Carolína González
Carolína Acuña Díaz González (1894 - 1996) was a businesswoman and activist in the Denver Latinx community. In the 1950's, she opened "Casa Mayan," a prominent restaurant and community gathering space. Biography González was born in El Paso, Texas on February 18, 1894. Early life Ramon Gonzalez's family moved from Chihuahua, Mexico to El Paso, Texas during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910's. Ramon and Carolína migrated to Southern Colorado and then Denver in 1918 and lived in the Auraria neighborhood. Denver and the Casa Mayan González created a safe haven during the Depression for youths who were "riding the rails" to Colorado. In the 1934, Ramon and Carolína purchased 1020 9th Street in Denver, Colorado. This was the oldest clapboard house built by Dr. William Smedley in 1872. Their home was known for their generous hospitality. In the 1940's, their neighborhood was one that was redlined by the City of Denver to delineate cultural minority neighborhoods and prevented investment and development. In 1946, the family home evolved into the Casa Mayan restaurant, which was one of the first Latinx-owned Mexican American restaurants in Denver. The restaurant was renowned for its embodied elements of Mexican hospitality and generosity. It became