Latinos in Heritage Conservation Urge Preservation of Endangered Sites with Latinx History
Latinos in Heritage Conservation are pushing to preserve sites with a strong Latinx history
FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2016, file photo, residents stand near a mural with Chicano historical figures in the Segundo Barrio of El Paso, Texas. El Paso’s Chihuahuita and El Segundo Barrio Neighborhoods made The National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2016 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, an annual list that spotlights important examples of the nation’s architectural and cultural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)
National landmarks like the Grand Canyon are respected and protected but despite Latinx history and contributions in the U.S., many sites tied to our history are endangered. Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC), a national network aimed at preserving sites with Latinx history, claims that fewer than one percent of nationally registered historic places have connections to Latinx heritage in the U.S. They’ve released a 2025 list of 13 endangered sites with Latinx roots that they’re working to preserve including the Murales de la Calle 24 in San Francisco, Las Barracas in Colorado, and Barrio Chihuahuita in El Paso, Texas. This comes in the wake of the erasure of Latinx contributions being recognized acrossed the U.S. In July the Trump administration ordered that Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, revert back to its former name after Confederate General John Bell Hood that now would honor WWI colonel Robert B. Hood. The renaming of the military base in located in Killeen, Texas occurred in 2023 following the murder of Mexican American soldier Vanessa Guillén in 2020 which sparked conversations on sexual harassment and the protection of women in the military.
In a video announcing this project, LHC states: “Across the United States, Latinx landmarks stand as testaments to resilience, creativity, and survival.”
The list also features Murales de la Calle 24 in San Francisco’s Mission District, the city’s first officially designated cultural district with a rich Latinx heritage, El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus in Ruidosa, Texas, a historic adobe church built by local laborers for Mexican and Mexican-American farming communities, and Las Barracas in Longmont, Colorado. This was formerly a WWII military barrack later repurposed in the late 20th century to house Mexican migrant farmworkers. Barrio Chihuahuita is El Paso’s oldest neighborhood dubbed the “Ellis Island of the West” considering its history as passage for Mexican immigrants.
“For centuries, the people of Chihuahuita have embodied resilience, making it a living testament to the oldest neighborhood in El Paso. This historic community continues to be a powerful symbol of the enduring spirit of the Borderlands,” LHC Executive Director Sehila Mota Casper stated on the website.
Elgin Mexican Cemetery in Texas also has a historic tie to Mexican Americans during a time when segregation was commonplace. The list also features contemporary sites like the Silver Platter in Los Angeles, established as a gay bar by 1963 in the Westlake neighborhood and considered the oldest extant Latinx LGBTQ+ nightlife space in the city, according to the website.
This initiative feels especially timely as the Latinx population continues to grow in the U.S. There were 62.5 million Latinxs in the U.S. in 2021, accounting for approximately 19 percent of the total population, the Pew Research Center reported. This is a jump from 1980 when the population of Latinxs was at 14.8 million making up seven percent of the total U.S. population. But it’s about more than numbers, it’s about a history that’s often overlooked if not erased. These sites are representative of the contributions Latinxs have made throughout U.S. history and their existence is a crucial part of keeping that history alive.
“There are many chapters missing in the books of American history,” the conservationist Mota Casper, director of LHC told NBC.
