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  • California Road Trip - Part II

EXPLORING
​NEW MEXICO

A town with Indian and Spanish names:
Ohkay Owingeh and San Juan de los Caballeros

By Miguel Pérez​
​
Part 23 of a series
It was the first colonial capital of the Spanish province of Nuevo Mexico — San Juan de los Caballeros — the village founded by the Spanish settlers in the Juan de Oñate expedition at the end of their 750-mile journey from central Mexico in 1598.

But if you do a Google search for "San Juan de los Caballeros" nowadays, you are likely to also find "Ohkay Owingeh." Since 2005, the town has returned to its pre-Spanish roots.

Yet, perhaps because the name-change is still recent, you feel like you have found a town with an identity crisis.
 All over the internet, you will either find "Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo" or "San Juan de los Caballeros, now known as Ohkay Owingeh."
 En español: Un pueblo con nombre indio y español:
         Ohkay Owingeh y San Juan de los Caballeros
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Curiously, although the city returned to its roots with the name-change, the Ohkay Owingeh logo still claims the "first capitol" title.
​The same thing happens when you talk to the people here. They are mostly Tewa Native Americans. Yet, some tell you they live in Ohkay Owingeh and others tell you they live in San Juan. Some use both names interchangeably. Until now, when people told me they were from San Juan, I knew exactly what they meant. I love Puerto Rico! LOL ​But this is different.

​
When you drive into Ohkay Owingeh, traces of San Juan are hard to find. Old Spanish landmarks are mostly gone. You know you are in Ohkay Owingeh from the signs on commercial establishments, especially from the marquee and billboards promoting the town-owned Ohkay Casino. That's when you know you are in Indian territory.

Some background: Ohkay Owingeh, meaning "place of the strong people," has been occupied by Tewa-speaking natives since they migrated south from what is now the San Luis Valley of Colorado around 1200 A.D.



It is now a federally recognized tribe of about 1,200 people in Rio Arriba County, ​four miles north of Española and some 25 miles north of Santa Fe. It is the historical meeting place for Native American leaders and  still serves as the headquarters of the Eight Northern Pueblo Tribal Council. The town also hosts the One Oweenge Crafts Cooperative, showcasing pottery, weaving and artwork from the eight northern pueblos.

​​​When Spanish settlers arrived, they reportedly appeared to start a peaceful relationship with natives who were very hospitable. They traded goods and were offered temporary shelter. Eventually, the natives ceeded an area about a mile away (on the other side of the Rio Grande) where the Spanish could settle permanently. Both sides apparently had good intentions for establishing friendly relations.​
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El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, from Mexico City to San Juan de los Caballeros/Ohkay Owingeh Map: National Park Service and La Jornada statuary in Albuquerque. Photo: Miguel Pérez
But the good relations did not last. ​It is said that Oñate ordered his men to amputate a foot from at least two dozen natives in another village, Acoma Pueblo, and that he was retaliating for several Spanish soldiers who were killed by the natives, including his nephew.

​​Deeper background: 
Oñate was a wealthy Spanish citizen born in 1550 in Zacatecas, New Spain (Mexico). “Because of his wealth and influence, he was able to win the bid for the contract with the Spanish government to colonize present day New Mexico," according to an exhibit at the Bond Museum in nearby Española. "In return for his investment, Oñate was named both governor and captain general, which gave him civil and military authority over the colony."
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While history books and museums sometimes differ on the numbers to describe the size of the Oñate expedition, the Bond Museum explains that the lengthy caravan "included about 400 people, half being civilian men and women, an unstated number of servants and slaves, 129 soldiers of the Spanish king, 10 Franciscan friars (8 priests 2 lay brothers). Eighty-three carretas or ox drawn carts carried their necessities: food, clothing, kitchenware, medicine, mining and blacksmithing tools, armaments, and trade goods. The caravan brought over 7000 head of livestock: horses, cattle, sheep, and goats. Oñate also brought trees, chile seeds, corn, and barley.” It was enough to change the American West forever!

At the nearby Mission Museum, also at the Plaza of Española, you learn that, "A large caravan assembled at Compostela, Mexico in January, 1598" and that, "they advanced slowly toward the Rio Grande, stopping at Indian settlements along the way and celebrating a day of Thanksgiving at present day El Paso del Norte in April 1598."
​Slideshow below, from part one of this series: Albuquerque's "La Jornada" statuary, depicting the first Spanish settlers, although the statue of their leader, Oñate, has been removed. Photos: Miguel Pérez
After crossing the Rio Grande in the part that now separates Mexico from the United States, they followed the river as it turns north and cuts across New Mexico. Mind you, that was nine years before the British settled in Jamestown, Va. in 1607.

