The Aztlan Theater’s Struggles Raise Questions About ‘Belonging’ in a Gentrified Denver

Chicano activist Timeo Correa says the story of the Aztlan Theater almost writes itself. 

The slanted maroon floors have welcomed everyone from ravers to community activists. Behind the stage is an old chimney from the days when it was a vaudeville theater. There’s a Rowe 200 selection stereo jukebox in the lobby filled with hits from Hispanic artists spanning decades, such as Tito Puente, Perez Prado, and Javier Solis. Paraphernalia from Spanish movies shown on the big screen, and tour photos from when Selena performed here are on the walls. From the used furniture that creates a makeshift lounge, you can imagine the likes of Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing concerts here. 

But like all good stories, the one about the Aztlan Theatre appears to be coming to an end. Correa told the Colorado Times Recorder that revenue from event bookings is way down. Meanwhile, Correa says the theater’s $37,000 property tax bill eats up more than half of his annual income, and the list of maintenance projects for the theater has also grown. Correa said he has fielded some offers to buy the building but hasn’t decided to sell it yet. 

This is happening while Denver’s Hispanic community and community theater scene struggle with the ongoing impacts of gentrification. Since 2018, census data shows that the number of Hispanic people living in Denver has declined by roughly 4%, accounting for more than 10,000 people. And theaters like Landmark’s Esquire are shutting down, and the Yeates Theatre is struggling to find someone to lease the space. 

Correa said he plans to host a fundraising party on August 3 to help prevent the theater from closing. The party will be from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and feature live jungle and drum and bass music from DJs such as Mick Jeets from Omaha, Nebraska, and Denver-based Mobis. All proceeds from the party will go toward saving the Aztlan Theater. If the party is unsuccessful, Correa worries he might have to close or sell the theater. 

“It feels like I’m losing a family member,” Correa said. 

Since Correa purchased the Aztlan Theatre in 1972, it has hosted Chicano cultural events and figures like the Ballet Folklórico de México, which highlights aspects of Mesoamerican culture. Mexican actor Ricardo Montalbán has also graced the stage. 

Correa said he’s seen the theater molt to match Denver’s growth, too. He organized a community meeting at the theater when gang violence was rampant in Denver during the 1990s and has used the venue to promote city council candidates that he thought would represent the city’s Hispanic community. 

But Correa is starting to think that the city has outgrown its former mecca of Hispanic culture.  

The theater’s marquee describes the property tax increase as “inhumane.” Correa admits he put it up because he was angry. He also reached out to people inside City Hall to see if there was anything he could do to reduce the taxes owed on the old theater, but nobody got back to him. Seeing no alternatives, Correa said he paid the $37,000 tax bill in two installments, but doing so left a big hole in his wallet. 

Correa added that he’s contacted a firm called Property Tax Advisors, Inc. for help. The organization told Bucketlistcommunitycafe.com that it filed two property tax assessment protests on Correa’s behalf but declined to file a third because the theater did not have a strong enough case. 

“I’m basically working for the city now,” Correa said. 

He also reached out to the Santa Fe Business Improvement District and the Arts District on Santa Fe for help as well, but to no avail. Correa said he is paying the Business Improvement District roughly $7,000 per year in fees but is not receiving services like snow removal or public space maintenance that he’s supposed to. He also said they removed a tree from outside the theater multiple times, Correa said. 

The Santa Fe BID did not respond to requests for comment. The Arts District on Santa Fe declined a request for an interview.

The Aztlan Theatre’s struggles are also happening at a time when gentrification continues to disrupt the Denver Hispanic community’s sense of belonging. 

In 2019, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition ranked Denver as the top city in the country for Hispanic displacement. At the time, the city lost roughly 1,054 Hispanic residents per census tract. That was over twice as much as larger cities with comparable Hispanic populations like New York City, Los Angeles, and Houston. 

Last year, Latinos United Neighbors Association, a local community organization of Latino leaders, gave Mayor Mike Johnston a “D” grade, partly because Latinos held a small fraction of leadership positions in his administration. The group also gave the mayor an “F” grade for failing to stymie the impacts of gentrification on Latino and Hispanic residents. 

Many Hispanic neighborhoods like Elyria Swansea and Globeville continue to face environmental challenges that the NCRC highlighted as one reason why so many Hispanic residents were leaving the city. For instance, Globeville and Elyria Swansea residents face higher rates of chronic illnesses than the rest of Dever, especially for adult asthma issues stemming from air pollution, according to a community health survey released in February and authored by a team of researchers from Colorado State University.

Gentrification is also creating structural barriers for Latino and Hispanic students in Denver’s schools, according to the latest La Raza report from Denver Public Schools.  Overall, the report found that there are fewer Latino students in the Denver Public Schools than there were before the pandemic and found a “perpetual undervaluing” of Latino culture throughout the school system. 

Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero told Chalkbeat in March that the report laid bare how Denver’s Latino and Hispanic community is losing their sense of belonging in the city. 

“It was painful to hear or read … the lived experience of some of our Latino students who, even amongst their Latino groups, really expressed a lack of sense of belonging,” Marrero told the digital news outlet. “That was painful … because it’s something that is a reality.”

To Correa, closing the Aztlan Theater could be another nail in the coffin for Denver’s Hispanic and Latino community. 

“I think it will help eliminate the historic endowments by the Hispanic community, which is already being partially eliminated,” Correa said.