It has been said that President John F. Kennedy often shared a story about the importance of haste and necessity in speeches. One story he was fond of telling was of a French nobleman who asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener, perhaps tired, said the tree was ‘slow growing’ and would not reach maturity for decades; couldn’t it wait? The nobleman snapped, ‘In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it today!’
It is a story that reflects the single-minded focus of two well-known Denver Latinas and their vision of a museum honoring Colorado’s history and culture of our state’s original inhabitants, the Indigenous, the Spanish and modern-day Latinos. To Ramona Martinez and Patricia Barela Rivera, ‘there is no time to lose.’
“It’s going to be a lot of work raising the money,” Martinez said. “But it will be an incredible asset to our community.” Museums recognizing and honoring the historic, cultural, social and political contributions of Latinos already exist in a few cities across the country, she said. For Denver and Colorado, it has simply been ephemeral. But that is about to change.
The former Denver City Council President Martinez and Barela Rivera, a former federal government executive, have already made expeditionary visits to a few Latino museums, including one in Buffalo, New York, a place that does not conjure up the image of Latinos and their contributions.
There are currently museums similar to what is imagined for Denver and Colorado in many if not most of the largest U.S. cities. San Francisco has the Galeria de la Raza, Los Angeles has La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Miami has Museo de la Diaspora Cubana, Albuquerque’s is the National Hispanic Cultural Center and New York has El Museo del Barrio.
But Latino/Hispanic museums also exist in smaller cities like Santa Barbara, California, Syracuse, New York and, closer to home, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Because so much of the work is yet to be done, there is no firm date for a start on construction. But a site for the still unnamed center is set. Its home will be a fifteen-acre plot on the Auraria Higher Education Complex off Speer Boulevard. Ball Arena will sit across the street.
The edifice remains a mystery. But both women believe that it will be eye-catching when it opens to the public. The reason is because Denver-based architect Curt Fentress has stepped up to address the design. Fentress is regularly placed among the world’s most notable architects having signature structures around the world. The Fentress name is on DIA, South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, Washington, D.C.’s National Museum of the Marine Corps and Empower Field at Mile High.
While much can change, Martinez said she envisions a “six-story building,” with a single floor each dedicated each to Indigenous people, early Spanish and Mexican settlers and another for Mexican immigrants and political/social activists. She also said it would have two patios and a restaurant. “It’ll be a house where everyone can go.”
To that end, Martinez said when the doors ultimately open, the museum will be available for social events of every stripe, including “quincineras, weddings, receptions and birthday parties.” It will also have a theater that will seat 240. “We need to tell all of our stories.”
While there is irony in the fact that Colorado is a Spanish word, only scant information in 20th century history books was dedicated to the historic contributions made by Latinos and indigenous groups and individuals. That, of course, is changing and the rich tapestry of Colorado is becoming better known.
The museum will tell the overarching story of Colorado. There will be stops where people can learn of Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipita, explorers Juan Bautista de Anza and Diego de Vargas. Visitors will learn the names of José Victór García and Jesús María Barela, Colorado’s first Spanish-speaking state legislators.
No era of Colorado names or places will be omitted. Contemporary Coloradans, Latinos and Latinas, will all have their space. The names of Martinez, one of the first women and Latinas to serve as President of Denver City Council and Barela Rivera will one day dwell there. And in perpetuity.
But others like Ken Salazar, perhaps the state’s most accomplished political icon who has served as Ambassador to Mexico, U.S. Senator and Cabinet Secretary, Federico Pena, Denver’s first Latino Mayor, cultural icon and political activist Rudolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzales and countless others who have shaped the state’s rich history but sadly remain largely unknown will finally be introduced to the state and world.
“We need to tell all the stories,” said Barela Rivera. “Our mission is to honor our roots…look at Colorado’s earliest ancestors. We want this building to be an inspiring space and want people to feel like they’re home.”
Envisioning an idea is one thing, say the pair. Realizing it will take nothing short of a full-on commitment from everyone. Right now, raising the money to set all the pieces in place is the priority.
The pair, who have been at the helm on the project nearly full time for the last two years, have gotten financial commitments from Colorado Health and the Salazar Family Foundation. And while that may seem like a great start, the top of the mountain is still a long way off from the (current) goal of $20 million.
While the museum will have a Denver address, Martinez and Barela Rivera are adamant that it is a Colorado project and not a ‘mile high’ effort. “We are trying to take our board to different places,” said Barela Rivera, to instill an air of solidarity with Latinos and others across the state. To date, they have traveled to Pueblo, Fort Collins, Greeley and have planned trips to Alamosa, Durango and the San Luis Valley.
Martinez and Barela Rivera will be working with larger organizations and foundations to raise the bulk of the funding to launch. But anyone who would like to contribute can visit Cohhf.com where there are several ways listed for giving.
Martinez and Barela Rivera agree they may currently be the names most connected to the project. But, as JFK also once intoned in his speeches: ‘You do not build a ship by ordering people to simply gather wood. Instead, you must first inspire them to long for the sea.’