​"On July 11 1598, a scouting party arrived at the Tewa village of Ohkay Owingeh, located at the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Rio Chama," says the Mission Museum. "Here the expedition stopped, renamed the village San Juan de Los Caballeros and thus Oñate and his companions established the first Spanish capital in New Mexico."

​Named after St. John the Baptist and in recognition of the hospitality they first received from Native American caballeros (knights), San Juan de los Caballeros also became 
the northernmost colony in the Spanish empire! 

On the internet, there are also discrepancies about whether San Juan de los Caballeros was actually New Mexico's first colonial capital. Since Oñate relocated the village to the west side of the Rio Grande only a few months after arriving, to a new village he named San Gabriel, some internet articles say San Gabriel is the first capital while others called it the second. Confusing? Yes! But regardless of its name and whether it was the fist capital, nothing can diminish the historical significance of this place! ​There is so much history here, and much of it is so controversial, that I'll have to come back to examine some of it in more detail.

​
​​
​​After all, this is the place where a bronze statue of Oñate had a foot amputated in 1998, an obvious retaliation for Oñate's most notorious act of cruelty. This is the place where that statue was removed from public viewing (by county officials) in June of 2020 to prevent it from being vandalized by protesters, and where efforts to erect it at another county property in 2023 resulted in the shooting of an anti-Oñate protester.
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Po' Pay in the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol / Photo: Miguel Pérez
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Juan de Oñate equestrian monument, removed in 2020 and no longer visible to the public. Image from old YouTube video
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Only the pedestal remains
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Rio Arriba County workers removing the Oñate equestrian statue in June of 2020 to prevent it from being vandalized by protesters
This is also the birthplace of Po' Pay, the Tewa leader who led the 1680 Pueblo Revolt that killed some 400 Spanish settlers and 21 missionaries, drove thousands of others out of New Mexico, and called on his people to eradicate Spanish language, customs, and beliefs from their lives.

​Both Oñate and Po' Pay were extremely violent, responsible for many deaths and much hardship. Yet, while Oñate's statues are being removed from public view nowadays, Po' Pay's statue
 represents New Mexico in the statuary hall of the U.S. Capitol. (See photo).

​
When I went looking for the Oñate Monument Center, in nearby Alcalde, and the impressive Oñate equestrian statue that once stood there, all I found was a concrete pedestal, with a bronze plaque still recognizing "Don Juan de Oñate, captain general and first governor of New Mexico 1598-1610." Not only was the statue removed, but the center was also closed and the building was abandoned. (See photos).
Efforts to bring the statue out of hiding and erect it at another location have been met with pro and con demonstrations between those who still see Oñate as a great colonizer and those who see him as a cruel invader. 

​Unfortunately, some wars never end. And this one, still fighting over monuments, has passionate warriors on both sides. But fortunately, Hispanics are not known for desecrating Native American monuments. I would find it embarrassing!

​
When I found a statue of Po' Pay at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, I took a selfie with him! Why? Because I don't fight centuries-old wars! Because it is foolish, and cowardly, to fight against immobile objects that cannot fight back. Because history is history. We have to accept it and live with it, even when it hurts! What we cannot do is hide it!​
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Meet Po'Pay, born in Ohkay Owingeh and the leader of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
But let me tell you what I found when I went looking for traces of San Juan de los Caballeros in Ohkay Owingeh. As you drive across the town, heading northwest on Po' Pay Avenue, you arrive at a point where you find two catholic churches, one on each side of the road. On one side is the San Juan Bautista and Tewa Missions Catholic Church, and across the street stands the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The shrine was built in 1890 in response to the 1858 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France. But the San Juan Bautista parish is a direct descendant of San Miguel Mission and several (no longer standing) adobe churches built near here by the Spanish settlers who came with Oñate since 1598. It began as San Juan Bautista at its current location in 1643, and it was destroyed by Native Americans during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. It was rebuilt again in 1706 and 1913.

Although rebuilt in French Gothic style, the current stone and brick church is by far the most visible trace of San Juan Pueblo and Spanish presence here. It is also a vivid demonstration of deeply held Catholic faith by today's Tewa natives. In this church, the choirs sing in Tewa, Spanish, English and Gregorian chants.

At the entrance of San Juan Bautista, parishioners are greeted by statues of the Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), the first Indian in North America to be canonized (in 2012). She was an Algonquian-Mohawk from present-day New York State.

