Coloradans with Latino roots now encouraged to speak Spanish, after decades of assimilation

In the heart of Denver, Colorado, a rich tapestry of cultures lives in each neighborhood.

"We grew up with big families -- Hispanic, Irish, Italian -- in west Denver. I still live in the same neighborhood I grew up in," said Rosemary Rodriguez, a Mexican American Denver native.

It was in this neighborhood of west Denver where Rosemary made her best memories.

 "It was a great time to be a kid," she said.

She grew up living right next to her grandparents, who only spoke Spanish. Though they understood Rosemary's English, and vice versa, not learning the language pains her to this day.

"It makes me sad that I couldn't have the fruitful relationship with my Mexican grandmother that I had with my grandmother from Colorado," said Rodriguez.

 Like many Coloradans, Rodriguez was raised in an English-speaking household because her parents wanted her to speak English without an accent.

"We learned about discrimination that they experienced, that my mother, throughout her life, experienced because she had an accent," said Rodriguez, "She spoke with a Spanish accent, and I think they saw it as a way to protect us from discrimination, even though we're very obviously Indigenous-looking and Mexican."

For Dr. Nicki Gonzales, a professor at Regis University and Colorado's first Latina historian, she experienced a similar upbringing.

She notes that speaking Spanish wasn't always seen positively, dating back to the early 1900s.

"I often think about my college experiences on the East Coast as a time when my world was shattered because I lived pretty sheltered," said Gonzales.

While at Yale University, she learned why she wasn't taught Spanish growing up in Denver. As a historian in Colorado, she uncovered the reasons behind it all.

"I had to learn more about my history through other people's stories, and pieces of my history that had not been recorded," said Gonzales. "For young people, it is important to have a vessel to tell their story. I always thought knowing your roots is very empowering."

Learning your roots is empowering. Fast forward to 2024, and you have Denver Foos.

"The state has transformed -- it's almost a whole different place than when we grew up here in Denver, Colorado," said Ben.

Brothers Ben and Abe Gallegos launched the social media page Denver Foos, which rose to popularity in 2020. They now also own a barbershop, all to learn and educate about Denver culture.

"A lot of people in Los Angeles and Las Vegas were surprised that there are Brown people who are Denver Broncos fans. They thought we were Raiders fans or Cowboys fans. Nope, we love the Broncos," said Abe about his experience.

 The brothers, through their social media accounts, share what it means to grow up Latino and Hispanic in Denver.

"It has helped us feel comfortable in our skin, in our culture, and the way we talk and the way we dress."

For a long time, they felt anything but comfortable in their skin.

"I guess the perception of us was that we were all first-generation, but there are many of us who have been here for generations. We didn't really cross the border; the border crossed us," said Ben.

Assimilation for many of these families began after the Mexican-American War, which led to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty transferred more than 50% of Mexico's territory to the U.S. to end the war, moving the border south and crossing families like Ben and Abe's, who had lived in the area for decades.

"They took people's land away; they took people's language away. We're kind of like the last descendants of that generation," said Ben.

Seven generations in, the brothers grew up in predominantly White neighborhoods, where they faced subtle but damaging prejudice. To fit in, not learning the native language was encouraged.

"There's always this identity crisis of, 'Am I too Hispanic? Am I not Hispanic enough?' Like the movie 'Selena', we've got to be more American than the Americans and more Mexican than the Mexicans, and we have to work twice as hard," said Ben.

Growing up in English-speaking households, they were culture-shocked when visiting cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas, feeling they weren't Mexican enough for not being able to speak Spanish.

"People need to be more educated about the people in this country. Some have been here long before it was established as the United States," said Ben.

Now the brothers want to learn Spanish to teach the language to their future children one day.