Various literary, mutual aid and benevolent societies emerged in Las Vegas during the 1880s as the native population continued to grow and become a subgroup of American culture and society. Cultural borrowing continued between both the Americans and Hispanos as technology facilitated communication and contact for the people. The organizations which emerged in New Mexico continued to undertake forms of accommodation, pursuits for intellectual attainment, economic and cultural survival, and the progressional development of the native Hispano. As a leader in territorial concerns, Las Vegas many times provided the impetus for the cultural development of other communities on the land grant and territory as well.

It appears that both American society and the Mexican Republic provided the cultural influence which resulted in the diffusion of these societies into the Hispano presence in New Mexico. The Las Vegas Morning Gazette reported in March 1881 that Anglos in New Town had established the Shakespeare Society commemorating the famous poet and dramatist's birthday. Among the Hispanos, La Voz del Pueblo reported in 1891 that the Sociedad Literaria y de Ayuda Mutua de Las Vegas (Las Vegas Literary and Mutual Aid Society) had been established in 1887 and that it was one of the first in the territory.

The literary society in Las Vegas consisted of an educational circle of the most illustrious and ambitious young men in the community. Their main objective was to promote and sustain educational opportunities for Las Vegas' youth from all economic levels. The society had an excellent library with works by the best Spanish, French, Latin, English and German authors. During September, 1891 the members of the society announced that they were reading and discussing the works of Homer, Virgil, Séneca, Juan de Dios Peza, and others. Peza was aromatic poet from Mexico whose poetry was very popular in New Mexico during this period.

The literary societies which emerged in New Mexico were similar to the ones in Mexico although variations within them addressed the local needs of the membership and community. Two famous literary societies from Mexico which probably had some of influence in New Mexico's literary development were La Academia de Letrán and El Liceo Hidalgo. Literary societies in New Mexico reviewed literature, and the members also spoke and debated various mundane issues. Some of the debates and discourses covered topics such as civil law, intelligence, temporal life, hope, truth, the railroad, crops, etc. The majority of these societies stipulated that politics were restricted from the internal functions of the membership. In many cases, however, their intellectual attainments and social experiences in the societies were used by many to participate in politics. Many of them rose to successful political careers in New Mexico. Ezequiel C. de Baca and Antonio Lucero, who were both members of the Las Vegas Literary Society, were elected to two of the highest positions in state government. In 1912 Ezequiel C. do Baca was elected New Mexico's first lieutenant governor and Antonio Lucero became the first secro¼iry of state. C. d Baca later became New Mexico's second governor.

Various other types of mutual aid and fraternal organizations were established in Las Veqas and other communities during the 1890s. Two adjuncts to the Sociedad Literaria in Las Vegas were the Sociedad Dramática Hispano Americana (Spanish-America; Drama Society) and La Estrella Literaria (The Literary Star) both making their appearance in 1891. The Sociedad Dramática had public presentations in drama while La Estrella Literaria consisted of younger men who patterned their organization after the parent Sociedad Literaria

The preservation of the Spanish language in New Mexico during the late 1800s was aided by the efforts of educators to have the language taught in the schools; through the Spanish-language media; and, as a result of the emergence of a large, educated literate class among the Hispanos. A pronounced interest in books: poetry, fiction and other forms of literature also gave the Spanish language a new birth and flowering. The growth and preservation of the language ensured the maintenance of cultural values, traditions and the rich heritage of the people. The language, more than any other cultural factor, prevented the total assimilation of New Mexico's Spanish speaking into the mainstream of American culture and society during the territorial period.

The smaller settlements within the Las Vegas Land Grant did not feel the same cultural and economic impact Las Vegas did during the transitional decade of the 1880s. The villages underwent variances of cultural change which resulted more from direct contact from the emerging middle class of Las Vegas Hispanos. Cultural diffusion in the villages was also effected through some direct contact with Anglo culture and society in Las Vegas, political interaction and the rural schools which were being established on the land grant. Prominent Las Vegans and village leaders also emerged to keep the settlements moving with the tide of cultural, socio-economic and institutional change. The presence of Hispano leaders on the land grant was particularly apparent by the end of the decade when the Las Vegas Land Grant occupants became embroiled in a struggle to prevent encroachment on the land grant by outside speculators and in some cases, wealthier land grant residents who did not respect or honor the "community" status of their landed patrimony.

The major problem which developed on the Las Vegas Land Grant was created by the confusing status of the community land grant and the fact that the courts had not yet settled legal title to it since Congress confirmed its validity to the "Town of Las Vegas" in 1861. The majority of the residents who still depended on the pastoral-agrarian economic system were convinced and determined that the Las Vegas Grant was a "community grant which should remain open to everyone for grazing, wood, water and other common needs. During the late 1880s ranchers and land companies bought some of the undivided communal lands on the land grant from some of the original heirs who claimed a right to sell. Under land grant law, however, common lands could not be sold by heirs; only those smaller parcels divided for farming and housing plots could be sold.