Immigrant workers who maintain Aspen’s lavish playground strive for lives of their own – By Sarah Tory (The Colorado Trust) / July 22, 2023
Much of the workforce serving the Roaring Fork Valley economy — from construction workers to hotel cleaners — are Latin American immigrants working low-wage jobs
Early one morning last spring, Ana Vasquez drove through the deserted streets of Aspen to the office of a luxury real estate firm across the street from the gondola that goes up Aspen Mountain. At 6 a.m., the streets were empty as Ana lugged a vacuum from the trunk of her car to the glass door leading into the office. She pulled a key out and crouched down to open the bottom lock and then, because she stands less than five feet tall, stepped onto the top of the vacuum cleaner to reach — just barely — the second lock at the very top of the door.
She was wearing jeans, a maroon and black top, and matching maroon Puma high tops — her usual outfit. She’s 45, but you wouldn’t know it; her long black hair has barely a strand of grey, and her skin is smooth. If there’s any hint of her age, it’s in her eyes, which are often tired from long hours spent cleaning with too little sleep.
Inside the office, there’s a large, mirrored wall behind the staircase to the second floor and an assortment of art for sale throughout the office. Behind the white leather couch are pictures of homes for sale: a “cabin” for $8.3 million; a 4-bedroom home in downtown Aspen for $9.9 million; an estate on Red Mountain for $22 million. Ana pointed to one property (the only one) listed for less than $1 million — a one-bedroom condo in Snowmass, a few miles down valley from Aspen.
“We could buy it together,” she joked, before admitting it would be too small for both of us to live in.
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