​​There is a San Juan Elementary School and in Google Maps, the whole area is also called the "San Juan Indian Reservation." Yet o
ver the years, while Ohkay Owingeh has shed much of its Spanish heritage, the City of Española, four miles to the south, has been enriched by Hispanic culture. Even the Spanish history of Ohkay Owingeh is on display in Española museums!
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Our Lady of Lourdes, "La Madre de Dios" Photo: Miguel Pérez
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Kateri Tekakwitha, the first North American Indian saint. Photo: Miguel Pérez
​That's where you learn that a few months after establishing San Juan de los Caballeros on the east side of the Rio Grande, Oñate came to an agreement with the natives and moved the Spanish settlers to the other side of the river, to an old Tewa village called Yunque, and established a new settlement he called San Gabriel del Yunque. "San Gabriel served as the official capital of New Mexico until 1609-1610, when the Village of Santa Fe was established as the official seat of Spanish government,” says the Mission Museum.

​But if San Gabriel was the capital of New Mexico for more than a decade before it was moved to Santa Fe, what happened to it? Why can't we find San Gabriel on the map?
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For my next article, let's cross the Rio Grande and explore its west bank in search of San Gabriel. Are you coming?
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To read other parts of this ongoing series, click: EXPLORING NEW MEXICO
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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 Aqui
                
19. Hyphenated and Proud!
                   
20. Politicizing Education

21. Speak Any Spanish Lately?
              
22. 
Let's Celebrate Three Kings Day!

22. ´Celebremos el día de los 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. 
On Fiesta Month, Can We Talk About Heritage?
27. En el mes de las fiestas, ™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. 
An American hero and hidden Hispanic role model
51. Un héroe americano y 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. New 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

58. Hubo Compasión en el Camino de las Misiones Españolas
​
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'
EXPLORING THE SOUTHEAST
To recharge our spiritual and cultural batteries
​Cuban-Americans come to ​'La Ermita'

Para recargar nuestras baterías espirituales y culturales
los cubanoamericanos vienen a 'La Ermita'


San Carlos Institute: Like walking into a  Cuban history book

Instituto San Carlos: Como entrar en un libro de historia de Cuba

​Key West: So close to Cuba and yet so far away
Key West: Tan cerca de Cuba y sin embargo tan lejos​


An exclusive preview ​of a new, yet ancient Miami cultural center
Un adelanto exclusivo ​de un nuevo, aún antiguo centro cultural de Miami


Miami's Bayfront Park celebrates ​almost all the Americas
​El Bayfront Park de Miami celebra casi todas las Américas

On Florida's Camino Real only remnants remain
En el Camino Real de Florida solo quedan restos
​

​A trip back in time, to colonial Spanish Florida
Un viaje al pasado, a la Florida española colonial

​Pensacola, Florida: ​'​A Spanish Town'
Pensacola, Florida: ​'Un pueblo español'


In the American Revolution, ​Hispanics fought and won the Battle of Pensacola
En la Revolución Americana, los hispanos lucharon y ganaron la Batalla de Pensacola

Pensacola, 'America's First Settlement' remembers its Spanish founder
​
Pensacola, el primer pueblo estadounidense recuerda a su fundador español

History Museum of Mobile recognizes pre-British American 'age of exploration'
Museo de Historia de Mobile reconoce la 'era de exploración' estadounidense prebritánica


A multilingual fort and its rotating history
Un fuerte multilingüe y su historia rotativa


​Mobil's Spanish Plaza Park, ​an unexpected gem
​Plaza de España de Mobile, una joya inesperada

Twenty-one road trip stops Tracing De Soto's Journey
Veintiuna paradas el la carretera Trazando el viaje de De Soto

ON THE ROAD AGAIN - 
​​1. Walt Whitman's House, ​Camden, NJ
​
2. ​Casa de Walt Whitman, ​Camden, NJ

2. Yorktown ​Battlefield, Va.
2. ​Campo de Batalla Yorktown

​
3. ​'First Landing' State Park, Va.
​3. Parque estatal 'First Landing'


4. ​Jamestown Settlement, Va.
4. Asentamiento de Jamestown Settlement, Va.


​5. ​When Florida reached South Carolina,
​    St. Helena was an important town

5. Cuando Florida llegaba hasta Carolina del Sur,
​    Santa Helena era un pueblo importante


​
6. Juan Ponce de Leon at ​Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl.
6. Juan Ponce de León en Playa de Ponte Vedra, Fl.​

7. Fort Mose Historic State Park, Fl.
​The first free African American community - in Spanish Florida!

​​7. ​Parque Estatal Histórico Fort Mose, Fl.
​​La primera comunidad afroamericana libre - en la Florida española!


