THE HISTORY OF U.S. LATINOS
HISPANIC-AMERICAN HISTORY - LATINO HISTORY - THE HISTORY OF LATINOS AND HISPANIC AMERICANS - A TIMELINE OF HISPANIC HISTORY - THE LATINO HISTORY TIMELINE . . . and other great subtitles to help search engines and readers locate us!
CHAPTERS/CAPITULOS
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Pedro Menendez de Aviles
Juan de Onate
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For Latino immigrants, no other American holiday is more precious than Thanksgiving. "El dia de accion de gracias," as we know it in Spanish, is a welcomed opportunity to reflect on the reasons we came here and to express our gratitude for the religious, political and economic freedoms we enjoy — just like the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. Read more ...
Para los inmigrantes latinos, ninguna otra fiesta americana es más preciosa que Thanksgiving. "El día de acción de gracias", tal como lo conocemos en español, es una oportunidad bienvenida para reflexionar sobre las razones por las que vinimos aquí y para expresar nuestra gratitud por las libertades religiosas, políticas y económicas que disfrutamos - al igual que lo hicieron los Peregrinos de la colonia de Plymouth Rock. Lea mas -->
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JAMESTOWN
ST. AUGUSTINE
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Which came first: the Spanish conquistadors or the British colonists? Jamestown or St. Augustine? The Spanish language or the English language? Hernando De Soto or Lewis and Clark? Figuring out the answer to all those questions is much easier than the old puzzle about whether the chicken or the egg came first. Nevertheless, if your education is based on U.S. history books and school curricula, perhaps finding those answers is not as easy as it should be. Read more ...
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CHICHEN ITZA, Mexico — Until you get here and you stand before the great pyramid of Kukulcan, you don't fully appreciate the amazing ingenuity and achievements of the Mayan people. Sure, you may have seen pictures and heard that this ancient city was the political and economic center of a pre-Hispanic civilization that spanned through what is now southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and parts of Honduras and El Salvador. You may be aware that this amazing place recently was declared one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World. But you have to be here to understand why this place is so important and why it makes many Latinos, especially Mexicans, so proud of their heritage. Read more ...
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4. The Black Legend ReturnsDon't blame it on talk radio and conservative politicians, as if they started something new. The anti-Hispanic rhetoric poisoning political discourse in the United States lately actually dates back to 16th-century Europe. That's when British and Dutch writers set out to deliberately spread negative propaganda about the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Read more ...
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5. Even on HBO, The Black Legend LivesWatching the Founding Fathers and their historic creation of a new nation, even in a dramatization, always makes me feel proud to be an American. But just when I expected "John Adams" to make me feel proud to be a Latino, too, the new HBO miniseries did a huge fast forward, skipping almost the entire Revolutionary War and leaving the contributions of Latinos totally out of the picture. Read more ...
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CARTAGENA, Colombia — Surrounded by a wall fortified by cannons and in the midst of fortresses and castles, there is no better place to appreciate Spanish influence in the New World than in this beautiful city by the Caribbean Sea. This is the place where U.S. Latinos come to recharge their ethnic batteries and to dig out the roots of their Spanish ancestry. Read more ...
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August 12, 2008 - It all began with an innocuous column to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, one that encouraged U.S. Latinos to take pride in the contributions their ancestors made to this great nation. And yet many non-Latinos were offended. Almost 20 years ago, in a column I wrote for the New York Daily News, I told Latinos that they have many reasons to take pride in their North American roots, that they should arm themselves with some historical facts so they will not allow anyone to treat them like foreigners or force them to speak only one language. Read more ...
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8. We Are All 'Americanos'September 16, 2008 - Perhaps I had not been paying attention, but now that I'm in the midst of writing a series of columns on the Latino contributions to North American society, I see a history column everywhere I look. When Sen. John McCain reminded us that a Latina daughter of migrant workers is just as "American" as a boy whose ancestors were on the Mayflower, most people rightfully read it as a subtle message on U.S. immigration policy. I did, too. But I also saw a Latino-history column in the making. Read more ...
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9. Latinos are FailingSeptember 23, 2008 - About this time every year, when Latinos can't keep up with all the parades and fiestas to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I get terribly upset. I keep looking for the kind of substance that African-Americans absorb in serious seminars and lectures during Black History Month, but I can't find it! Amid the cocktail parties and parade pageants to elect queens and hobnob with politicians, what I find is that Latinos are too busy partying like there is no "mañana." Read more ...
