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

By Miguel Pérez

​
March 24, 2015 - 
You see Hernando De Soto and his Spanish conquistadors as they discovered the Mississippi River. You view different artistic interpretations of the moment Christopher Columbus first landed in the New World. You see Hernando Cortes' meeting with Montezuma in Mexico and Francisco Pizarro on his way to Peru. You see tributes to Spanish monarchs and missionaries — and to U.S. Hispanic heroes and accomplishments.

But you are not leafing through an American history book, where such images are rare. You are walking through the majestic corridors of the U.S. Capitol, where our Hispanic heritage is only hidden from those who don't want to see.
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Latino issues may be ignored in Congress — we know that! — but it's not because our elected officials don't see constant reminders of our Hispanic heritage. In the U.S. Capitol, our history is constantly on display. You would have to be blind not to see it.

When our conservative legislators discriminate against Hispanic immigrants — as if others were more entitled — you have to wonder whether they ever look up at the imposing painting in the Capitol's rotunda of De Soto at the Mississippi in 1541, almost 80 years before the Mayflower landed on Plymouth Rock. They should know better!

But if you are a visitor, enthralled by the beauty and history of the U.S. Capitol — walking through corridors of art that could compete with the world's finest museums — you may not immediately notice how much Hispanic heritage is on display there.

Of course, we are on the Great Hispanic American History Tour. I went looking for our roots, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Capitol paintings, sculptures and other artworks take you back in time to some of the most important moments in Hispanic American history.

Even before a portrait of Spanish Gen. Bernardo de Galvez was hung in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee room in December (the subject of my most recent column), the U.S. Capitol already was one of those rare institutions where Latinos could see their heritage well-represented. It took 231 years for Congress to fulfill its promise to hang up a portrait recognizing Galvez as a hero of the American Revolution, but in fact, he became one of many other Hispanics already artistically recognized in the halls of the Capitol.

In the House of Representatives, there is a marble relief of Alfonso X (1221-84), aka Alfonso the Wise, who was king of Leon and Castile and is recognized for establishing the basis for Spanish jurisprudence. There are portraits of former Reps. Eligio "Kika" de la Garza and Henry B. Gonzalez of Texas. And there is a painting of a Spanish mission, recognizing the early settlements and the missionaries who laid the foundation for many American cities.

In one of the Capitol's corridors, there is a painting called "The First Four Settlements in America," clearly showing that St. Augustine (1565) was established long before Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1620) and Savannah (1733). In another corridor, you see the image of South American liberator Simon Bolivar as former U.S. President James Monroe discusses the Monroe Doctrine, which protected the newly liberated Latin American nations from re-intervention by European powers.

Bartolome de las Casas, the 16th-century "Protector of the Indians," is honored by another painting in a corridor in the Senate wing. And yet another painting in the Senate wing depicts "Columbus and the Indian Maiden."

In National Statuary Hall and Emancipation Hall, where state-donated statues recognize prominent Americans, you'll find impressive bronze statues of Arizona's Father Eusebio Kino, California's Father Junipero Serra and New Mexico's Sen. Dennis Chavez.

Kino (1645-1711) established missions in what is now Sonora, Mexico, and southern Arizona. He was the subject of this column when the Great Hispanic American History Tour followed part of his trail last summer. Serra (1713-84) established California missions from San Diego to San Francisco. Chavez (1888-1962) championed the rights of Latinos and Native Americans.

In the rotunda's "Frieze of American History," a circular panorama depicting 19 significant scenes from American history, six of them involve Latinos. When you stand in the middle of that amazing rotunda, as you swivel 360 degrees to admire the entire frieze, you see Hispanic roots well-painted inside the Capitol's dome. That circular band of paintings depicts six immensely significant moments from Hispanic American history:

—Columbus disembarking from the Santa Maria and being greeted by Native Americans in 1492.

—Cortes entering an Aztec temple and meeting with emperor Montezuma II in 1519.

—The Pizarro expedition trekking through the South American jungle in search of the mythical land of gold known as El Dorado, before conquering the Inca capital in Cuzco, Peru, in 1533.

—The 1542 nighttime burial of De Soto in the Mississippi River.

—The U.S. Army entering Mexico City during the Mexican-American War in 1847.

—A U.S. naval gun crew "in the course of helping Cuba win independence from Spain" during the Spanish-American War in 1898.

As if all that weren't enough to fill a small Hispanic museum, at the Capitol's main entrance stand the imposing 17-foot-high and 20,000-pound Columbus Doors, a bronze sculpture depicting nine significant scenes from Columbus' life — from the moment he stood before the Council of Salamanca in 1487 to his deathbed in Valladolid, Spain, in 1506. Designed by American sculptor Randolph Rogers, these doors are a history lesson.

On the website of the architect of the Capitol, who oversees the treasures of the Capitol and the Supreme Court, there is an impressive page listing the "art featuring Hispanic culture" (http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/art-featuring-hispanic-culture), with links to photographs and the history of the artworks and the artists who created them. It also recognizes the four Hispanic artists — Marisol Escobar, Henrique Medina, Francisco Pausas and Jesse Trevino — who have created other works of art in the Capitol. Well done!

If you want to continue touring our remarkably Hispanic U.S. Capitol, even before you go there to see it, the architect of the Capitol's website is a great source of information — and Hispanic pride!

But the Great Hispanic American History Tour has to move on. In our next chapter, we'll go exploring the streets of our nation's capital, where — perhaps distracted by so many major attractions — sometimes we fail to see our well-represented Hispanic heritage.

COPYRIGHT 2015 CREATORS.COM
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The First Four Settlements in America - Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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LANDING OF COLUMBUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Bartolomé de Las Casas . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Gen. Bernardo de Galvez
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Columbus and the Indian Maiden . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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"The Wise" Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Capitol Rotunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Miguel Pérez
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LANDING OF COLUMBUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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CORTEZ AND MONTEZUMA AT AZTEC TEMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo:Architect of the Capitol
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PIZARRO GOING TO PERU . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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BURIAL OF DE SOTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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AMERICAN ARMY ENTERING THE CITY OF MEXICO - - - - - - - - - - Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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U.S. NAVAL GUN CREW IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Father Eusebio Kino - Photo: Miguel Pérez
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Sen. Dennis Chavez Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Father Junipero Serra - Photo: Miguel Pérez
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Simon Bolivar and the Monroe Doctrine Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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The Columbus Door - - - - - - - - - - Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Landing of Columbus in the New World (1492) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Departure of Columbus from Palos (1492) . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Audience at the Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (1492) Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Departure from the Convent of La Rábida (1492) . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Columbus Before the Council of Salamanca (1487) . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Columbus's First Encounter with the Indians (1492) Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Entry of Columbus into Barcelona (1493) . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Columbus in Chains (1500) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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Death of Columbus (1506) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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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
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