The Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area (NHA), which includes more than 3,000 square miles of south-central Colorado, was dedicated March 30, 2009 in the backyard of two brothers who helped make it possible: Former U.S. Sen. and Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, and former U.S. Rep. John Salazar of Colorado. Both were born in Alamosa, CO, the valley’s largest town, and grew up in the nearby farming community of Rincones near Manassa.