Three National Heritage Areas together released this documentary that explores the historical and cultural connections between their areas in three states. Hello Neighbor premiered in 2019 in Manassa, Colorado, a town whose history embodies the story of the San Luis Valley as a multicultural crossroads along the Old Spanish Trail.

The Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area in Colorado, Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area in New Mexico and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area in Utah collaborated on this 30-minute film that features interviews with residents of the San Luis Valley and touches on many aspects of the area’s history. That includes the remarkable sequence of events that ties together the history of three NHAs involved: an encounter in New Mexico that led a Hispanic resident of Colorado to aid Mormon settlers from Utah when they arrived in the San Luis Valley in the 1870s. Hello Neighbor also addresses the racial, linguistic, and religious conflicts that arose between various cultures in the valley, as well as the longstanding battle of water. Ultimately, the documentary shows that when the peoples of the San Luis Valley have overcome their cultural differences to foster a spirit of cooperation and natural resource conservation, their communities have been able not only to survive, but to flourish.

Access the 30-minute film at the link above.