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Cristobal Colon
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October 7, 2008 - To most of us, he was the ultimate explorer, the gutsy genius who brought Europe to the New World, one of history's greatest figures. His name, of course, was Cristobal Colón, better known here as Christopher Columbus, the Italian navigator, who sailed for Spain. Read more -->
7 de octubre 2008 - Para la mayoría de nosotros, él fue el máximo explorador, el genio audaz que trajo a Europa al Nuevo Mundo, una de las más grandes figuras de la historia. Su nombre, por supuesto, fue Cristóbal Colón, más conocido aquí como Christopher Columbus, el navegante italiano, que navegó para España. Lea mas -->
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Colon's Gravesite
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Oct. 14, 2008 - To most Spaniards, Christopher Columbus rests where he belongs: in the Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria, in Seville, Spain, the city from where he set sail for the New World in 1492. But to most Dominicans, Columbus rests where he wanted to be buried: in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they have built him an impressive tomb — the cross-shaped monument known as "El Faro a Colon" (the Columbus Lighthouse). Read more -->
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Walt Whitman
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March 31, 2009 - The letter was penned in 1883, but it could have been written today. Its message is still very current. Its words still need to be repeated. "We Americans have yet to really learn our own antecedents," the letter noted. "Thus far, impressed by New-England writers and schoolmasters, we tacitly abandon ourselves to the notion that our United States have been fashioned from the British Islands only, and essentially form a second England only — which is a very great mistake." Read more -->
31 de marzo 2009 - La carta fue escrita en 1883, pero podría haber sido escrita hoy. Su mensaje sigue siendo muy actual. Sus palabras todavía tienen que ser repetidas. "Nosotros, los americanos aún no hemos aprendido realmente nuestros propios antecedentes", señaló la carta. "Hasta ahora, impresionados por escritores y maestros de escuela de Nueva-Inglaterra, tácitamente abandonamos a la idea de que nuestros Estados Unidos se han formado de sólo las Islas Británicas, y, esencialmente, forma solamente una segunda Inglaterra sólo -- que es un error muy grave". Lea mas -->
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13. America's Cradle
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — September 1, 2009 — You tour the "colonial zone" and hear the names of the many amazing people who have lived here, at least for a while, on their way to discovering, exploring and settling the United States and the rest of the Americas. Read more -->
SANTO DOMINGO, República Dominicana – Al recorrer la "zona colonial" escucharas los nombres de las tantas personas fascinantes que allí vivieron, al menos por un tiempo, en su largo recorrido de descubrimiento, exploración y colonización de los Estados Unidos y el resto de las Américas. Lea mas -->
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Ponce de Leon in Old San Juan
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — September 9, 2009 -- When they take the time to read the writing carved on a marble wall in a particularly dark section of the San Juan Bautista Metropolitan Cathedral here, that's when visitors finally realize they are standing before the gravesite of one of the great Spanish conquistadors. Read more -->
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Cuando se toman el tiempo para leer la escritura tallada en una de las paredes de mármol en una sección especialmente oscura de la Catedral Metropolitana de San Juan Bautista, es cuando los visitantes finalmente se dan cuenta que están parados frente a la tumba de uno de los mas grandes conquistadores Españoles. Lea mas -->
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September 15, 2009 - When he discovered the huge landmass now known as the United States, Juan Ponce de Leon decided to call it Florida. It was April 2, 1513, during the "Pascua Florida" season — Spanish for "Flowery Easter" — and that name seemed appropriate as the conquistador and his 200 explorers contemplated the lush vegetation along the shoreline. Read more -->
Cuando descubrió la tierra ahora conocida como los Estados Unidos, Juan Ponce de León decidió llamarla Florida. Era el 2 de abril 1513, durante la temporada de "Pascua Florida" y ese nombre pareció apropiado ya que el conquistador y sus 200 exploradores contemplaban la exuberante vegetación a lo largo de la costa. Lea mas -->
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October 27, 2009 - During the next few days in Hispanic homes throughout this country, there will be people invoking the spirits — asking dead relatives to come back into their homes. In their living rooms — and even out in their yards — many Mexicans and Central Americans will build altars with pictures and mementos of their deceased loved ones. They will burn candles and incense. And they will make offerings to the dead — food, flowers, the favorite smoke or drink, and even the favorite music of the departed. Read more -->
