Biography.guide
Home › People › Businessperson › Felipe Baca
Portrait of Felipe Baca

Felipe Baca

1828 – 1874

American farmer and politician

Businessperson TrinidadColorado
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Felipe Baca

Lived 1828 – 1874 (aged 45–46). Felipe Baca was a businessperson, trinidad and colorado.

Luis Felipe de Jesús Baca (1828–1874) was an American farmer, rancher, and politician. He founded the city of Trinidad in the state of Colorado. Baca County, Colorado is named for him.

Founder of Trinidad Baca used to travel to Denver and Santa Fe to sell his produce. In 1860, when he was transporting a shipment of flour, he came across a fertile valley beside the Purgatoire River. Back home, he examined the land's potential for farming and grazing. In the fall of that year, he and his family moved to that valley, reclaiming a portion of the lowlands and waiting for spring to plant their first crops.

Harvesting the first crops (mainly melons and grains), he transported them back to Taos to show his neighbors, who quickly perked up. In 1862, 12 families from Taos made their way through Raton Pass to join the Baca family in the new settlement.

Political career After building Trinidad, he became involved in territorial politics. In 1870, he won a seat as a Republican representative in the territorial legislature, which he held for two years. He was against Colorado statehood, believing that the southern part of the state would be dwarfed by Denver. The Anglo majority in the legislature disagreed, and Colorado became a state in 1876.

Legacy In 1889, the state legislature approved the establishment of a tract of land in the southeast corner of the state as Baca County, in honor of Trinidad's founder.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1828, Taos
Birth century
Died
1874, Trinidad
Positions held
Member of congress

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Felipe Baca's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Felipe Baca?

American farmer and politician (1828–1874)

When was Felipe Baca born?

Felipe Baca was born in 1828 in Taos.

When did Felipe Baca die?

Felipe Baca died in 1874 in Trinidad.

What was Felipe Baca's occupation?

Felipe Baca was a businessperson, trinidad and colorado.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Felipe Baca

· Wikidata: Q115126797

· DBpedia: Felipe Baca

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Felipe Baca. https://biography.guide/felipe-baca/

MLA: "Felipe Baca." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/felipe-baca/.

Chicago: "Felipe Baca." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/felipe-baca/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:59 UTC