San Luis de la Culebra, San Luis is the oldest town in Colorado. The town remains widely untouched after 168 years and was established April 9th, 1851. The alluring village was originally settled on the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant by the Spanish and Mexican settlers around 1850. Today the town consists of a population of 636.

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Everybody knows everybody, the people there are very polite, and wave at you even if they don’t know you. Visitors and tourists that drive into San Luis specifically visit The Stations of the Cross Shrine. Each religious piece was sculpted by Huber Maestas. There are 15 bronze statues that continue up and around the mesa mountain for half a mile. At the top is an adobe chapel that is open during Santana. 

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Every year in July the town celebrates the oldest town in Colorado called Santa Ana Fiesta Days, known today as Santana Days. People of the town and from around Colorado come to this specific event and it continues for three days during the weekend. During Friday, Saturday, and Sunday early in the morning the town has a celebration parade that gives out candy, water, and Ice Pops. On Sunday it is traditional to go to their Catholic church and then eat their Mexican foods they sell. 

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They sell and cook pulled pork underground with fire and cover the meat up with boards and dirt overnight. They sell Biscochitos, sopapillas, menudo, pisole, tamales, Spanish rice, homemade tortillas, chili with pork, and my favorite farmer peas. I specifically chose this location because Both my grandpa and grandma are born from San Luis, Colorado and both have similar experiences as they grew up there. 

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Both of my grandparent worked on the fields, owned farms, had wooden stoves, wells for water, and did not own a refrigerator at the time. My grandpa had to hunt and cook rabbits, elk/deer, cows, chickens/eggs, and pigs. They had to can the vegetables and meat and place them in the cellar to storage for the winter. Overall, this experience was fun and I enjoyed interviewing my grandparents about San Luis, Colorado.