6 Chicano Activists Dead, 2 bombs, 48 hours, 50 years ago, Los Seis de Boulder, Cuarenta Y Ocho ’48’ Thru March 23 at Denver’s Su Teatro Theatre

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“The blast on May 27, at Chautauqua Park, was heard all over Boulder. The three who died in the bombed car were Alamosa attorney and CU law school graduate Reyes Martinez, 26; Ignacio high school homecoming queen and CU junior Neva Romero, 21; and CU double major graduate Una Jaakola, 24, Martinez’s girlfriend.

Then, on May 29, another bomb went off in a car in the Burger King parking lot on 28th Street, killing Florencio Granado, 31, who once attended CU; former CU student Heriberto Teran, 24; and Francisco Dougherty, 20, a pre-med student from Texas. One survivor, who was outside of the car at the time, lost a leg and suffered severe burns.” From an article written for the Daily Camera, by librarian and local historian Carol Taylor.

Following text taken from Wikipedia

Los Seis de Boulder (transl. The Boulder Six) were six Chicano activists and students killed in two car bombings in Boulder, Colorado. The bombings occurred at the end of May 1974, with the name Los Seis de Boulder coined posthumously. The students were protesting the negative treatment of Mexican-American students at the University of Colorado, Boulder at the time of their death. Memorials to the bombing victims have been installed on the University of Colorado campus and in Chautauqua Park.

Los Seis were active in the UMAS (United Mexican American Students) at the University of Colorado Boulder. At the time [1967-1979], Colorado was one of fewer than 10 U.S. states in which Chicanos (mid-20th century political/cultural term used by some Mexican Americans) were initiating the original MECha groups. As of 2012, there are over 500 chapters. Although these groups originally concentrated more on education issues, this led to participation in political campaigns and protests against widespread issues such as police brutality and the U.S. war in Southeast Asia.

Outside of Colorado, the Brown Berets, a Chicano youth group which began in California, took on a more militant and nationalistic ideology. At the University of Colorado Boulder today, UMAS and MEChA have combined into a single coalition simply referred to as “UMAS y MEXA”.

Los Seis de Boulder (transl. The Boulder Six) were six Chicano activists and students killed in two car bombings in Boulder, Colorado.[1] The bombings occurred at the end of May 1974, with the name Los Seis de Boulder coined posthumously. The students were protesting the negative treatment of Mexican-American students at the University of Colorado, Boulder at the time of their death. Memorials to the bombing victims have been installed on the University of Colorado campus and in Chautauqua Park

Due to the politicized nature of the activists work as members of UMAS and MEChA, focusing on fighting for Mexican American student rights at the University of Colorado Boulder as well as other institutions of higher education throughout the state, conspiratorial foul play has also been suspected as claimed by some involved in the Chicano community at that time.

On May 27, 1974 a car bombing killed three Chicano activists near the Chautauqua Auditorium. Two days later, three more Chicano activists were killed in another explosion in Boulder. These six are remembered as “Los Seis de Boulder.” On May 27, 2020, a memorial stone was placed on the East side of the Chautauqua Auditorium commemorating Los Seis de Boulder and the tragedy that occurred 46 years ago on that day. The memorial event included members of the families of the deceased, Mary Young, City Council member, Chautauqua staff, and the Boulder community. Michelle Jaakola Steinwand, sister of Una Jaakola, CU Boulder graduate student, Jasmine Baetz, and Linda Arroyo-Holmstrom, a member of the Chautauqua Board of Directors, all gave speeches commemorating the deceased. Antonio Lopez, nephew of activist Reyes Martinez, wrote and performed a musical piece created for the ceremony.

The crimes have not yet been solved. The FBI and police found that the students themselves triggered bombs they were making to assault civic buildings and personnel. The active COINTELPRO program was a major factor in speculation of government involvement. Priscilla Falcon, professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Northern Colorado, said in relation to the deaths of Los Seis “After that, many people became fearful that they could be the next target of the government,” and “So there were peaks and valleys in the movement. If you’re looking at the activism among the student population, I would definitely say that a peak was 1970, with the Chicano Moratorium in California, where 3,000 folks came, and after that I think we entered into a repressive period where there was a lot of COINTELPRO stuff going on.”

See related article and review: “Who Really Killed Neva Romero & Los Seis De Boulder?” XicanIndie Film Festival HERE

Cuarenta Y Ocho Plays the Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center thru March 23, 2024

Address: 721 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204 Phone: (303) 296-0219

Tickets

March 7-23, 2024

Tickets: $20 General Admission/ $17 Students & Seniors
Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 7:30PM
Sunday March 17, 2024 at 2PM

Box Office opens 1 hour prior to showtime

Seating opens half an hour prior to showtime

Group Rates!

Comadre Docena: 12 tickets for $12 each ($144 total)
30+: 30 or more tickets for $10 each ($300 minimum)

To order Group Rate tickets or to schedule a School Group please call our office at

(303)296-0219

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