Field Trip: San Luis Valley (The Culture of Costilla County's Hispano Population)
Leader: Jeffrey Smith, Associate Professor of Geography, Kansas State University

jssmith7@ksu.edu (contact directly for payment, signing up for field trip)
Date: Sunday, June 3, 2007

Description:
The field trip begins with a 7:30am (after breakfast) departure from Colorado Springs with a 2.75 hour ride (in a 12 passenger van) to the town of San Luis (Colorado's oldest town and the county seat of Costilla County). En route information about patterns of absentee ownership, settlement diffusion, and historical points of interests will be presented. While in San Luis we will visit: The Stations of the Cross Shrine/Capilla de Todo Los Santos (.75 mile hike) (with short discussion by Farther Patrick Valdez), The San Luis People's Ditch (Colorado's oldest water right) and Centennial Farm (with discussion by Joe Gallegos), and a stop to the studio of famous regional artist/sculptor Huberto Maestas. Then the field trip will proceed up the Culebra River Valley to the Rio Arriba villages of San Pedro, San Pablo, and San Francisco. Along the way we will explore aspects of the rich rural vernacular landscape as well as the important religious traditions of Los Hermanos Penitentes (with discussion by Hermano Mayor Ernesto Vigil). The field trip will return to Colorado Springs by 9:00pm. Lunch and dinner will be at local restaurants featuring "Nuevo Mexicano"/ Mexican menus. Space is limited to 10 people. Bring comfortable walking shoes/boots, water, and money for meals.

Approximate cost (for 10 people): $55 USD