'Health is a Human Right" - A Casa de Cultura Mural at El Centro, Las Vegas, Nuevo Mexico.
About Casa de Cultura
Casa de Cultura is a tax-exempt community based organization whose mission is to create a cultural environment in the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico and in surrounding communities in northern New Mexico. We aspire to foster trust and cohesion among diverse ethnic and social groups by participation in cultural and educational activities. Throughout the formative stages of the organization, if became clear that grassroots culture is a powerful tool for community development. We are not only interested in theater, sculpture, fine arts and music, but also in how we could converge these cultural elements together with educational objectives and public awareness about development strategies.
Historically, northern New Mexico was known for its self sufficiency and independence. The acequia system (irrigation ditches), the Land Grants, rural farming cooperatives, cabildos (town hall democracy) and other institutions gave way to east-west pressures i.e. land use, taxation, business practices and unscrupulous land takeovers by individuals. This has resulted in economic stagnation and social fragmentation. Because the strengths of vital infrastructures of communities of place were severely weakened, few rural centers could sustain traditional practices. Our cultural efforts are calculated to conscienticize citizens about the value of a sustainable approach to economic and social development. This has been the role of Casa de Culture. Since its inception in 2006, Casa’s program has been focused on creating a social infrastructure using grassroots culture as the motivational ingredient.