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December 29, 2009 - We call it "Navidad," the Spanish word for Christmas. But literally, it means "Nativity" — and we have no qualms about the birth we are celebrating. Christmas traditions unfortunately are becoming politically incorrect in many segments of American society, but in the overwhelmingly Christian Hispanic-American community, we still proudly display our faith in Jesus Christ. Read more -->
La llamamos "Navidad", la palabra española para “Christmas”. Pero, literalmente, significa "Natividad" – y no tenemos duda del nacimiento que estamos celebrando. Las tradiciones de la Navidad, lamentablemente se están convirtiendo en “política incorrecta” en muchos segmentos de la sociedad Estadounidense. Sin embargo en la comunidad Hispana-Americana, todavía se exhibe con orgullo nuestra fe en Jesucristo. Lea mas -->
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You may have listened to his verses in the old Cuban song "Guantanamera." You may have seen his impressive statue in New York's Central Park. You may have heard him mentioned when Cuban-Americans and Washington politicians have discussed the U.S. government radio and TV stations that bear his name or when people have been talking about streets, parks, schools or theaters that were named after him — in Cuba, the United States and throughout the Americas. Read more -->
Usted puede haber escuchado sus versos en la vieja canción cubana "Guantanamera". Es posible que haya visto su impresionante estatua en el Parque Central de Nueva York. Puede haberlo oído mencionado cuando los cubano-americanos y los políticos de Washington han discutido sobre las estaciones de radio y televisión, del gobierno estadounidense, que llevan su nombre. O cuando la gente habla de las calles, parques, escuelas o teatros que se llaman como el – en Cuba, Estados Unidos y en todo el continente americano. Lea mas -->
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April 6, 2010 - Every once in a while, a reader writes me a letter demanding that I must choose. "You can be a Cuban or an American. Not both," one of them wrote last week. "It is long time past for you to pick a country." The fact that I call myself a Cuban-American is offensive to some people. Luckily, I'm not alone, because they are offended by all hyphenated Americans. Read more -->
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June 8, 2010 - When I was a boy growing up in my native Cuba, communist ideology suddenly began to be filtered into my education. The government had determined that, like all other Cuban children, I was to be indoctrinated. Lesson plans were to be altered; new books had to be written; history needed to be distorted; and Cuban children were to be taught to believe that "Yankee imperialists" were our new enemies — the reason for all our problems. Read more -->
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SIESTA
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LASSO
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December 14, 2010 -- When we take a lunch break, often we go to a "cafeteria." When we need to take a nap in the afternoon, we take a "siesta." When politicians show no courage, we say they lack "cojones." When we want to praise a concert musician, we shout, "Bravo!" When big storms are coming, especially "tornados," we often blame them on "El Niño." When we feel shortchanged, we say we got "nada." When someone flies over the cuckoo's nest, we describe him as a little "loco." We may not realize it, but most Americans speak at least a little Spanish. Some Americans complain about the growth of the Spanish language, yet they speak it every day. Read more -->
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To many U.S. Latinos, they are much more than figurines in the Nativity mangers under our Christmas trees. They are Melchor, Gaspar and Balthazar, those three magical figures who rode camels and left toys under our beds every Jan. 6 when we were kids. Read more -->
Para muchos latinos de Estados Unidos, son mucho más que figuras en los pesebres bajo nuestros árboles de Navidad. Ellos son Melchor, Gaspar y Baltasar, los tres personajes mágicos que montaban camellos, y dejaban juguetes debajo de nuestras camas cada 6 de enero, cuando éramos niños. Lea mas -->
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Juan Ponce de Leon
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April 19, 2011 -- We missed another birthday, and most of us didn't even notice! Whose birthday, you ask? Our own! On April 2, all Americans should have celebrated the 498th anniversary of the discovery of the land that came to be known as the United States of America. I know. History books tell us that April 2, 1513, was the day Juan Ponce de León first sighted and named Florida. Read more -->
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Tito's Timbales
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Celia's Dress
