CSU Pueblo Brings Poetry, Testimonio and Cultural Memory to Campus for Sixth Annual Aztlán Institute
Release Date: September 16, 2026
CSU Pueblo Brings Poetry, Testimonio and Cultural Memory to Campus for Sixth Annual Aztlán Institute
Three scholars will lead a free, day-long institute on refugio, belonging and Chicano/a studies at the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom
Author: Gena Alfonso, Director of Communications/PIO
PUEBLO, Colo. (Sept. 16, 2026) – Colorado State University Pueblo will turn the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom into a day of poetry, testimonio and cultural memory work on Friday, Sept. 25. The Aztlán Research Center will host its sixth annual institute, and three scholars will lead the conversation.
This year's theme, “Aztlán as Refugio: Place, Memory, and Belonging in Educación and Community,” runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free, though registration is required.
The institute asks a direct question: what does refuge look like inside a classroom, on a campus or across a community? How can we, as a community and as educational institutions build on our students’ lived experiences to help them succeed? Three keynote speakers will offer three answers, each rooted in a different piece of Chicana and Chicano scholarship: conocimiento, testimonio and querencia.
Keynote Speakers
Ramon del Castillo, Ph.D.
Ramon del Castillo, Ph.D.
“Chicano Poetry for Aztlán as Refugio and Belonging” — 8:45 a.m.
Del Castillo chaired the Chicana/o Studies Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver for 13 years. He wrote a political column for the Rocky Mountain News and released a poetry collection, “Chicana/o Rhapsodic Rhythm and Blues” and “Quetzales are Not Extinct.”
Josie Méndez-Negrete, Ph.D.
Josie Méndez-Negrete, Ph.D.
“Conocimiento & Testimonio: Story as Sanctuary” — 10 a.m.
Méndez-Negrete is professor emerita at the University of Texas at San Antonio and founder of Conocimientos Press. She has published three books, including “Hijas de Juan: Daughters Betrayed,” which traces her transnational life from Mexico, to the United States. Her most recent research documents the history of activist leaders in San José, California.
Karen R. Roybal, Ph.D.
Karen R. Roybal, Ph.D.
“Querencia & the Cultural Archive: Embodied Memory, Place, and Community” — 11:15 a.m.
Roybal holds a doctorate in American Studies from the University of New Mexico and studies land dispossession across the Southwest. She wrote “Archives of Dispossession: Recovering the Testimonios of Mexican American Herederas, 1848-1960” and co-edited “Transnational Chicanx Perspectives on Ana Castillo” with Bernadine Hernández.
How to Attend
Registration is free and required. Space is limited to 90 seats. Register through the CSU Pueblo Library Calendar at csupueblo.libcal.com/event/16825450. For questions, call (719) 549-2361.
Media Contact:
Gena Alfonso, Director of Communications/PIO
Colorado State University Pueblo
Gena.Alfonso@csupueblo.edu I (719) 671-0929
About the Aztlán Research Center
The Aztlán Research Center at Colorado State University Pueblo elevates understanding of the peoples and places of the Southwest, Aztlán, especially the lived experiences of Chicana/o/x/, Latina/o/x, and Indigenous communities.
About Colorado State University Pueblo
CSU Pueblo is a regional comprehensive university and designated Hispanic-Serving Institution located in Southern Colorado. With an enrollment of over 3,500 students, the university offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering, business, nursing, and the sciences. The university serves a diverse, first-generation student body and prepares graduates for leadership and success in a changing global economy.
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