions of land which were originally used as a commons for the people of Costilla County. This re-search will assist us in the courts or in a political solution to the problem. This work has proven to be an enormous job and our pursuit of these materials has taken us to many olaces. The following are among the places where our legal staff has done research:

1. San Lula, Colorado: The offices of the San Luis County

Court House, the abstract office, records in the county garage.

2. Alamoaa, Colorado: The Law Library at the Couthouse ...

the library at Adams State College.

3. Pueblo, Colorado: The Public Library, the Offices at the County Court House, the Offices of the District Court.

4. Denver, Colorado: The State Historical Society, the

Law Library at Denver University, the State Archives, the Denver brancb of the Federal Archives, the Office of the

Sec-retary of State, ud the Offices of the Water Conservancy

Board.

'' It has been decided that the lands

of the Rito Seco re

·

inain intact .for the

benefit of the people of the towns of

San Luis, San Pablo, y

de Ios Ballejos.''

May 11, 1863

6

dQUE HA CUMPLIDO EL LBCP

·

INVESTIGACIONES HISTORICAS Y LEGALES

El proptfsito principal de/ Concilio de Derechos de la1 .Tierra, (Land Rights.Council) es de conseguir todos los mat·

eriales que se hal/en, /egales y hist&ricos, que tratan de I~ Merced Sangre de Cristo. La razcfn que estamos haciend°i esta investigaci&n es para que podamos agarrar porci8nes dei la sierra que antes pertenecfa a toda la gente de/ Condado d~ Costilla. Esta investigacicfn. nos va ayudar a resolver esta prohlema en las cortes o de a/guna manera polftica. Esta investigacitfn ha sido muy trahajosa y tuvimos que ir a.

muchos /ugares para conseguir todo el material que ocup-1 amos. Los siguientes son lugares a donde nuestros emp/ead·

· os ha11 ido para hacer estas investigaci6nes:

1. San Luis, Colorado: Las Oficinas de la Casa de Corte, La Oficina de/ abstracto, los documentos en el Garage de/ Conda do. ·

2. Alamosa, Colorado: La Bihlioteca Legal en la Casa de Corte, la Bih/ioteca en el Co/egio de Adams State.

3. Pueblo, Colorado; La Bib/iotlca Pdhlica, las Oficinas

·de/Corte de/ Condado y de/ Districto.

4. Denver, Colorado; La Sociedad Histtrica de/ Estado, la Bib/iotlca Legal de la Universidad de Denver, el Archivo

''Se ha despuesto que las tie"as de/

Rito Seco quedan incultas al beneficio

de la gente de las plazas de San Luis,

San Pablo, y de los Ballejos.

''

·

6 C )I

r:

a C 0

S. Santa Fe, New Mexico: The State Archives, the Sup· reme Court Library, the State Planning Office, the Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the State Library, the Public

library, the Offices of the Clerk of the District Court and County Court.

6. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Archives of the Cath-olic Church, the Law Library at the University of New Mexico. _.

7. Taos, New Mexico: State Records in the Clerks Office, Taos County Historical Society.

. 8. Austin, Texas: The Law Library at the University of Texas, the Supreme Court Library.

In addition to the above named places, we are also inter-viewing and speaking to many people in Costilla County and throughout the state about the common land, and Land Grant issues.

There is a tremendous amount of interest in and support for the Land Grant issue here in Costilla County. The follow-ing are among various groups which have pledged their support to our efforts: the Commissioners of Costilla County, the National La Raza Lawyers Association, the Colorado His-panic American Democrats, various organizations of Latin and Mexican American students from throughout the coun-try, the Hispanic Forum, the National Council of La Raza, various native American organizations and individual prac-ticing attorneys and state politicians.

The Land Rights Council has also purchased various legal books for "legal research" into the land grant issue. We have the following volumes in our library:

1. The Colorado Revised Statutes; 21 volumes.

· 2. United Stat;s Code Annotates; 208 volumes plus sup-plements.

3. The United States Congressional and Administrative News; 11 volumes.

4. Thompson Volumes on Property; 25 volumes. 5. American Casebook Series; 9 volumes.

6. Federal Rules on Basic Civil Procedures; 3 volumes. 7. Colorado Digest; 29 volumes. However, we· need to expand our library.

Soon after it was formed, the Land Rights Council rented the old Chama school building. Renovating was done pri-marily by volunteer workers from the community. Water was hooked up, plumbing instaJJed, the electric wiring brought up to state code, the roof renewed, some rooms were painted and a new fence was built around the school yard.

A Slide Show was developed in a very short time and has had a very good effect on the people who did not know about the common land issue here in Costilla County. A news-pa per, Tierra y Libertad, is published by the Land Rights Council bi-monthly, to inform the community on progress by the Land Rights Council as well as other issues of concern to Spanish-speaking people in general.

de( Estado, el Archivo Federal en Denver, Oficinas de/ Secretario de/ Estado, las Oficinas de/ Borde de la

Preser-. /

'. vacion de/ Agua.

5. Santa Fe, Nuevo M~jico; El Archivo de/ Estado, la Bibliot~ca de la Corte Supremo, la Oficina de Planes de/

1Estado, el Oficina de/ asuntos de Indios, la Bibliotlca de/

,Estado, la bibliotlca p&b!ica, y las Oficinas de/ Clerk de la

. Corte de/ Condado. . /

6. Albuquerque, Nuevo Mejico; El Archivo de la Iglesia Cat5lica, la Bib/iott'ca Legal de la Universidad de Nuevo M$ico .

7. Taos, Nuevo M~ico; Los Documentos en la Oficina de/ Escribano, La Sociedad Hist6rica de Taos.

8. Austin, Texas; La Bibliotlca Legal de la l'niversidad

-de rejas, La Bib/ioteca Legal de la Corte Suprema.