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Imagine a place where you could retrace 500 years of Latino-American history, view the most impressive Latino works of art and embrace the rich culture of your fellow Hispanic Americans. Envision a huge multimedia complex where all Americans could learn about the great contributions Latinos have made to the creation, foundation, defense and economic success of this great nation. Picture a place where people would be awed by the sheer volume of Latino achievers in sports, business, music, entertainment and every other facet of American culture and society. Read more -->
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Now that we have welcomed Santa, some of us are getting ready to receive the three wise men on Jan. 6. In our annual Latino struggle to preserve our own Hispanic holiday traditions, a little history is appropriate here. After all, it was our Spanish ancestors who celebrated North America's first Christmas — 474 years ago! Read more -->
Ahora que hemos dado la bienvenida a Santa, algunos de nosotros nos estamos preparando para recibir a los Reyes Magos el 6 de enero. En nuestra lucha anual por preservar nuestras tradiciones de pascuas hispanas, un poco de historia es apropiada ahora. Después de todo, fueron nuestros antepasados españoles quienes celebraron la primera navidad en Norteamerica – hace 472 años. Lea mas -->
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Grand Canyon
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I always wanted to go there. The Grand Canyon was on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I always thought that it wasn't enough to just see it in pictures. And I was right. Last Monday, Aug. 6, in celebration of my 62nd birthday, I treated myself to a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. This time, I was the one taking the pictures and in complete awe! Read more -->
14 de Agosto 2012 - Siempre quise ir allí. El Gran Cañón estuvo en mi lista de cosas que debo hacer por todo el tiempo que yo recuerde. Siempre he pensado que no era suficiente con sólo verlo en imágenes. Y no me equivoqué. Lea mas -->
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Oct. 16, 2012 - It's an awkward month, covering the second half of September and the first half of October. But it's not as awkward as the way we celebrate it. We call it Hispanic Heritage Month, but it has little to do with heritage. Hispanic Fiesta Month would be a better name. To many Latinos, this is mostly a time to party like there is no mañana. Read more -->
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On a concrete courtyard in upper Manhattan, a group of Hispanic boys were playing stickball, totally oblivious of the treasures that hung on the other side of the walls that embraced their play area. "Do you know what's inside?" I asked them, pretending to be clueless and pointing to one of the buildings. "Some kind of museum," one of them responded. "You don't know what kind?" I insisted. Read more -->
En un patio de concreto en el Alto Manhattan, un grupo de niños hispanos jugaban al béisbol, totalmente ajenos de los tesoros que colgaban en el otro lado de las paredes que rodean su área de juego. "?Saben lo que hay dentro?" les pregunté, fingiendo estar desorientado y señalando a uno de los edificios. "Una especie de museo", respondió uno de ellos. Lea mas -->
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My reservations are made; my plans are solid. I'm going to be in Florida on April 2 and 3 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de Leon's great discovery. But it's not really fair. I'm going to a celebration that should be coming to me — and to all of us across this country! When Florida marks its quincentennial, the whole nation should be celebrating its 500th birthday. Read more->
Mis reservaciones ya están hechas, mis planes son sólidos. Voy a estar en la Florida el 2 y 3 de abril para celebrar el 500 aniversario del gran descubrimiento de Juan Ponce de León. Pero en realidad, no es justo. Voy a una celebración que debería venir a mí – y a todo nosotros a través de este país! Cuando la Florida celebra su quinto centenario, la nación entera debe estar celebrando su cumpleaños número 500. Lea mas -->
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Melbourne Beach 4-2-13
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People were shouting "Viva España" and celebrating the great achievements of the Spanish conquistadors in Florida last week. They were dressing up as Spanish explorers, firing muskets and even cannons, listening to history lectures and attending Catholic masses in recognition that Christianity came to America with much more compassion than history tells us. Read more -->
La gente gritaba "Viva España" y celebraba los grandes logros de los conquistadores españoles en la Florida la semana pasada. Ellos se vestían como los exploradores españoles, disparaban mosquetes y hasta cañones, escuchaban lecturas de historia y asistían a misas católicas en reconocimiento de que el cristianismo que llegó a Norteamérica con mucha más compasión de lo que la historia nos cuenta. Lea mas -->
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St. Augustine 4-3-13
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As if he was a field commander rallying his troops, "the dean of Florida historians" was distributing ammunition among those who fight to correct American history, especially those who try to dispel the misconceptions about the Spanish explorers who discovered a land they called "La Florida" in 1513. Read more -->
