Season of Terror

The Espinosas in Central Colorado, March–October 1863

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Season of Terror by Charles F. Price, University Press of Colorado
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Charles F. Price ISBN: 9781607322375
Publisher: University Press of Colorado Publication: June 1, 2013
Imprint: University Press of Colorado Language: English
Author: Charles F. Price
ISBN: 9781607322375
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
Publication: June 1, 2013
Imprint: University Press of Colorado
Language: English

Season of Terror is the first book-length treatment of the little-known true story of the Espinosas—serial murderers with a mission to kill every Anglo in Civil War–era Colorado Territory—and the men who brought them down.

For eight months during the spring and fall of 1863, brothers Felipe Nerio and José Vivián Espinosa and their young nephew, José Vincente, New Mexico–born Hispanos, killed and mutilated an estimated thirty-two victims before their rampage came to a bloody end. Their motives were obscure, although they were members of the Penitentes, a lay Catholic brotherhood devoted to self-torture in emulation of the sufferings of Christ, and some suppose they believed themselves inspired by the Virgin Mary to commit their slaughters.

Until now, the story of their rampage has been recounted as lurid melodrama or ignored by academic historians. Featuring a fascinating array of frontier characters, Season of Terror exposes this neglected truth about Colorado’s past and examines the ethnic, religious, political, military, and moral complexity of the controversy that began as a regional incident but eventually demanded the attention of President Lincoln.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Season of Terror is the first book-length treatment of the little-known true story of the Espinosas—serial murderers with a mission to kill every Anglo in Civil War–era Colorado Territory—and the men who brought them down.

For eight months during the spring and fall of 1863, brothers Felipe Nerio and José Vivián Espinosa and their young nephew, José Vincente, New Mexico–born Hispanos, killed and mutilated an estimated thirty-two victims before their rampage came to a bloody end. Their motives were obscure, although they were members of the Penitentes, a lay Catholic brotherhood devoted to self-torture in emulation of the sufferings of Christ, and some suppose they believed themselves inspired by the Virgin Mary to commit their slaughters.

Until now, the story of their rampage has been recounted as lurid melodrama or ignored by academic historians. Featuring a fascinating array of frontier characters, Season of Terror exposes this neglected truth about Colorado’s past and examines the ethnic, religious, political, military, and moral complexity of the controversy that began as a regional incident but eventually demanded the attention of President Lincoln.

More books from University Press of Colorado

Cover of the book Environmental Politics and Policy in the West, Revised Edition by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Hard as the Rock Itself by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Dr. Charles David Spivak by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Material Relations by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Color Of Law by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Hungry Moon by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Serenity and Severity by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Radicalism in the Mountain West, 1890-1920 by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book The Last Stand of the Pack by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Denver by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Politics, Labor, and the War on Big Business by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book The Once and Future Silver Queen of the Rockies by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book The Logan Notebooks by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book A Roof Over My Head, Second Edition by Charles F. Price
Cover of the book Distant Bugles, Distant Drums by Charles F. Price
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy