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1. Our Pre-Mayflower Thanksgivings

En español: ​Nuestros Días de Acción de Gracias Pre-Mayflower
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Mural in the Cathedral of St. Augustine, depicts America's first Thanksgiving and Catholic Mass. Pedro Menendez de Aviles and his men shared a Thanksgiving feast with Florida natives on September 8, 1565.
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Juan de Oñate lead some 600 colonists across the Rio Grande into present day Texas, where they celebrated a Thanksgiving feast on April 20, 1598.

​​By Miguel Pérez

​For Latino immigrants, no other American holiday is more significant than Thanksgiving.

"El Día de Acción de Gracias," as we know it in Spanish, is a welcomed opportunity to reflect on the reasons we came to this country and to express our gratitude for the religious, political and economic freedoms we enjoy here — just like the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony.

You may not know it — not from the way many Latinos often are seen protesting in defense of their civil rights — but you can be sure that on Thanksgiving Day, many more Latinos are giving thanks for being your fellow "Americanos."
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Nevertheless, in the interest of historical correctness and self-esteem, it would be disingenuous for Latinos to pretend there were no other Thanksgivings, especially because we know they were celebrated by our Spanish ancestors.

Because history is written by the winners, and it was the British/Americans who took control of this country, American history ignores Spanish contributions to North America — for a whole century before the Mayflower arrived in 1620.

And that includes at least two Spanish-language Thanksgiving ceremonies held on U.S. soil many years before the Pilgrims' famous feast in 1621. In fact, Spanish explorers held religious Thanksgivings every time they stepped ashore on what is now U.S. territory, starting with the Juan Ponce de Leon expedition from Puerto Rico to Florida in 1513. 
 
But contrary to popular wisdom, the first Thanksgiving with Native Americans is not the one we commemorate every November.
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Pedro Menendez de Avilés in St. Augustine and Juan de Oñate in El Paso.
On Sept. 8, 1565, 56 years before the Plymouth Thanksgiving, Spanish explorers led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés celebrated the first U.S. Mass and invited the Timucua natives to a Thanksgiving meal in what is now St. Augustine, Fla. Historians speculate they ate salted pork, garbanzo beans and biscuits.

On April 20, 1598, 23 years before Plymouth, 600 colonists led by Juan de Oñate celebrated the end of a long expedition across Mexico's Chihuahua Desert. Their Thanksgiving ceremony with Indians, near (what later became) El Paso, Texas, is still known as the Texas Thanksgiving and has been recognized in resolutions by the state legislature.

They came across the U.S.-Mexican border before there was a border and before the Anglo-Saxon ancestors of today's border vigilantes had even arrived in the New World.
 
I visited the site of the Texas Thanksgiving in 1994 and the site of the Florida Thanksgiving several times, including again this summer. Whenever I’m in St. Augustine, I make it a point to visit its Cathedral and take (even more) pictures of my favorite mural, 
depicting St. Augustine's first Catholic Mass and America's first Thanksgiving involving Europeans and Native Americans. The mural illustrates the Thanksgiving Mass celebrated by Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, with Menéndez de Avilés kneeling before him, and with Spanish soldiers and Timucua natives also participating in the ceremony.
 
Father López, the chaplain for the Menéndez de Avilés expedition, “celebrated the first Catholic parish Mass, provided counsel to Menéndez, and is considered the ‘first pastor’ of the United States,” according to the plaque next to the impressive waterfront statue of Father López, near the spot where he celebrated the first Thanksgiving Mass.
 
That spot, on the grounds of the “Nombre de Dios” Spanish mission, also known as “America’s Most Sacred Acre,” is now marked by a “Rustic Altar,” representing the one first used by Father López, for worshipers and tourists to go back in history.
 
Near the statue and the altar, visitors are often awed by the sight of “The Great Cross” (208 feet high), erected in 1966 to mark a 400th anniversary at “the approximate site where in 1565 the cross of Christianity was first permanently planted in what is now the United States."
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In San Elizario, Texas, where the Oñate expedition finally rested after crossing the barren Chihuahua Desert and the Rio Grande, a historical plaque in the town’s Memorial Plaza notes that “the expedition set about preparations for a great celebration," and that it was “a happy and joyous occasion and all were in a thankful mood.”
 
In fact, they ignore the 1565 St. Augustine Thanksgiving and claim their that 1598 “great celebration” was the first Thanksgiving in what is now the United States.”  See my column on San Elizario: The First Thanksgiving in the (Southwest) United States.
 
So we have lots of Hispanic history to celebrate and discuss with our friends and relatives on Thanksgiving Day!


Of course, while expressing our gratitude on Thanksgiving Day, the hidden history of our other Thanksgivings becomes a sour note for many Hispanics — especially at a time when illegal immigration and the Mexican border have polarized this country and turned many Americans against the Hispanic population.
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Pedro Menendez de Aviles
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Juan de Oñate
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The Great Cross
When Latinos recall their long history of contributions to this country — from those who built the first city to those who are still defending this nation — we have little choice but to feel offended by the tone of today's public debates over immigration, the Mexican border and the Spanish language.

It puts a damper on an otherwise wonderful holiday.

For living in the greatest country on earth, it's necessary to be thankful. This is a privilege not to be taken for granted! But when we are reminded that there are ignored Hispanic Thanksgivings and centuries of hidden Hispanic heritage, saying "gracias" becomes a little more difficult as we cut into our Latino-style turkeys every year.

Certainly, we cannot be thankful for the prejudice and discrimination displayed by a growing number of Americans who feel threatened by the growth of the U.S. Hispanic population.

In the spirit of reconciliation and Thanksgiving, all we can do is recognize that their attitude toward Latinos is based on their limited knowledge of Hispanic-American history.
They don’t even realize that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in Spanish! 

​Unfortunately, i
gnorance of Hispanic contributions to U.S. society feeds a vicious cycle of widespread prejudice and discrimination.

The time has come for us to discuss Hispanic American history. We need to fill some of the gaps in American history books and school curricula. We need to examine how ignoring America's Hispanic heritage has a negative effect on the image of the Hispanic community and the self-esteem of young Latinos today.


Every Thanksgiving, we should be able to recognize our pre-Mayflower Thanksgivings. We should be saying “gracias” as we teach young Latinos the many reasons why they should feel proud of their U.S. Hispanic heritage.
For more on the "Texas Thanksgiving," go to:
61. The First Thanksgiving in the (Southwest) United States​
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Pedro Menendez de Aviles
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Juan de Onate
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The Oñate expedition
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                   CHAPTERS/CAPITULOS

1. Our Pre-Mayflower Thanksgivings
Nuestros Días de Acción de Gracias Pre-Mayflower
               
2. A Tale of Two Cities
                 
3. Our Pre-Hispanic Heritage
              

4. The Black Legend Returns

4. La Leyenda Negra Regresa
                
5. Even on HBO, The Black Legend Lives
                   
6. Our Spanish Heritage
                     
7. Exalted or Offended?
                    
8. We are all 'Americanos'
                  
9. Latinos are Failing
                  
10. Hispanic, Columbus or Indigenous Day?
10. 
™Dia Hispano, De Colon o Indigena?
                   
11. Two Good Places to Rest
11. Dos buenos lugares para descansar
                  
12. Whitman's Prophetic Letter
12. La Carta Profética de Whitman
                  
13. America’s Cradle
13. La Cuna de America
                 
14. Our Quincentennial is Coming!

14. ´Nuestro Quinto Centenario Se Avecina!
                   
15. 
This chapter was merged with Chapter 29
                
16. A Time To Welcome the Spirits
                  
17. A Hispanic Christmas
17. Una Navidad Hispana
                  
18. JOSE MARTI:
     His Legacy Lives Here
     Su Legado Vive Aquí 
                
19. Hyphenated and Proud!
                   
20. Politicizing Education

21. Speak Any Spanish Lately?
              
22. Happy Three Kings Day!
22. ​
´Feliz Día de Reyes!
               
23. 
This chapter was merged with Chapter 29

24. A Long-Overdue Museum
                 
25. America's First Christmas was celebrated in Spanish
25. La Primera Navidad Americana fue celebrada en español

26. The Grand Canyon
and the Bucket List
 Of Hispanic Heritage
26. El Gran Canyon
y la Lista de Lugares de la Herencia Hispana

                  
27. Now That Fiesta Month Is Here,
Can We Talk About Heritage?

27. Ahora que el mes de fiesta hispana esta aquí,

​™Podemos hablar de nuestra herencia?
                  
