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La Placita was a small 1890s Hispanic settlement located in southeastern Colorado in the Purgatoire River Valley. The name “La Placita” is the New Mexican Spanish word for small plaza. It is located south of La Junta and east of Trinidad on the grounds of the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS). ==History and Background== Hispanic settlement of the Purgatoire River Valley took shape in the late 1860s when the Cordova family, formally of Taos, New Mexico, built a fortified plaza. Soon after, other settlements followed. By 1874, the area had a population of roughly 450 people, and as was the case with most frontier settlements there was a higher percentage of men than women.〔 In the 1880s ranch consolidations began to take place in the area, often using public land for feeding grounds. British based Prairie Cattle Company bought and amassed 2.2 million acres south of the Arkansas River. This encroachment of Anglo peoples into the traditionally Mexicano and Hispanic lands began to change the landscape and community dramatically, especially as statehood and citizenship became factors after the Mexican American War. At the time of La Placita’s founding, the New Mexican settlers were outnumbered by settlers who moved to Colorado from other states.〔 La Placita was settled around 1890 and was occupied for roughly a decade before being abandoned by 1898. The people of La Placita never legally owned the land, but formed very permanent settlements which were thoughtfully arranged. This type of settlement pattern was historic in nature as most Mexicano populations would move out to a new area and begin to work and modify the land before attempting to claim legal ownership. The land had to be tested for its validity and fertility before a commitment could be made.〔 Abandonment of La Placita likely occurred due to a thinning of the Mexicano population. As populations moved out to settle new areas and territories they became more and more distanced from one another. This would make it difficult for homesteaders as they would find themselves a long trip from necessities such as midwives, healers, and churches. This lack of community likely lead to abandonment of sites which found themselves far from centers where necessities could be accessed more readily.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「La Placita, Colorado」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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