Como si fuera un comandante de campo reuniendo a sus tropas, "el decano de los historiadores de la Florida" estaba distribuyendo municiones entre los que luchan por corregir la historia de América, especialmente los que tratan de disipar los conceptos erróneos acerca de los exploradores españoles que descubrieron una tierra que llamaron "La Florida" en 1513. Lea mas -->
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If you missed CBS's "Sunday Morning" program last week, you missed a report that should be required viewing for all Americans. And if you are one of those Americans who still question why Latinos in the Southwest are offended when they are treated like foreigners, someone needs to sit you in front of a computer and make you watch this video online. Read more -->
Si usted no vio el programa "Sunday Morning" de la cadena CBS la semana pasada, se perdió un informe que debe ser mandatorio para todos los estadounidenses. Y si usted es uno de esos americanos que todavía se preguntan por qué los latinos en el suroeste se ofenden cuando se les trata como extranjeros, alguien tiene que sentarte frente a una computadora y hacerle ver este video en el Internet. Lea mas -->
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Long before Guantanamo became synonymous with al-Qaida prisoners, American injustice and hunger strikes — yes, even before it became known as a high-security prison for suspected terrorists — it was a U.S. Naval Base with a long and fascinating history. It still is! And long after the military prison is gone, the U.S. Naval Base is very likely to remain there, surrounding Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — still the oldest American outpost on foreign soil, and the only one in a communist country. Read more -->
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June 18, 2013 - Just when we think racism is in retreat, when census and election results demonstrate that we should be much more tolerant than we have been in the past, something happens to remind us that much work still needs to be done to combat ignorance in America. Read more -->
18 de junio 2013 - ™Justo cuando pensamos que el racismo está en retirada, cuando los resultados del censo y las elecciones demuestran que debemos ser mucho más tolerante de lo que hemos sido en el pasado, algo sucede que nos recuerda que todavía queda mucho trabajo por hacer para combatir la ignorancia en Norteamérica. Lea mas -->
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35. Thinking of Cusi On the 4th of JulyEvery Fourth of July, as others are watching the fireworks, my mind wonders back to the jungles of Vietnam in 1968. I wasn’t there. But I try to imagine how my friend Cusi must have spent that night, and it serves to remind me of the real meaning of the Fourth of July. Read more -->
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We have been in this country longer than most other ethnic groups and races. We are a majority among Latinos. Finding us should not be a problem. We have been here all along! And yet some of our fellow Americans are just beginning to notice us. We are white and we are Hispanic — and that should not be a problem, either. Read more -->
Hemos estado en este país por mas tiempo que muchos otros grupos étnicos y razas. Somos una mayoría entre los latinos. Encontrarnos no debería ser un problema. ¡Hemos estado aquí todo el tiempo! Y sin embargo, algunos de nuestros compatriotas norteamericanos aun están comenzando a notarnos. Somos blancos y somos hispanos - y eso no debería ser un problema, tampoco. Lea mas -->
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So let's assume that you already know that the Spanish conquistadors were here long before the British colonists, that Spanish was spoken in North America before a word of English was uttered, that St. Augustine was established 42 years before Jamestown. But how much do you really know about the first European-American century? Read more -->
Así que vamos a suponer que usted ya sabe que los conquistadores españoles estaban aquí mucho antes de que los colonos británicos, que el español se habla en América del Norte antes que una palabra de Inglés fuera pronunciada, que San Agustín fue fundada 42 años antes que Jamestown. Pero, ™cuánto sabe realmente sobre el primer siglo europeo-americano? Lea mas -->
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So what do you do when people mispronounce your name? Do you correct them? If they butcher your identity, do you let it ride? Just to avoid having to educate them? Foreign-born Americans are constantly pressured to Americanize their names nowadays — just to make it easier for the ears of those who refuse to accept foreign sounds. But if you go along, aren't you hiding your heritage? Read more -->
™Entonces qué haces cuando la gente pronuncian mal tu nombre? ™Los corriges? Si descuartizan tu identidad, lo dejas pasar? Sólo para no tener que educarlos? Los estadounidenses nacidos en el extranjero son presionados constantemente para que americanicen sus nombres hoy en día - sólo para que sea más fácil para los oídos de aquellos que se niegan a aceptar los sonidos exteriores. Pero si usted lo acepta, ™no esta escondiendo su herencia? Lea mas -->
