Downtown Alamosa mural honors culture and traditions of San Luis Valley

IT’S called “Chicos and Capulin,” a new mural by David Montgomery that celebrates the unique culture, traditions, and the agricultural heritage of the San Luis Valley.

The mural was funded by a $11,400 grant from Colorado Creative Corps American Rescue Plan. Sally Lopez, owner of Papers of Distinction at 510 State Ave., and her late husband, Dennis Lopez, collaborated with Montgomery on the mural. You can see it on the south side of Papers of Distinction facing Centennial Park.

Montgomery has been painting in the San Luis Valley for almost 50 years and believes the sense of awe that he perceives in the intense, natural beauty of the wild landscape is essential to his life and his work.

Sally Lopez grew up in San Luis and has been operating Papers of Distinction in downtown Alamosa since 1999. She and her husband, Dennis, worked with David to create a mural that honors their culture.

The mural portrays the traditional harvesting and roasting of corn (chicos), the gathering of chokecherries (capulin) and rosehips (champas). Chico and chokecherry harvesting harken to a time when communities came together for mutual prosperity and is ancestral to all cultures.

The mural is part of the city of Alamosa’s ongoing efforts to revitalize its downtown core.