Anglo Intrusion on the Old Sangre de Cristo Land Grant

Abstract

Positioned on the northern edge of the Hispano homeland, the southern portion of the old Sangre de Cristo Land Grant (present‐day Costilla County, Colorado) provides an interesting empirical study of cultural change. After economically displacing Spanish‐American residents from villages throughout the homeland's core, incoming Anglos have adopted the region's rich Spanish culture as their own. On the homeland's periphery, however, the cultural traditions of Hispanos and Anglos have been, for the most part, at odds. Most resident Hispanos desire to maintain ties to their traditional past, while the younger generations embrace Anglo cultural norms. Considering the vital role it plays in the maintenance of culture, religion provides a window to the study area's modified cultural environment. In 1900 the population in this region was predominantly Catholic Hispano; by 1990 Protestant‐dominated Anglos comprised a sizeable proportion of the population. Comparisons are made between traditional Hispano and Anglo‐influenced religious landscapes. Changes in church affiliation, the distribution of active Penitente moradas, and the characteristics of community cemeteries demonstrate ongoing cultural change. Geographically isolated communities, where Anglo intrusion is limited, retain their strong Hispano cultural integrity.

Detached from Their Homeland: The Latter-day

“…Nazi Germany). Not only does this undergirding system give guidance and direction, and promote conformity in group behavior, but as found within the LDS colonies examined here, and the Hispano experience reported elsewhere (Nostrand 1992;Smith 1999), it provides a strong social network of support not typically found within other groups. The shared belief system serves as the glue that holds the culture group and its homeland together.…”

“…As recognized throughout the literature, the most important ingredient needed for the development of a homeland is a people's bonding with place (Roark 1993;Schnell 2000;Conzen 2001;Nostrand and Estaville 2001;Smith 2002). This loyalty to place is described by both Nostrand and Estaville (1993; as well as Conzen (2001) as a deep emotional attachment sometimes manifested as a compulsion to defend one's territory.…”

“…However, as the everexpanding body of research illustrates (Schnell 2000;Hurt 2001Hurt , 2003Smith 2002), it is apparent that no term within the geographic lexicon captures the essence of peoples' deep-seated feelings of attachment to place better than the concept of homeland. As Steven Schnell aptly remarks: "[M]ore than simply a refinement of the culture-area concept, the growing focus on homelands is a recognition of the inadequacy of broad culture regions to describe emotional attachments to place" (Schnell 2000, 156).…”

Pueblo Mission Churches as Symbols of Permanence and Identity*

“…Zuni, the westernmost New Mexico pueblo, was the least affected by Christianity, even though the Zuni accepted some of the missionary teachings (Forrest 1929;Crampton 1977). Third, the location of these pueblos on the periphery of today's Hispano Homeland (Nostrand 1992;Smith 1999) underscores the distinctive cultural mix of this study area relative to that of the other New Mexico Pueblo villages.…”

The Role of Decorative Features in the Endurance of Vernacular Architecture in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India

“…Kinnaur district is one of its more isolated districts, tucked up against the Tibetan border. Scholars agree that mountain passes, distance from roads, and extreme climates greatly contribute to the longevity of vernacular landscapes, often fostering a respect for tradition and a strong sense of group identity (Hostetler ; Berreman ; Meyrowitz ; Bourdier and AlSayyad ; Oliver ; Norberg‐Hodge ; Abel ; Kleinert ; Singh ; Smith , ; Shankar ; Edwards ). Geographic isolation “insulates” residents and “reinforces their dependence on what they know and have inherited,” sustaining “truly indigenous examples” and unbroken traditions of architecture (Oliver , 56; Abel , 163).…”