RUBEN
while working in the fields and potato warehouses so his paternal grandparents assumed the
responsibility of providing a stable family environment for him. Ruben grew up in an adobe
house covered with a dirt roof, no indoor plumbing, and was heated in the winter with a wood
cook stove and heater.
In 1962, at the age of seventeen, Ruben graduated from Antonito High School and joined the
Navy. After a tour of duty in Vietnam, and upon completion of his four-year hitch with the military,
he attended Southern Colorado State College in Pueblo, Colorado. He maintained his ties with
the Navy and Air Force as a reservist for fifteen years. While attending college, Ruben joined the
Pueblo, Colorado Police Department in 1968 and eventually obtained his Bachelor's Degree in
Business Administration.
Ruben's law enforcement career flourished quickly. As a sergeant, he worked with the Colorado
Attorney General's Organized Crime Strike Force and as a state grand jury investigator. During
these assignments, Ruben worked in an undercover capacity infiltrating drug dealing
organizations in Colorado and along the Mexican border. He also participated in the
investigation of Mob related organized crime, which led to the arrest of a murder suspect
involved in an unsolved mob hit in Denver, Colorado. As a certified senior scuba diver, Ruben
was the dive master for his Department's underwater recovery team and participated in several
body recoveries and ice-diving training exercises in Colorado's high mountain lakes. Prior to his
appointment to police captain, Ruben attended the prestigious FBI National Academy in 1978.
During his position as a police captain Ruben was trained by the U.S. Secret Service in Arizona
and Washington, D.C. and worked with the Secret Service assisting in the protection of political
dignitaries. This included U.S. Presidents, vice-presidents, first ladies, presidential hopefuls, and
high profile Senators. Ruben worked with and befriended Hollywood stars and sports figures and
he still stays in contact with some of them. Ruben applied his fluency in the Russian language
when he was assigned to work with the Soviets as law enforcement security liaison during the
implementation of the INF Treaty. This treaty called for the destruction of specific ballistic
missiles by the United States and the Soviet Union. His Spanish speaking abilities took him to
Mexico where he worked for the Governor of Veracruz during an anti-corruption campaign
involving the Mexican State Police. Ruben was also involved in a double-homicide investigation
which led to Durango, Mexico after the suspects fled the United States.
Ruben became Pueblo's first Hispanic Chief of Police in 1995 and after serving his community as a
police officer for over thirty years, he retired effective January 16, 1999 and now lives in Pueblo
West, Colorado. However, retirement did not slow him down. Ruben was appointed by Governor
Bill Owens to his transition team in Denver and was then appointed by the Governor to the
Columbine School Review Commission headed by retired Colorado State Supreme Court Chief
Justice, William Erickson.
Ruben slowly weaned himself from numerous boards and commissions and the only board he
remains on now is the Pueblo Medal of Honor Foundation. He occupies his time by writing books
and magazine articles, giving motivational presentations and speaking on the Hispanic religious
society known as the Penitentes. He has also produced numerous pieces of stone and wood
sculptures which he sculpts from catlinite and wood. Ruben just published his fourth book,
Penitente Renaissance, Manifesting Hope.
Archuleta's Publications:
I Came From El Valle was published in December 1999. This autbiography covers Ruben's
personal history tracing his childhood, military, college, and law enforcement encounters.
In early 2000 Archuleta took advantage of his experiences and personal contacts with other
agencies and started on his second book, Unity of Command. This was a CIA novel about a
not-so-typical Hispanic CIA agent who was making waves in Washington due to his unorthodox
methods of getting things done. Part of the plot dealt with domestic terrroism in which a middle
eastern terrorist group was going to blow up NORAD and Falcon Air Force Station with
suitcase-size nuclear weapons. 9/ll abruptly ended work on this book, and it still sits on the shelf.
LAND OF THE PENITENTES LAND OF TRADITION was particularly difficult to write. The Penitentes
are a secretive society, and the numbers in the Brotherhood have dwindled in the last few
decades. In spite of the obstacles he encountered, the author managed to collect pictures and
interviews some thought would not be possible. Original family journals, personal interviews and
newspaper articles support much of the information that is included in the book.
EPPIE ARCHULETA AND THE TALE OF JUAN DE LA BURRA starts with a biography of world
renowned weaver, Eppie Archuleta, which includes black and white photos of Eppie, and special
moments and characters in her life. This is followed by ten color pages of her beautiful weavings.
The rest of the book is dedicated to an Hispanic tale that takes place centuries ago in New
Mexico. There are colorful characters such as a super strong caballero, a harsh king, princesses,
scoundrels, and a magic mare. The story involves life as it used to be in the days of old; romance,
betrayal, bigotry, and exciting adventures in a mythical land.
PENITENTE RENAISSANCE, MANIFESTING HOPE is a coffee table book that includes 114 pages of
color pictures from Archuleta's Penitente photo collection. The book includes a history of the
Brotherhood and early 1900s rosters of over 600 Penitentes from northern New Mexico and
southern Colorado. Dr. Marianne Stoller edited the book and wrote the introduction. The
afterword was written by noted author Marta Weigle. The foreword is by journalist Juan Espinosa.
Johnny Canales, Liz Torres, Jeff Valdez
WilliamWestmoreland