History, Legacy, and Policymaking in Territorial Colorado, 1861-1876

This presentation discusses policymaking, political obstacles, cultural conflicts, and institutional racism experienced by Hispano legislators in the wake of the legal establishment of the Territory of Colorado in 1861. These Hispano territorial legislators are introduced as a forgotten piece of Colorado’s early history. The new territorial laws put in place had effects on the lives of the 7,000 Hispano settlers from New Mexico Territory, who were displaced into the newly formed Colorado Territory.

Virginia Sanchez is a historian, author, and independent scholar living in Denver. She has deep roots going back 16 generations in northern New Mexico as her ancestors settled there in 1598 with explorer Juan de Oñate. Her research about early Hispano and Indio history in southern Colorado appears in several published books and articles.

Host or Publisher Golden History Museum & Park