The area surrounding St. Cajetan’s Church, once known as Auraria, was once the largest Mexican community in the city and extremely tight knit. Su Teatro Executive Artistic Director Tony Garcia, along with many company members  and supporters have roots in the Westside. Su Teatro began in the Westside, at UCD, and our recent move to the former Denver Civic Theater, is truly a return to our roots.   For generations, the culture and identity of this community has been replicated through memories, oral histories, folklore, and balladry. When integrating history and a world view, we as a community are able to develop and explore greater cultural competency, sharpen our critical perspective, and appreciate the resilience of diversity when the foundation of identity has been disrupted.  

♦ St. Cajetan’s

  Every December, Su Teatro organizes a community-building effort known as the St. Cajetan’s Reunification Project.  The project is designed to commemorate the tight knit Auraria community that was displaced when the Auraria  campus was built in 1972, to offer healing to community members and to bring together artists, community member, students and faculty at the Auraria Higher Education Center [Read More…]  

♦ Westside Oratorio

  By: Anthony J Garcia – The Westside Oratorio is a beautiful, sweeping and poignant epic that boldly brings to life the stories of seven generations of Mexican-Americans who made West Denver, Auraria, their home; but whose drive to live, struggle and create is shared universally by marginalized communities [Read More…]  

♦ El Corrido del Barrio

  By: Anthony J Garcia – I was on my way to a Su Teatro rehearsal at the University of Colorado (then called the CUDC) theater located in the old Tramway building now called the Hotel Teatro.  My path had cut me through the old Westside neighborhood in what is now the Auraria Campus.  I walked down 9th Street where I had played touch football in the middle of the street.  We would appropriate the street barriers, and continue to play as the confused drivers would be rerouted in order to allow us to continue our game.  Eventually, a responsible adult would realize what we had done and make us unblock the street and return the barriers.  All that was left of that life were a few boarded up houses.  It was very sad [Read More…]  

♦ Auraria Christmas

  By: Trini H. González – As a child, Christmas was not Christmas unless the smell of buñuelos and tamales permeated my grandma Carolina’s house.  The buñuelos (Mexican fritters) were crispy and deliciously topped with a light miel de canela and piloncillo (cinnamon and brown sugar syrup).  The pork tamales and tamales dulces (sweet) tamales were savored to the last morsel [Read More…]