El Molcajete

University of Colorado at Denver Installation

November 2020 - Present

By the early 1920s, there was a prominent Hispanic community in Auraria. St. Cajetan’s Catholic Church was built in 1926 and was the cultural heart of Auraria’s Hispanic community. In 1941, a housing project was established by the city of Denver and the community was moved out of Auraria. This work is a confrontation to the gentrification of Auraria, and is a representation of the Hispanic communities that have been present in Auraria for the last 100 years.

The molcajete is a cooking tool used by pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures. Molcajetes are pestle and mortars with three sturdy legs to provide maximum support for ‘the daily grind’. Molcajetes were preserved through the Spanish Conquest and are still used today.

Carton Piedra (rock cardboard)

3 ft x 3.5 ft