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34 The justification for integrating a general background of New Mexican history into the context of general American history is that it relates not only to the San Luis Valley region, but all other regions in Colorado settled by New Mexican Hispanics in azeas formerly claimed by Spain and Mexico. Prior to 1848, the San Luis Valley, and including all of southern Colorado south of the Arkansas River, was claimed by Mexico. After 1848, the area was encompassed within the ' American-established New Mexico Territory. The sites that represent AngloAmerican occupations evidence pattems that resulted clearly from their extensive participation within acash-based ' economy. The sites attributable to New Mexican Hispanics do not initially conform to similar pattems, but pattems representing gradual and selective change and participation is evident in the later sites, although traditional items are still encountered, at least through the early 1940s. Until recently, much of western history has focused on the hardy AngloAmerican pioneers who headed west across the Plains in covered wagons, to start new lives in an unused and available frontier region. Only recently has it recognized and acknowledged that in New Mexico a similar process also occurred, led by the pobladores, or Hispanic frontiersmen. These individuals had lived in a frontier envvortment for over 250 years, in great contrast to their AngloAmerican counterparts, ' most of whom were true first-time pioneers. As a result of political events that transpired in the 1820s, a portion of the Hispanic population of the Southwest began to participate in the new economy introduced by the United States. ' Substantial changes occurred during the last fora decades of colonial rule in New Mexico, especially in terms of Hispanic population growth. The number of people who were designated as Spaniazds and castas (people of mixed ancestry) and later as gente de razors (Hispanic cultural trait attributable to reasonable, settled Christian people) more than quadrupled between 1760 and 1822. While the native Pueblo population remained relatively stable at about 10,000, the Hispanic population increased "from 7,666 in 1760 to 17,153 in 1788, 20,626 in 1805 and some 30,000 in 1822" (Swadesh 1974:51). The changing economy, brought on by the opening of the Santa Fe Trail, necessitated the expansion of agricultural resources, resulting in the northern movement of the Hispanic Goofier into ' Colorado. The majority of the settlements initially began with Bent's Fort in the 1830s. Hispanic villagers began to re-occupy lands on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo and the Manzano ' ranges that had been abandoned to the Comanche by their grandparents. During that period, Mexican officials also began to mark out lands to the north of the Rio Aniba for future settlement. In the period between 1833 and 1843, a series of immense land grants were parceled out at the ' extreme headwaters of the Rio Grande, the San Luis Valley, and the eastern plains from the Canadian River north to the Arkansas River. The major portions of five of these grants lay entirely or largely within the future state of Colorado. The Conejos Grant was issued in 1833 and ' reconfirmed in 1842. It encompassed the upper Rio Grande and much of the San Juan Mountains. In 1841, the Beaubien and Miranda Grant encompassed more than a million acres--land extending from just below Trinidad to Taos, and adjoining the Sangre de Cristo Grant. It was confirmed in ' 1843. In that same year, the Sangre de Cristo Grant, consisting of the San Luis Valley, was drawn • up. In that same year Gervacio Nolan received a smaller tract south of the site of Pueblo. Also in 1843, the Huerfano, Cucharas, Apishapa, and Purgatoire valleys, draining the east slope of the ' Sangre de Cristo Range, were granted to a partnership comprised of Comelio Vigil (a Taos official),