Las Gorras Blancas — The Night Riders of the San Luis Valley
Las Gorras Blancas (The White Caps) were a secret society of Mexican-American vigilantes who rode at night in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado between 1889 and 1891, terrorizing Anglo landowners and railroad companies who were stealing Hispanic land grants. Clad in white caps and masks, they cut down fences, burned barns, and destroyed railroad property, all while leaving notes signed 'Las Gorras Blancas.' Their legend has grown into folklore: said to appear on moonless nights as ghostly riders on black horses, their white caps glowing in the dark. Some stories claim they could disapp