The movie “A Story to Tell,” produced by Down to Earth Media, LLC, is about Esperanza “Hope” Lobato-Gallegos, who has been researching her family’s genealogy for a number of years, specifically focusing on the names of her paternal and maternal grandparents, Gallegos and Lobato, respectively.

Through her research, she discovered that on July 10, 1751, the King of Spain granted to Captain Juan Jose Lobato, son of Bartolome Lobato, possession of Las Trampas Land Grant.

The governor of New Mexico approved the Land Grant for twelve families. Hope’s great-great-grandfather Pedro Lobato and his three sons voted in the first territorial election in 1861. He was a legislator during the establishment of Colorado in 1865 and 1866. Pedro also served on the Union ticket in the House of Representatives.

Juan Bautista Lobato established the first Pony Express route from southwestern Colorado to Denver.
The communities depicted in the film are in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.

Esperanza, great-great-granddaughter of Pedro Antonio Lobato and Concepcion DeHerrera, received the First Family Certificate of Recognition, signed by Colorado Governor Bill Owens, on September 30, 2003.
The film addresses the past, present, and future of these Spanish-speaking communities. “Being granted and entrusted with these stories for the purpose of this documentary was an honor and a blessing,” Father Sergio Robles of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Conejos, Colorado says. He continues, “if we lose our traditions, we lose our identity.”

The movie trailer can be purchased by visiting downtoearthmedia.org.