The Spanish Colonies of Colorado
Between the 1920s and 1940s, sugar companies established over 100 segregated agricultural communities across the United States in states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. These “Spanish Colonies,” or colonias, were communities of primarily Spanish-speaking laborers and their families who came from the southwestern United States and Mexico. Work in the sugar beet fields (the primary crop) was arduous—long, sweltering days of backbreaking labor for little pay—but the men of the colonias found recreation and relief in baseball. In Colorado’s sugar beet colonias, laborers often used their skills on the farm to enhance their baseball playing.
Handmade and modified tools were a hallmark of the agricultural industry throughout the United States. Knives like this took the top off sugar beets before sugar extraction. A catcher’s mask shows how the metalworking skills used to shape knives transferred to the baseball field.
Hand-modified sugar beet knife, 1940s–1950s
This knife was used and modified by the De La Fuente family in Brush, Colorado.
Gift of Gabriel and Jody López in honor of Art and Helen De La Fuente
See Pleibol in 3D! Explore a model of the knife.
Greeley, Colorado
The Greeley “Spanish Colony,” established in 1924, was one of 13 in northeastern Colorado. Local baseball teams quickly formed and flourished as part of the Rocky Mountain League. They traveled to neighboring states, Wyoming and Nebraska, to play other colonias.
After World War II, some Japanese Americans returned or relocated to rural areas, including the “Spanish Colony” region, and started baseball teams. White teams often wouldn’t play them, but Mexican American teams did. After games, players gathered to share meals and swap stories. Lifelong friendships formed between players.
Greeley Grays jersey, Greeley, Colorado, 1963
This uniform has two Rocky Mountain League championship patches on its sleeves.
Gift of Gabriel and Jody López in honor of Richard “Rick” Sullivan and family
Scorebook, Mitchell, Nebraska, 1954
Gift of Gabriel and Jody López in honor of Conrad Huerta and family
Look Closely
What do you see when you look at the names on different pages of the scorebook?
The intersecting lives of Latinas/os, African Americans, Asian Americans, and ethnic White Americans often came into focus on the baseball field. Baseball provided an opportunity to come together. Community teams in particular often boasted members from varied backgrounds and enjoyed playing games with other communities, crossing racial lines in the United States.