28. Our Hispanic Heritage: On Exhibit and Yet Hidden
28. Nuestra Herencia Hispana: En Exhibición y Sin Embargo Oculta

29. Florida's Birthday Should Be a National Holiday

             
30. A Local Celebration that Should be National               

31. 
This chapter was merged with Chapter 30               
​

32. The Conveniently 'Forgotten War'
32. La Guerra Convenientemente Olvidada

33. Guantanamo Has a History  June 4, 2013

34. Exposing the Social Media Bigots  June 18, 2013
34. Exponiendo a los Intolerantes
     de los Medios Sociales June 18, 2013

35. Thinking of Cusi On the Fourth of July
35. Pensando en Cusi en el Cuatro de Julio

36. The Discovery of White Hispanics
36.  El Descubrimiento de los Hispanos Blancos

37. Let's Build a Timeline Of Hispanic-American History
37. Vamos a Construir una Cronología
     De la Historia Hispanoamericana

38. In the Name of Heritage
38. En el Nombre de la Herencia

39. Hispanics or Latinos?
39. ™Hispanos o Latinos?

40.  Hollywood's Hidden Hispanic Heritage
40. La Herencia Hispana Oculta en Hollywood

41. Obliviously Living in ‘The Land of Estevan Gomez’
41. Viviendo Inconscientemente
       En la ‘Tierra de Estevan Gómez’

42. Marking America's Birthplace
42. Marcando el Lugar de Nacimiento De Estados Unidos

43. Hispanics in Denial Should Be Infamous
43. Los Hispanos en Rechazo Deben Ser Infames

44. 
Gay Marriage's Hidden American History
      Started in Spanish
 CABEZA DE VACA'S JOURNEY
44. La Historia Oculta del Matrimonio Gay
      En América Comenzó en Español
        EL VIAJE DE CABEZA DE VACA​

45. Super Bowl Coke Commercial
       Draws Out Ugly Americans

45. Comercial de Coke en Super Bowl
     Hace Relucir a los Americanos Feos


46. 
The 'Discovery' of Self-Loathing Hispanics
46. El ‘Descubrimiento' de los
     Hispanos que se Auto Desprecian


THE GREAT HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORY TOUR 
June 2014 - January 2015


