San Luis Valley's - Old Spanish Trail Landmark

The San Luis Valley's - Old Spanish Trail Landform Sculpture was conceived as a way to mark the historic trail and highlight the cultures of the San Luis Valley, Colorado.

Mettje Swift, an artist from Del Norte, Colorado, conceived of the project and began by creating a proposal and identifying the participants. During the progress of the work, the project received funding from the Rio Grande County Tourism Board, the Forest Service and the Colorado Creative Industries.

Swift located the large sandstone scraps to be used and hired the local Gates Family to move the stones from the Old Stone Quarry to the sculpture site. The sculpture work began in 1999 and was to take 3 years working during the summer in the cool of the early morning. Mettje was joined by Ross Martin, a young sculptor from La Garita to help complete the sculpture.

The theme of the sculpture was inspired by a small wood carving of the santa, La Conquistadora.  Her story, as it involves the San Luis Valley and the Cathedral of Santa Fe in New Mexico, was carried north from Santa Fe with the Spaniard Don Diego de Vargas into the San Luis Valley with the founding families of the Del Norte area. The front sculpture is a wheel representing both time and travel of those families and others who came after. Other themes include local rock art, and a map.

More info on the Old Spanish Trail - La Vereda del Norte Chapter, click here!

The sculpture is located on Hwy 160 about 1/2 way between Monte Vista and Del Norte, CO.