Hispanics in Utah
The land of Utah was home to multiple Indigenous bands and tribes, such as the Paiute, Shoshone, and Ute tribes for thousands of years before Europeans came to the Americas. Historians believe that a number of Native Americans, including the Utes, share common ancestry with the Aztecs. In 502 B.C. a great migration of Aztecs moved South due to a major drought. As Europeans came to the continent, the Spanish Empire claimed ownership over the larger Southern and Southwest area after friars Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante explored New Mexico and Utah. This area, with Utah being the northernmost reaches, was taken as Mexican territory. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo passed ownership of the Southwest, about 50% of Mexican territory, to the United States. This treaty came after a battalion, of which 500 Mormon settlers participated, marched through Mexican territory. As more U.S. settlers came to the area, many generations of Mexicans who previously lived on the land were forced to leave. However, just a few decades later, Hispanics came to Utah in booming numbers to supply vital labor in the railroad, mining, and agricultural industries. This growth only continued with the advent of the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
Hispanics in Utah, unlike in other Southwestern states, did not have established Spanish-speaking communities to join. Nonetheless, beginning soon after large numbers of Hispanics began to move to Utah, groups of Hispanics in Utah actively created organizations to maintain cultural traditions and advocate for Hispanics at a governmental level.
Railroads and Miners
Hispanic Migrant Labor in Utah
As both the mining and railroad industries began to develop in Utah, they depended upon the migrant labor of Hispanics. Despite this dependence, Hispanic migrant workers were often underpaid and living in conditions with no running water and little opportunity for education.
View Story Show on Map
Sugar Beets and Sheep
Hispanic Migrant Labor in Utah
The migrant labor of Hispanics has been vital to the economy of Utah since the 20th century, but these workers remain one of the most vulnerable populations within the state, at one point making less than those on welfare. Their history here in Utah provides further context for current discussions on migrant labor and immigration.
View Story Show on Map
“This Gathering”
Hispanics in Monticello 1900-1950
Due to external pressures and free land, several Hispanic families moved to Monticello and the surrounding San Juan County. The rural landscape allowed Hispanic families to keep more of their culture than those in more urban spaces which manifested in the construction of the first Hispanic Catholic Church in the state.
View Story Show on Map
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission
Catholicism and Hispanics in Utah
As the Spanish-speaking population of Salt Lake exploded in the beginning of the twentieth century, the need for a Catholic mission to better minister to members and protect them from other missionary efforts resulted in the Our Lady of Guadalupe mission.
View Story Show on Map
The Guadalupe Center
A Haven for Hispanics
In 1966, on 346 West 100 South in Salt Lake City, UT, the Guadalupe Center opened its doors to the public. Started by Father Jerald H. Merrill, this center was a haven for the Hispanic population of Salt Lake.
View Story Show on Map
SOCIO: Reforming Utah’s Approach to Hispanic Education
As the Hispanic population in Utah continued to develop during the course of the 20th century, so did the growing community’s efforts to secure equal opportunities for education. The Spanish-speaking Organization for Community, Integrity, and Opportunity (SOCIO) was a grassroots organization which—for over 20 years—helped develop reforms aimed at improving educational opportunities and experiences…
View Story Show on Map
SOCIO: Advocating for Hispanics in Utah
As the Hispanic population in Utah continued to develop during the course of the 20th century, so did the growing community’s efforts to secure equal opportunities for education, representation, and economic welfare. The Spanish-speaking Organization for Community, Integrity, and Opportunity (SOCIO) was a grassroots organization which for over 20 years helped develop reforms aimed at improving…
View Story Show on Map
The "Most Important Event on Campus"
1974 Chicano Conference at BYU
In 1974, Brigham Young University hosted a symposium on Chicanos. From coast to coast, law enforcement, social and government workers, educators, healthcare workers, and others interested in the Spanish-American population attended in order to understand and address the problems facing Spanish-speaking Americans.
View Story Show on Map