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It may seem like an identity crisis, as if we Latinos/Hispanics can’t make up our minds about what to call ourselves. And it’s true. We can’t. It started many years ago, when Census Bureau officials determined that they needed a term to lump together all people of Spanish and Latin American origin. They settled on the term “Hispanic,” and a controversy was born. Read more -->
Puede parecer como una crisis de identidad, como si los latinos/hispanos no pudiéramos decidir como llamarnos. Y es verdad. No podemos. Todo comenzó hace muchos años, cuando funcionarios de la Oficina del Censo determinaron que necesitaban un término para agrupar a todas las personas de origen español y latinoamericano. Se decidieron por el término “Hispanic” (hispano), y nació una controversia. Lea mas -->
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In 1934, Wallace Beery was Pancho Villa in MGM's "Viva Villa." In 1939, Paul Muni played Benito Juarez in Warner Bros' "Juarez." In 1952, Marlon Brando starred as Emiliano Zapata in FOX's "Viva Zapata." In 1961, Natalie Wood became the Puerto Rican "Maria" in United Artists' "West Side Story." Do you see a pattern here? Read more -->
En 1934, Wallace Beery fue Pancho Villa en "Viva Villa" de MGM. En 1939, Paul Muni jugó el papel de Benito Juárez en "Juárez", de Warner Brothers. En 1952, Marlon Brando interpretó a Emiliano Zapata en "Viva Zapata" de Fox. En 1961, Natalie Wood se convirtió en la puertorriqueña "María" en "West Side Story" de United Artists. ™Ve un patrón aquí? Lea mas -->
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It happens to all of us – including Latino Americans who should know better. When we think of Spanish conquistadors, we usually are drawn to their exploits in the Caribbean, Mexico and South America, seldom paying attention to those who came to the land now known as the United States. Read more -->
Nos pasa a todos nosotros - incluyendo los latinoamericanos que deberían saber mejor. Cuando pensamos en los conquistadores españoles, por lo general nos sentimos atraídos por sus hazañas en el Caribe, México y América del Sur, rara vez de prestar atención a los que vinieron a la tierra ahora conocida como los Estados Unidos. Lea mas -->
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Samuel Lopez's realized dream
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The dream of marking the spot where Juan Ponce de Leon actually landed — after discovering and naming Florida 500 years ago — finally was realized Saturday as more than 100 people gathered in Melbourne Beach, Fla., for the unveiling of an impressive 10-foot, bronze statue of the Spanish conquistador holding a cross and facing the Atlantic Ocean. Read more -->
El sueño de marcar el lugar donde Juan Ponce de León desembarcó realmente - después de descubrir y nombrar la Florida hace 500 años - por fin se realizó el sábado cuando a más de 100 personas se reunieron en Melbourne Beach, Florida, para la inauguración de una impresionante estatua de 10 pies y de bronce del conquistador español sosteniendo una cruz y dando frente al Océano Atlántico. Lea mas -->
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So say the name your parents gave you is clearly a loser in Hollywood, or say you want to be a rock star and you decide you need a stage name. To succeed in America in the 21st century, do you also need to Anglicize your name and hide your heritage? Read more -->
Vamos a decir que el nombre que sus padres le dieron es claramente un fracaso en Hollywood, o que usted quiere ser una estrella de rock y decide que necesita un nombre artístico. Para tener éxito en los Estados Unidos en el siglo 21, ™también necesita anglificar su nombre y ocultar su herencia? Lea mas -->
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CABEZA DE VACA
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The word, as originally written in Spanish, was "diablura," which has been translated to English in at least two ways: "wicked" or "devilish." But it was the way Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca described an issue that is very contentious in society today: same-sex marriage. Read more -->
La palabra, como originalmente escrita en español, fue "diablura", que ha sido traducida al Inglés en al menos dos maneras: "wicked" o "devilish." Pero fue la manera en que Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca describió un tema que es muy polémico en la sociedad actual: el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo. Lea mas -->
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We are strong, unique and beautiful because of our diversity. We have a long history as a multilingual country — "a nation of immigrants." Many of our states, cities and major American landmarks are named in foreign languages. Our government has published documents in various languages since the time of the Continental Congress. Read more -->
