Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos Records

Founded on November 26, 1900, at Antonito, Colorado, La Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos (SPMDTU) celebrated its 100th year anniversary at the meeting hall of the Superior Council on September 2, 2000. The SPMDTU has withstood the test of time and remains as the oldest active Hispanic mutual aid society. Shortly after the centennial, the Superior Council entered into an agreement with the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico to archive its records as a way of preserving the history of the society. The Superior Council continues to function as the executive body of the society and in 2022 approved the digitizing of selected records of the organization as part of the UNM Digital Repository. The major components featured in the UNM Digital Repository include the founding documents such as the Preamble to the Constitution, selected convention minutes and reports, activities of the Concilio Superior and local councils, oral histories, accounts of the women’s auxiliaries, and countless photographs documenting the history of the society and the milestone project that led to the restoration of the SPMDTU meeting hall in the years 2023-2024.

Most entries were digitized from the SPMDTU archives housed at the Center for Southwest Research along with additional materials provided by UNM professor emeritus and former Secretario Superior of La Sociedad, José Rivera, who curated the collection with the assistance of archivists at the CSWR.