Though the little town of San Luis may seem like a mere speck on the vast plains that stretch across the expansive San Luis Valley, the town’s roots run deep and provide fascinating insight into Colorado’s early past.

As the state’s oldest town, San Luis was established in 1851, not long after the land became part of the United States following the Mexican-American War. Spanish settlers from northern New Mexico ventured into the unsettled territory, becoming the area’s first non-Native American residents. These founders followed a communal way of life, farming and digging the public irrigation ditches that would garner the first water right in Colorado.

They also shared pastureland where livestock grazed. Called La Vega, this plot of land on the southeast edge of town remains in communal use today, making it one of the country’s last remaining commons. Early villagers also opened a general store in 1857 that, remarkably, is still doing strong business on its original site—in the hands of the same family. Now called R&R Market, it's the oldest continuously operating business in Colorado.

At San Luis’ heart is a traditional town center, which is now recognized as the Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra National Historic District. The district encompasses the original Sangre de Cristo Parish church, which remains the center of Catholic worship in San Luis today.

The town is most famous, however, for its Stations of the Cross shrine, a string of bronze statues climbing the mesa adjacent to town. Each station represents a moment during the crucifixion of Christ, and the locale is a Mecca for Christians each Easter. Art aficionados might like to visit the sculptor's studio, located in town at the bottom of the hill.