47. My Pilgrimage to San Xavier
47. Mi Peregrinaje a San Xavier

48. The Great Hispanic American History Tour
48. La Gran Gira por la Historia Hispanoamericana

49. On the Trail of Conquistadors
49. En el Camino de los Conquistadores

50. Beyond St. Augustine
50. Más Allá de San Agustín

51. A Hidden Hispanic Role Model
51. Un Modelo Hispano Oculto

52. The Hispanic Flank of the American Revolution
52. El Flanco Hispano de la Revolucion Americana
​

53. New Orleans Has a Spanish ‘Ne Sais Quoi’
53. Nueva Orleans Tiene Un ‘Ne Sais Quoi’ Español

54. Galveston: Still the Isle of Misfortune?

55. Extracting Compacted History
     Unveils Hidden Hispanic Heritage

56. 'Remember The Alamo' Was a Spanish Mission

57. San Antonio: The Showcase Of Our Hispanic Heritage

58. There Was Compassion On the Spanish Mission Trail

59. A Hidden Latina Role Model

60. Time Portals on the Road

61. The First Thanksgiving
     In the (Southwest) United States

62. The World's Biggest Statue
of a Nameless Horseback Rider


63. A River Runs Through Our Hispanic Heritage

64. A Beacon of Hope On a Border Mountaintop

65. A Mexican-American Town
65. Un Pueblo Mexico-Americano

66. The Crossroads of Conquistadors

67. Hiking In Search of Coronado's Trail

68. The Real American Pioneers

69. Keeping My Pledge to San Xavier

70. If They Knew Arizona's History,
     They Wouldn't Be So Xenophobic

71. 'Tucson' is a Spanish Adaptation

72. Under a Utah Lake, Hispanic Heritage Lives

73. A Hilltop View Of Hispanic Heritage

74. Searching for Coronado's Quivira

75. The Spanish Savior of St. Louis

76. 
Jefferson's Spanish Library

WASHINGTON, D.C.
February-June 2015

77. When Galvez Came to Congress
77. Cuando Gálvez Vino al Congreso


78. A Tour of Our Extraordinarily Hispanic U.S. Capitol

79. Searching for Not-S0-Hidden
Hispanic Heritage in Washington, DC


80. Smithsonian Omits Hispanics In U.S. History Exhibit
80. Smithsonian Omite a los Hispanos
     en Exhibición de Historia de EE.UU.
MIAMI - August 2015
​
81. Finding Dad in a Museum
81. Encontre a Mi Padre en un Museo


​CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP - 2018
82. International Friendship Park ​at U.S.-Mexico Border
​- A Jagged Corner of the World


83. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
​
84. Cabrillo National Monument

85. ​It took more than 2 centuries

86. Presidio Park: The Birthplace
of the Spanish Colonization of California


87. Junípero Serra Museum Transcends the Story of a Great Man

88. Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá:
California's First Spanish Mission


89. Old Mission (Padre) Dam: California's First Aqueduct

90. Even at the beach in San Diego, you can't avoid Spanish history

91. Chicano Park: Mexican-American ​painted under highway ramps

92. Balboa Park: Candy for your eyes amid a painful controversy!

93. San Diego: An American Town
Named After the Saint from Alcalá

93. San Diego: Un Pueblo Americano
Lleva el Nombre del Santo de Alcalá


94. San Luis Rey de Francia: The King of the California Missions
94. San Luis Rey de Francia: ​El Rey de las Misiones de California

95. San Antonio de Pala:
A Sub-Mission to Reach
 the Natives of the Interior
95. San Antonio de Pala:
Una Asistencia para Alcanzar los Nativos del Interior

96. San Juan Capistrano:
The Home of the Mission Swallows
 from Argentina
96. San Juan Capistrano:
El Hogar de las Golondrinas Desaparecidas ​de Argentina

97. San Gabriel Arcángel: A Mission that Launched Cities
97. San Gabriel Arcángel: Una Misión Que Lanzó Ciudades

98. El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Ángeles:
Hispanics had to be imported

98. El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Ángeles:
Hispanos tuvieron que sen importados


99. La Plaza de Cultura y Artes:
A Walk through Mexican-American History

99. La Plaza de Cultura y Artes:
Un Paseo por la historia 
​mexicoamericana


100. Strolling the Hispanic Walk of Fame
​100. Caminando por el Paseo Hispano de la Fama

101. San Fernando Rey de España Teaches
California's Colonial History

101. ​​San Fernando Rey de España Enseña
la historia colonial de California


​102. Mission San Buenaventura Survived Earthquakes and Pirates
102. Misión San Buenaventura Sobrevivió Terremotos y Piratas

​103. Father Serra Cross: On a hill,
​overlooking ​the land he shepherded

​103. La Cruz del Padre Serra: En una colina,
​con vistas a la tierra que pastoreaba


104. The Birthplace of Santa Barbara
104. El Lugar de Nacimiento de Santa Barbara

105. The Queen of the Spanish Missions
105. La Reina de las Misiones Españolas

106. Mission Santa Ines: Built to relieve other overcrowded missions
106. Misión Santa Inés: Construida para aliviar otras misiones superpobladas

