MURAL

PRESERVING COMMUNITY LEGACIES
Sierras y Colores

Artists

Carlos Sandoval

Year

1986

Condition Status

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. Restored--Protective Coatings (2026)

Place

318 Main Street San Luis, Colorado. Outdoor wall of Jacales Fine Art. GPS: (37.2001, -105.4237)

About

The mural tells the story of the agricultural traditions of the Culebra Villages influenced by Indigenous and Hispano traditions. Mother Earth giving of her fruits, the labor of the farmers irrigating the acequias, and the hunter who hunts from the land of his ancestors to provide for his family. The mural commemorates San Luis de la Culebra, the oldest town in Colorado, founded in the 1840s by Hispano and Mexican settlers when the area was still part of Mexico. Nominated to the National Register of Endangered Places and designated on August 3, 2023, as a National Historic Place on the National Register of Historic Places, the “Sierras y Colores” mural holds special significance to the historical and aesthetic value it brings to the heritage and cultural character of the San Luis community.

Preservation Efforts

Sierras y Colores during restoration, 2026. Artist Carlos Sandoval with August and Edward Sandoval.
Photo by Teddy Leinbach.

Voices & Stories

Artist Carlos Sandoval reflects on his life, creative practice, and artistic journey.

Carlos Sandoval, 2022. Courtesy of DragonFruit Video

The Mural Today

Sierras y Colores, Carlos Sandoval, 1986. Main Street, San Luis, Colorado.

Dive Deeper

Historic sites in Southern Colorado recognized for preservation and modern uses

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We bring together mural-making, preservation, and storytelling to keep cultural memory alive and visible for our communities now, and for the future.

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We bring together mural-making, preservation, and storytelling to keep cultural memory alive and visible for our communities now, and for the future.

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