Early Hispanic Colorado,
1678-1900
by Joseph P. Sánchez
268 pp; 6 x 9 paperback (5 illustrations)
ISBN 978-1-943681-00-6 $19.95
274 pages 73 illustrations; 7 x 10
ISBN 978-1-936744-44-2 ($24.95 pb)
978-1-936744-53-4 (ePub)
2016 International Latino Book Awards
Honorable Mention, Best History Book: Early Hispanic Colorado by Joseph Sanchez
Early Hispanic Colorado 1678-1900 adds to our national story, sharing the history of early Hispanics from both Mexico and Spain as well as regional Native American tribes. The early history of Hispanic Colorado recognizes a people who have heroically survived nearly two hundred years of accelerated cultural change, beginning in 1848. It is about a people who successfully learned to navigate the legal systems of Spain, Mexico, and the United States in order to retain their lands and their values. This study places the history of expeditions led by Juan María Antonio Rivera, Franciscan friars Domínguez and Escalante, Governor Juan Bautista de Anza, José María de Arce and early Hispanic New Mexican traders in perspective. Their efforts led to the Hispanic settlement of southern Colorado — a significant chapter in both regional and national history.
THE AUTHOR
Dr. Joseph P. Sánchez retired from the National Park Service in January 2014 after 35 years of service, having also served as superintendent of Petroglyph National Monument (2003-2014). He is also the founder and director of the Spanish Colonial Research Center at the University of New Mexico (1986 to present)and founding editor of the Colonial Latin American Historical Review (CLAHR). Dr. Sánchez has presented papers at professional conferences in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and Mexico. Throughout his career, he has researched archives in Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, and England, and has published several studies on the Spanish frontiers in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Texas, and Alaska. He has directed and conducted research for a number of studies by the United States Congress which resulted in the designation of several historical roads, including “Camino Real de Tierra Adentro” that runs from Mexico City to Santa Fe, designated a National Historic Trail; “Camino de los Tejas” that runs from Saltillo to San Antonio, Texas, designated a National Historic Trail; and “Old Spanish Trail” that runs from Santa Fe to Los Angeles via southern Utah, also designated a National Historic Trail.
Early Hispanic Colorado
Early Hispanic Colorado: Joseph P. Sanchez’s work traces the movement of Hispanic from New Mexico to Colorado between 1678 and 1900. … Sanchez explains that the exploration and settlement of present day Colorado stemmed first from the Spanish desire to trade with Ute tribes around the Great Salt Lake and later to find safe passage from New Mexico to California. … Sanchez’s descriptions of these journeys are detailed and draw heavily on the explorer’s logs and diaries. … The later half of the books lacks the clarity and focus of the earlier sections, at times leaping back and forth in time and subject matter, forcing the reader to guess at the connections between disparate stories. Sanchez returns to firmer footing with an exploration of land grants under both the Mexican government and the United States. He parses complicated legal history to show that despite often unfair rulings of U.S. courts that stripped away large sections of their land grants, Hispanics retained a place in Colorado. … The book contributes to the history of the Southwest by placing Colorado Hispanics in the context of their relationships with Spain, Mexico, indigenous empires, and the United States. — Amanda Bresie, Greenhill School, Catholic Southwest, 2017.