Adem/s de los lugares arriba mencionados, tambi/n esta-mos entrevistando y hablando con mucha gente de/ Condado de Costilla, y por todo el estado tocante a las tierras com-unales y el asunto de las mercedes.

Hay un interls y apoyo muy grande en cuanto a asunto de

· la Merced aqu( en el Condado de Costilla. Los siguientes

grupos son a/gunos que nos han apoyados en este asuntcy

:Los Comisionados de/ Condado de Costilla, la Asociacion

'. Nacional de Abogados de La Raza, /os DemocrJticos

His-pano_s_ Americanos de · Colorado, el Forum Hisp'1,ico, el

Concilio Nacional de la Raza, varios grupos de estudiantes Latinos y Ml}ico Americanos de todo el pa,':, varias

organ-. izaci!nes de Nativos Americanos, y otros abogados y

pol-l tf;cos de/ Estado de Colorado. ·

El Concilio de Derechos de Ja Tierra tambi6' ha comprado varios /ibros de ley que son uti/isados en las investigacitnes

4 de esta problema tocante. a la Merced Sangre de Cristo.

,Los siguientes son los libros que tenemos:

1. Estatutos Revisados de Colorado,· 21 volumenes.

·. 2. Codi go Anotado de los Estados Umaos; 208 volumenes.

3. Nuevas Congresiona/es y Administrativos de /os

Estados UntBos; 11 volumenes y a/gunos Sup/ementares.

4. Volumenes en Propiedad de Thompson,· 25 volumenes.

5. Libros de Casos Americanos,· 9 volumenes.

6. Reg/as Federales en Procedimientos Civiles; 3 vol·

umenes.

7. El Codigo de Colorado; 29 volumenes.

, Sin e~bargo, estamos en necesidad de agrandar nuestra

bib/iot~ca.

Ademl's de las cosas ya mencionadas, el Concilio de Derechos de la Tierra tambie'n rent/ la escue/a vieja de

'Chama para sus oficinas. El dinero de la renta, en lugar de

. pagar/o al districto de escuela, se esta usando para renovar

. la escuela . . El trabajo se ha hecho por voluntarios de la comunidad. El trabajo que se ha 'hecho en la escuela inc/uye: ... Connector el agua, ·el alambrado de electrecidad se arreg/o al codigo de/ estado, el techo se puso todo nuevo, algunos de los cuartos se pintaron, y se puso un cerco nuevo.

Tambien en un corto tiempo se compuso un ''Slide Show''

y .ha tenido un mu; buen efecto en la gente que no sablan

d,el prob/ema aqu1 en el Condado de Costilla. Tambie'n un

· periodico ''Tierra y. Libertad'' es publicado por el Land

Rights Council cada .dos meses para informar a la com·

munidad de/ progreso 'de/ Land Rights Council y de otros

asuntos que conciemen a gente de habla espano/ en general.

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

,

.

.

COUNCIL OF THE INDIES

CONCILIO DE LAS INDIAS

/

DIVISION OF THE SPANISH DIVISION DE LOS VIRREINATOS

_{,,_}

VICEROYALTIES IN 1524

ESPANOLES EN 1524

PARTIAL VIEW OF SAN LUIS AND the. Vega commons

which is the last remaining portion of common land in the

San Luis Valley.

WHAT S A LAND GRANT?

To understand the history of the Sangre de Cristo Land

Grant, it is necessary to know a little history of the origin of

"Land Grants!' As we already know the history of El Valle

de San Luis and the people of El Valle have roots that go be-yond Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Our Mestizo roots and our history extend as far back as the

found-ing of Santa Fe, Nuevo Mejico, in 1609, 11 years before· the

Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Our history and roots

ex-tend to the expeditions of Cabeza de Vaca and before him

. Francisco Hern;mdez de Cordova and also to the ships of

ernan Cortez in 1514 and to the conquest of the Aztecs in

1521, and to Christopher Colombus who landed on the

American Continent in 1492 under the-crown of Spain.

VISTA PARC/AL DE SAN LUIS y la tie"a comunal de la Vega. La Vega es la u/tima porci<fn de tie"a comunal en El Valle de San Luis.

/ .

JQUE

~

UNA MERCEDP

Pa.ra poder comprender la historia de la Merced Sa'!Pre

de Cnsto es necesario saber un poco de la historia de/ orzgen ·

de las "Mercedes ... Como ya sabemos, la historia de/ Valle de San Luis y la gente de este Valle tienen ra,'ces que

extien-. den mucho mis antes que el Sur de Colorado y el Norte de

Nuevo Mejico. Nuestras ratces Mestizas y nuestra historia

extienden tan atras como el ano 1609 cuando fundaron la

ciudad de Santa Fe, Nuevo M;jico, once aiios antes de que los pere{?rinos llegaran a Plymouth Rock. Nuestra historia

extiende has ta las expedici6nes de Cabeza de Vaca y antes de

el, Francisco Hernandez de Cordova y hasta Heman Cortez

en 1514 y la conquista de /os Aztlcas en 1521 y hasta el

des-embarque de Cristobal Colcfn en el continente Americano