Colorado's tourism economy, driven by hotel, restaurant, and construction sectors, significantly relies on Latino labor, a contribution often overlooked in the state's historical narrative. Ernesto Sagás, an ethnic studies professor at Colorado State University, emphasizes this history's importance for understanding modern Colorado. In his book, “Latino Colorado: The Struggle for Equality in the Centennial State,” Sagás examines the diverse contributions, challenges, and cultural identities of Latinos who have shaped the state. The book, published in hardback in 2025, will be released in paperback this November.
In an interview with the Estes Valley Voice during Hispanic Heritage Month, Sagás discussed Latino identity, assimilation, immigration, and ways communities like Estes Park can build stronger relationships between Anglo and Hispanic residents. His research poses important questions for mountain towns such as Estes, heavily dependent on immigrant labor: How can communities recognize the significant contributions of Latino workers and create opportunities for them and their families to belong, participate, and prosper?
Latinos make up more than 22% of Colorado’s population and an estimated 10% of the Estes Valley population. Still, the term Latino encompasses people with widely different histories, national origins, and cultural experiences. A fifth-generation Hispanic family in southern Colorado may have little in common with a recently arrived immigrant from Guatemala or a U.S.-born child raised in Estes Park whose parents emigrated from Mexico. Some identify as Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Mexican American, Chicano, or simply American. Sagás challenges the tendency to treat this diverse population as a single community with identical experiences, noting these differences shape how people assimilate while maintaining cultural connections.
Sagás described assimilation as a multigenerational process that unfolds differently depending on when families arrive, where they settle, and the cultural connections they maintain. While historical immigrant groups often integrated over generations, for Mexican Americans and other Latino populations, the process is more complicated. Unlike some earlier groups whose migration slowed, immigration from Latin America has continued across generations. Sagás described the process as “two steps forward and one step back,” with established families assimilating even as newcomers arrive with different languages, customs, and experiences. Children born and educated in the United States generally develop strong English-language skills and familiarity with American institutions, often expanding their opportunities. Yet, assimilation does not necessarily mean abandoning cultural identity; Sagás described a phenomenon among third-generation Latinos who develop renewed interest in their ancestral heritage, sometimes referred to as “born-again Latinos,” who seek to reconnect with language, history, and customs. This illustrates that becoming American and retaining a Latino identity are not mutually exclusive.
America’s relationship with immigration has long been complicated, celebrating heritage while also experiencing hostility toward newcomers. Sagás observed that resistance to immigration is not limited to long-established families; even children and grandchildren of immigrants sometimes distance themselves from newly arrived immigrants to avoid being confused with those who have not yet assimilated. This tension reflects a broader human tendency to distinguish between established community members and newcomers. In the Estes Valley, similar attitudes can emerge toward newcomers, second-home owners, and tourists, despite the local economy’s dependence on both visitors and second homeowners, whose property taxes support essential services.
For immigrants, challenges like language barriers, immigration status, economic insecurity, and discrimination compound the difficulties of becoming part of a new community. Colorado’s dependence on Latino labor is evident in mountain resort communities like Estes, where hotels, restaurants, construction, and service industries rely on workers whose labor makes the visitor experience possible. Many are immigrants, others U.S.-born Latinos with generational roots in Colorado. Sagás’s research shows how tourism and real estate development in Colorado’s Western Slope attracted Latino workers, transforming communities. However, economic opportunities have not always translated into economic security. Workers who build and maintain expensive properties often cannot afford to live where they work, leading to long commutes, crowded housing, or multiple jobs.
In Estes Park, employers rely on workers whose wages can’t cover local housing costs. Estes Park is separated from larger housing markets by mountain roads and substantial commuting distances. When Latino employees cannot establish permanent homes where they work, they are denied opportunities to participate in the community’s civic and social life as entrepreneurs, students, neighbors, and potential community leaders. In Estes Park, Anglo and Hispanic residents may share workplaces, schools, stores, and public spaces while often remaining separated by language, social networks, and cultural expectations.
Sagás discussed his experience participating in community conversations, including programs sponsored by libraries and other civic organizations, that bring together residents from different backgrounds. One such initiative is the new Latino Alliance, sponsored by the Estes Chamber, which aims to connect Latino business owners, professionals, employees, and tradespeople with the broader business community.
His work, which is extending into Wyoming to examine Latino contributions, reinforces a central theme: understanding the history of the American West requires recognizing the diversity of people whose labor, families, and cultures have shaped it. For Estes Park, these lessons are both historical and immediate. The Latino community is not separate from the Estes Valley’s economic and social future; it is part of that future. The challenge is to move beyond recognizing the work people do and toward recognizing their place in the community. One first step is bringing neighbors together, sharing a meal, listening to one another’s stories, and starting a conversation that continues long after the gathering ends.
