SPMDTU: Sociedad Proteccion Mutua De Trabajadores Unidos

Visit a landmark that represents the rich cultural history and civil rights struggles of Hispano settlers in the San Luis Valley. After the forced annexation of Mexican Territory and U.S. violation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which protected property rights of Mexicans living in the Southwest, Hispanos faced racial intolerance and land loss. Patterned after New Mexico mutual aid societies that protected the civil rights of members during industrialization of the Southwest, the Sociedad Proteccion Mutua De Trabajadores Unidos (Society for the Mutual Protection of United Workers or SPMDTU) was founded in 1900 in Antonito, Colorado.