History Colorado

Step In, Step Out, Step Back protocol show above.

Answer the questions above thinking about a Mexican person, who is now considered Mexican-American after the war.

Engagement 2: Step In, Step Out, Step Back

Explore how Colorado has changed from the 1600s to today. What factors impact the way that different cultural groups interact with one another? Do these change over time?

Maps of Colorado (1600-Today)

What are the lasting impacts of war on the people and their perspectives?

Lasting Impacts

What impact does war have on public policy? What impact does war have on the relationships between cultural groups?

The Mexican-American War

Read the dilemma, then answer the following question. When you're done, it will be time to discuss with your group (next activity).

Engagement 3: Take a Stand (Independent)

Discuss with your group and record their ideas.

Engagement 3: Take a Stand (Group)

Record anything you may be thinking now, then rejoin your group for the last question.

Engagement 3: Take a Stand (Independent & Group)

Identify the lasting impacts of the people of the Borderlands on Colorado to escape the room.

The clues spell out the name of a Spanish town in Colorado. What does the word mean in English? Tell your teacher when you escape the room!

BONUS: Escape Room!

Think about the timeline and the maps that you just explored, as well as the guiding question;  What factors impact the way that different cultural groups interact with one another? Do these change over time?

Go through the slides and complete each step.


Engagement 1: Color, Symbol, Image

The territory Mexico lost to the United States after the war has a unique culture and history. This region - historians call it "the Borderlands" - has been claimed by multiple American Indian tribes as well as France, Spain, Mexico, and the United States. Explore the timeline to understand why.

Timeline of Events

The town of San Luis is the longest continually-inhabited non-indigenous or non-native settlement in Colorado, meaning people have lived there since the town was first settled in 1851. San Luis was part of the New Mexico territory until Colorado became a territory in 1861. The Hispanics who founded the town of San Luis came from New Mexico and spoke Spanish. They moved into the valley to farm and to raise sheep and other animals. What are the lasting impacts of war on the people and their perspectives?

Colorado's Oldest Town: San Luis

Welcome to the Borderlands of Southern Colorado, an ancient crossroads. They have a violent history of conquest and enslavement, but also traditions of beauty and diversity. A place where Indigenous cultures blend with Spanish, Mexican, and American traditions to create a unique identity unlike any other in the world. This identity lives within the people of the Borderlands, and it goes with them wherever they move. Borderlands people don’t stay still. By choice, by force, or by necessity, they have moved a lot. They are mobile people who have lived beyond boundaries and between languages. They are people who live "sin fronteras" - without borders.

Guiding Questions;
1. What factors impact the ways that different cultural groups interact with one another? Do these change over time?
2. What impact does war have on public policy? What impact does war have on the relationships between cultural groups?
3. What are the lasting impacts of war on the people and their perspectives?


Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Colorado Borderlands

Engagement 2: Step In, Step Out, Step Back