107. Mission La Purísima Concepcion:
​Going back in time ​to Spanish California

107. Mision La Purísima Concepción:
Retrocediendo en ​el tiempo a la California española


XXX. Saluting an exile: ​Father Félix Varela
XXX. The Meaning of 'Sotomayor'
SPECIAL SECTIONS
• Great (pro-Hispanic) Americans
​
• 16th Century in the Hispanic American History Timeline
• 17th Century in the Hispanic American History Timeline
• 18th Century in the Hispanic American History Timeline
​
• Spanish-American expeditions before Jamestown
• NYC ​Hispanic Landmarks
• NYC Hispanic Art
• Do You Know/Sabes?
• Garita Art
​
• Do You Speak Spanglish?
HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORY TIMELINE
​1513 Ponce de Leon Discovers North America, Names Her 'Florida'

April 22, 1513 ​Alaminos discovers the Gulf Stream

1517 De Cordoba, wounded in Yucatan, stops in Florida

1518 Grijalva Reaches Galveston Island

1519 De Pineda confirms Florida ​is not an island​

1521 Ponce de Leon Returns to Florida, Falls Mortally Wounded

1524-25 Estevan Gomez Explores North America's East Coast

1526 Ayllón lands in S.C., settles in Georgia


1528 Narváez expedition succumbs to storms and natives

1528-36 Cabeza de Vaca treks across North America

1537-42 Cabeza de Vaca Returns to Spain, Writes 'La Relación'

1539 De Niza Searches for Golden Cities of Cibola
​

1539-42 De Soto celebrates first American Christmas

1540 Hernando de Alarcon Reaches California

1540-42 Coronado Explores the Southwest,
Cardenas Discovers ​the Grand Canyon


1542-43  ​Cabrillo explores California coast​

1559 De Luna Builds Santa Maria de Ochuse​


1565 Pedro Menendez de Avilés Establishes San Agustin

1566 Santa Elena Built in South Carolina

1598 ​Juan de Oñate Explores New Mexico

1602 Sebastian Vizcaino ​explores the West Coast

1610 Pedro de Peralta establishes Santa Fe

1610-26 The Birth of San Miguel, oldest church in the U.S.A.

1613 Juan Rodriguez becomes the first Manhattan immigrant

1633 Misión San Luis de Apalachee is born in Tallahassee

​1682 San Antonio de la Ysleta becomes first mission in Texas

1691 Father Eusebio Kino builds Tumacácori and Guevavi

1692 ​Father Kino builds San Xavier del Bac 

1692 Diego de Vargas leads ​'Bloodless Reconquest" of Santa Fe

1695 Castillo de San Marcos ​Completed in St. Augustine

1718 Mission San Antonio de Valero is born
​- long before it became The Alamo
​

1738 Runaway slaves establish Fort Mose,
​the first free African-American community​


​1738 Francisco Menendez Leads Fort Mose

1742 Spanish Soldiers ​Open Fort Matanzas

1752 Spanish Soldiers Build Presidio de Tubac

1763 Spanish Florida Goes to England

1765 Juan Antonio Maria de Rivera ​explores ​Colorado and Utah
​
1769 
Father Serra opens ​San Diego de Alcalá,
California's first ​Spanish mission


1771 Father Serra establishes San Gabriel Arcángel

1772 Good hunting determines site
​of ​Misión San Luis Obispo de Tolosa


1775 Captain Hugh O’Connor
​builds Presidio San Agustin del Tucson


​1776-83 Hispanics in the American Revolution

1776 The Birth of San Francisco

1781 Spanish troops defeat the British, capture Pensacola

1781 Pobladores of Los Angeles are imported

1791 ​Alessandro Malaspina Alaska Reaches Alaska

1797 Fermín Francisco de Lasuén
Establishes Misión San Fernando Rey de España


1797 The Birth of Villa de Branciforte

Herencia Hispana Oculta de America:
La Lista de Lugares, Ideas, y Evidencia Historica para Reconectár a los Americanos con sus Raíces Hispanas

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America's Hidden Hispanic Heritage:
The Bucket List of Places, Ideas and Historical Evidence to Reconnect Americans with their  Hispanic Roots
  • HOME
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  • CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP
  • NYC HISPANIC LANDMARKS
  • NYC HISPANIC ART
  • ON THE ROAD AGAIN
  • EN EL CAMINO OTRA VEZ
  • OUR MEDALLIONS SAGA