Devin Jenkins on the Fate of a Spanish Dialect Native to Colorado and New Mexico

Published: Oct. 19, 2022

The Spanish spoken for hundreds of years in the San Luis region of Colorado first arrived in the 1500s, when Spaniards and mestizos from Mexico brought words from the old and new worlds as they settled in what is now New Mexico. As mestizos and colonists clashed and then blended with Native American peoples in the Southwest, more indigenous words were added to the mix. The isolated and remote area became an incubator of the dialect. In the 1800s, a flood of English speakers began to arrive, which influenced the language heavily. “This dialect is so amazing. It's so unique. It's so precious,” says Modern Language Department Chair and Professor Devin Jenkins, who has studied the dialect for more than 20 years. For more, you can view Dr. Jenkins’ extended interview via YouTube.

Spanish dialect unique to portions of Colorado and New Mexico is fading away
9 News, Oct. 3