Community Voices
Colorado’s Chicano/a/x murals are linked with an abundance of first-hand experiences and multi-layered stories. Read below to learn more about community members’ accounts of particular murals, other means of collective resistance and celebration, and future desires for the murals and their neighborhoods.
These accounts are excerpts from a recent oral history project done in collaboration with eight narrators who are long-time residents of La Alma and Auraria, two neighborhoods in Denver’s West Side.
Mural Stories in Denver’s West Side
Learn about some of the early Chicano/a/x murals painted in Denver.
The West Side’s Chicana/o/x Activism
Hear narrators describe their experiences of the Chicana/o/x Movement in the 1960s and 70s.
Community Control as Resistance and Resilience
Learn about how residents of La Alma and Auraria built their own internal systems for sharing power and control over their own communities.
Casa Mayan's History of Inclusion in Auraria
North of La Alma, residents of Auraria experienced mass displacement in the 1960s and 70s. Listen to stories of Casa Mayan, a former community hub and Mexican restaurant that thrived for decades before Auraria's gentrification.
Ties to Space and Neighbors Amidst Gentrification
Hear long-time resident's experiences and responses to changes in the West Side due to urban development and gentrification.
Casa Mayan's History of Inclusion in Auraria
North of La Alma, residents of Auraria experienced mass displacement in the 1960s and 70s. Listen to stories of Casa Mayan, a former community hub and Mexican restaurant that thrived for decades before Auraria's gentrification.
Community Control as Resistance and Resilience
Learn about how residents of La Alma and Auraria built their own internal systems for sharing power and control over their own communities.