8. St. Augustine, Fl., The "Old City Gate"
​at our first permanent settlement
​
8. San Agustín, Florida, La "Puerta de la Ciudad Vieja"
​en nuestro primer pueblo permanente

9. St. Augustine, Fl., Castillo de San Marcos
9. Castillo de San Marcos, ​San Agustín, Fl.

​

​​


Castillo de San Marcos, ​San Agustín, Fl.
EXPLORING NEW MEXICO - 2023
​​1. Our journey begins ​at La Jornada
​​1. Nuestra jornada comienza ​en 'La Jornada'


2. In Old Town Albuquerque, if you have Spanish blood, you feel it!
​
​2. En Old Town Albuquerque, si tienes sangre española, ´lo sientes!​

3. Albuquerque: An American city named after a Spanish duke
3. Albuquerque: Una ciudad Americana con el nombre de un duque español

4. San Felipe de Neri, Albuquerque's patron saint and oldest building
4. San Felipe de Neri, patrón de Albuquerque ​y edificio más antiguo

5. History cannot be hidden or denied, even if it hurts
5. La historia no se puede ocultar ni negar, aunque duela

6. Following the historic Dominguez-Escalante Trail
6. Siguiendo el sendero histórico de Domínguez y Escalante

7. An amazing cultural center and its even ​more amazing fresco

7. Un centro cultural increíble ​y su fresco aún más asombroso​
​
8. Hispanic heritage lives ​in Native American museum

8. La herencia hispana vive en museo de nativos americanos​

9. The Native American pueblo Coronado visited, or fought?
9. El pueblo nativo americano que Coronado ™visitó o peleó?

10. My namesake San Miguel, ​the oldest church on the United States mainland
10. Mi homónimo San Miguel, la iglesia ​más antigua de los Estados Unidos continentales

11. If it's not the 'Oldest House,' ​it's certainly among them!
​11. Si no es la 'casa más antigua', ´Sin duda está entre ellas!

12. Santa Fe, a modern city that looks like an ancient pueblo
12. Santa Fe, una ciudad moderna que parece un pueblo antiguo

13. You know the conquistadores? Now meet 'La Conquistadora'
13. ™Conoces a los conquistadores? Ahora conoce a 'La Conquistadora'

14. You think you are in a park, ​but you are walking in a history book

14. Crees que estás en un parque, ​pero estás caminando en un libro de historia

15. A palace, a plaza and a desecrated obelisk
15. Un palacio, una plaza y un obelisco profanado

16. New Mexico's History shines in its fearless museums
16. La historia de Nuevo México vive en sus intrépidos museos

17. Don Pedro de Peralta still rides in Santa Fe
17. Don Pedro de Peralta todavía cabalga en Santa Fe

18. Two sacred monuments to honor the martyrs​​​
18. Dos monumentos sagrados para honrar a los mártires

19. On U.S. land that was part of Mexico, she is still revered
​
19. En territorio estadounidense que era parte de México, todavía es venerada

20. Digging for miraculous dirt in the Santuario de Chimayó
​
20. Excavando en busca de tierra milagrosa en el Santuario de Chimayó

21. Española is not a Spanish woman; It's a fabulous place!
21. Española no es una mujer española, Es un lugar fabuloso!

22. History, faith, culture and pride on display ​in Hispanic fiestas
22. Historia, fe, cultura y orgullo en exhibición en las fiestas hispanas​

23. A town with Indian and Spanish names: Ohkay Owingeh and San Juan de los Caballeros
23. Un pueblo con nombre indio y español: Ohkay Owingeh y San Juan de los  Caballeros

24. Searching for San Gabriel, New Mexico's abandoned capital
24. Buscando a San Gabriel, La capital abandonada de Nuevo Mexico
SPECIAL SECTIONS
• Great (pro-Hispanic) Americans
​• Spanish-American expeditions before Jamestown
• NYC ​Hispanic Landmarks
• NYC Hispanic Art
• Do You Know Them? Los Conoces?
• Garita Art
​
• Do You Speak Spanglish?
HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORY TIMELINE
​• 16th Century in the Hispanic American History Timeline
• 17th Century in the Hispanic American History Timeline
• 18th Century in the 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
So what do you think? / ™Entonces, qué piensas?
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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
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