Boulder, Colorado, usually brings to mind images of pristine hiking trails, the Flatirons, and a somewhat sleepy, upscale college town vibe. But if you walk through the University of Colorado campus or past Chautauqua Park with someone who lived there in the 1970s, the energy feels different. They remember the smoke. They remember the sirens. Honestly, they remember the fear. In May 1974, two separate car bombings rocked the city, leaving six young Chicano activists dead. These individuals are known as Los Seis de Boulder, and their story is a raw, jagged piece of American history that many people—even locals—still don't fully understand.
Six lives. Two weeks. Zero arrests.
The victims weren't just random students; they were the heart of a movement. Reyes Martínez, Neva Romero, and Una Jaakola died in the first blast on May 27 at Chautauqua Park. Just forty-eight hours later, a second explosion at a Burger King parking lot claimed Florencio Granado, Heriberto Terán, and Francisco Dougherty. It’s a heavy list of names. It’s an even heavier legacy. To understand why this happened, you have to look at the pressure cooker that was the 1970s Chicano Movement, or El Movimiento, and the specific, localized war being fought over education and identity in Boulder.
The Powder Keg on Campus
The early 70s at CU Boulder weren't just about peace and love. They were about survival and representation. Chicano students were fighting for the United Mexican American Students (UMAS) program and demanding that the university provide the financial aid and support they had been promised. Tensions were high. Like, really high.
Students had occupied buildings. They were protesting the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) cuts. You've got to realize that for these students, education wasn't a luxury—it was the only way to pull their communities out of systemic poverty. They felt the university was trying to "whiten" the campus by squeezing them out.
Neva Romero was a force of nature. She was the youngest member of the group, a student leader who had actually been elected to the student government. She wasn't some shadowy figure; she was a visible, vocal advocate for her peers. When the first bomb went off in her car, it didn't just kill three people; it sent a message that advocacy came with a lethal price tag.
What Really Happened in May 1974?
There’s a lot of noise surrounding the actual events of the bombings. If you look at the old newspaper archives from the time, the narrative was pretty much set instantly by the authorities. The "official" line was that these activists were "urban guerrillas" who accidentally blew themselves up with their own bombs. Basically, the police and the FBI claimed they were domestic terrorists who fumbled the equipment.
But here's the thing: the families and the surviving activists never bought that for a second.
- The evidence was handled in a way that many legal experts now call "questionable" at best.
- The FBI’s COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) was actively targeting Chicano groups across the Southwest during this era.
- No one was ever charged, and the investigations seemed more interested in discrediting the victims than finding a killer.
Reyes Martínez was a lawyer. He knew the system. He wasn't some amateur playing with explosives in a public park. The sheer timing—two bombs in two days—felt like a targeted execution. Even now, decades later, when you talk to activists like Priscilla Falcón or members of the Martínez family, the pain is still incredibly sharp. They don't see it as a tragic accident. They see it as an assassination.
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The COINTELPRO Shadow
You can't talk about Los Seis de Boulder without talking about the climate of surveillance. This was the era of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. They were obsessed with "subversive" groups. If you were brown, vocal, and organized, you were on a list.
The Chicano movement in Colorado was particularly strong. With leaders like Corky Gonzales in Denver and the Crusade for Justice, the state was a hotbed for civil rights activity. This made the authorities nervous. Very nervous. There are declassified documents that show the extent of the monitoring. Was there a direct link between federal agencies and the bombs? We don't have a smoking gun. But the lack of a real investigation speaks volumes. It’s one of those things where the silence is louder than the blast itself.
Why Boulder Wants to Remember (and Sometimes Forget)
For years, the story of Los Seis was shoved under the rug. It made the city look bad. It made the university look dangerous. It didn't fit the "progressive" image that Boulder worked so hard to cultivate in the 80s and 90s.
But you can't erase six deaths.
In recent years, there has been a massive push to bring this history back into the light. In 2019, a permanent sculpture was installed on the CU Boulder campus. It’s located near the TB-1 building—the very place UMAS students occupied during the protests. It’s a beautiful, haunting piece of art. It features the faces of the six victims made of mosaic tile. It’s impossible to ignore.
Students today walk past it every day. Some stop. Some don't. But the fact that it’s there is a huge win for the community. It’s a recognition that these were people, not just "militants" or "accidents." They were brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons. Francisco Dougherty was just 20. Think about that. 20 years old.
The Disconnect in the Archives
If you dig into the archives at the Boulder Public Library or CU’s Norlin Library, you’ll see the disparity in how the story was told. The Boulder Daily Camera and the Denver Post at the time often mirrored the police reports. They focused on the "threat" of the Chicano movement.
Contrast that with the oral histories collected by the Chicano Studies departments. There, you hear about Neva’s laughter. You hear about Reyes’ commitment to the law. You hear about the community’s grief. It’s a classic example of history being written by those in power versus history being lived by those on the ground.
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Honestly, the tragedy of Los Seis de Boulder is also a tragedy of journalism. The failure to ask the hard questions in 1974 led to a fifty-year delay in justice. Or at least, a fifty-year delay in the truth.
A Legacy of Resilience
What did the bombings actually achieve? If the goal was to kill the movement, it failed. Hard.
The deaths of Los Seis galvanized a generation. It made the struggle real in a way that slogans never could. It forced the university to eventually acknowledge the needs of Chicano students, though that fight is still ongoing in many ways. Today, the UMAS y MEXA organization at CU Boulder is one of the oldest and most active student groups on campus. They carry that torch.
The families have never stopped fighting. Every year, there are commemorations. There are marches. There are scholarships named after the fallen. The "Seis" aren't just names on a plaque; they are the foundation of Chicano identity in Northern Colorado.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often think this was a one-off event. It wasn't. The 1970s in Colorado saw a string of "mysterious" explosions and police shootings involving Chicano activists.
Another misconception is that the activists were "anti-American." If you actually read their manifestos and their demands, they were asking for the most American things possible: equal access to education, fair treatment under the law, and the right to exist without being harassed by the police. They were trying to make the system work for them, not burn it down.
Mapping the Sites Today
If you're in Boulder and want to pay your respects or just feel the history, there are three main spots you should visit.
- Chautauqua Park: Near the base of the Flatirons. This is where the first bomb went off. It’s jarring to see such a peaceful place and realize what happened there.
- The 28th Street Burger King (now a different development): The site of the second blast. This was a more commercial, high-traffic area, which made the second bombing feel even more brazen.
- The Memorial at CU Boulder (near Macky Auditorium): This is the heart of the remembrance. Take a moment to actually look at the faces in the mosaic.
Actionable Insights: How to Engage with This History
You shouldn't just read about Los Seis and move on. History is meant to be used. If you're interested in social justice or just local Colorado history, here’s how you can actually engage.
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Support Student Programs
The issues Los Seis fought for—like the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and ethnic studies—are still underfunded or under fire in many institutions. Supporting these programs at your local university is a direct way to honor their legacy.
Visit the Archives
Don't take my word for it. Go to the CU Boulder libraries or the Boulder Historical Society. Ask to see the clippings from May 1974. Look at the photos. Form your own opinion about the "official" narrative versus the community response.
Educate Others on COINTELPRO
Understand that the government has a documented history of surveilling domestic activists. Reading up on the Church Committee hearings of the 1970s provides the necessary context for why the Chicano movement felt so targeted.
Watch the Documentaries
There are several great films, like Symbols of Resistance, that interview the people who were actually there. They provide the nuance that a 50-year-old newspaper article simply can't.
Los Seis de Boulder represent a painful, unresolved chapter in the American story. They remind us that progress isn't a straight line and that the cost of change is often unimaginably high. Whether it was a horrific accident or a calculated hit, the result was the loss of six brilliant young minds who just wanted a seat at the table. By remembering them, we make sure that seat stays open for the next generation.
To truly understand the Colorado of today, you have to acknowledge the smoke of 1974. It’s part of the landscape, just like the mountains.
Next Steps for Research
- Search for: "Los Seis de Boulder sculpture CU Boulder" to see images of the mosaic memorial.
- Look up: "Su Teatro Los Seis de Boulder" to find information on theatrical performances that have dramatized these events.
- Read: "The Chicano Movement in Colorado" by various historians to get the broader political context of the era.
The story doesn't end with a bomb; it continues with every student who walks onto that campus and demands to be seen. That’s the real legacy of Los Seis.