Somos fuertes, únicos y hermosos debido a nuestra diversidad. Tenemos una larga historia como un país multilingüe - "una nación de inmigrantes". Muchos de nuestros estados, ciudades y atracciones más importantes de América llevan sus nombre en idiomas extranjeros. Nuestro gobierno ha publicado documentos en varios idiomas desde la época del Congreso Continental. Lea mas -->
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Wherever they went in North America, usually years before any of the other European explorers, the Spanish conquistadores drew a map and named the landmarks they found along the way. No wonder so much of our country is named in Spanish! Read more ->
Dondequiera que iban en América del Norte, generalmente años antes que cualquiera de los otros exploradores europeos, los conquistadores españoles dibujaban un mapa y nombraban los lugares de interés que encontraban en el camino. Con razón gran parte de nuestro país se nombra en español! Lea mas -->
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As you walk in, you feel like you are going through a time warp and landing abruptly in 18th-century Europe. A few minutes earlier you were driving through the Arizona desert, but suddenly you are surrounded by dozens of saints and angels. You feel as if you were in a wonderful dream, as if you had crossed the gates of heaven. You are in the San Xavier del Bac mission church in southern Arizona — and you can't believe your eyes! . . Read more
Al entrar, te sientes como si estuvieras volviendo al pasado y aterrizando abruptamente en la Europa del Siglo 18. Unos minutos antes, estabas manejando a través del desierto de Arizona, pero de repente estas rodeado de docenas de santos y ángeles. Se siente como un sueño maravilloso, como si hubieras atravesado las puertas del cielo. Lea mas -->
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The time has come for me to take a long drive. My pilgrimage in search for America's hidden Hispanic heritage requires reporting from dozens of historical sites I'm determined to visit this year. To get the most out of my journey, I have been mapping a route for months. But it hasn't been easy. After all, I'm planning a 21st-century road trip using 16th-century maps! I want to see the relics left by our great-grand Spanish ancestors. I want to follow their trails. I want to visit the towns that have been named after them and the monuments built to recognize their great accomplishments. I want to pray in the churches they built . . . Read more
Ha llegado el momento para tomar un largo viaje. Mi peregrinaje buscando la historia hispanoamericana oculta requiere reportar desde docenas de sitios históricos que estoy determinado a visitar este año. Para sacar lo máximo de mi viaje, he estado mapeando la ruta por meses. Pero no ha sido fácil. ´Después de todo, estoy planeando un viaje en el Siglo 21 usando mapas del Siglo 16! Quiero ver las reliquias de nuestros antepasados españoles. Quiero seguir sus huellas. Quiero visitar los pueblos que tienen sus nombres y los monumentos erigidos para celebrar sus grandes logros. Quiero rezar en las iglesias que construyeron. Lea mas -->
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From the water, you still can see small sections of unspoiled shoreline that allow you to imagine what the conquistadors must have seen when they landed on the west coast of Florida almost 500 years ago. Seeking that vantage point, from the intercostal waterways near St. Petersburg, Florida, I discovered last week that you still can land on the same spot where Panfilo de Narvaez began his exploration of North America in 1528 . . . Read more
Desde el mar, todavía se logra ver pequeñas secciones de una impecable costa donde se puede imaginar lo que los conquistadores vieron al llegar a la orilla oeste de Florida hace casi 500 años. Buscando esa vista única, desde el canal intercostal cerca de St. Petersburg, Florida, descubrí la semana pasada que todavía se puede desembarcar en el mismo lugar donde Pánfilo de Narváez comenzó su exploración de Norteamérica en 1528. Lea mas -->
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To follow the footsteps of the Spanish conquistadors who came to North America some 500 years ago, sometimes water routes are necessary. And that's how I found myself rowing on the Econfina Creek in northwest Florida. After seeing how the Panfilo de Narvaez expedition reached Florida in 1528 — from a modern deck boat that landed in St. Petersburg — I also wanted to see how some of its survivors escaped Florida and the arrows of its natives, this time from the perspective of a canoe! . . . Read more
Para seguir los pasos de los conquistadores españoles que vinieron a Norte América hace unos 500 años, a veces las rutas marinas son necesarias. Y fue así que me encontré en Econfina Creek (Arroyo Econfina) en el noroeste de Florida. Después de ver como la expedición de Pánfilo de Narváez llegó a Florida en 1528 — desde un bote moderno que arribó en San Petersburg — también quería ver como algunos de sus sobrevivientes escaparon de Florida y de las flechas de los indígenas, esta vez desde la perspectiva de una canoa. Lea mas -->
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When you stand next to those huge cannons pointing into Mobile Bay, as I did when I recently visited Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan in Alabama, somehow they don't look as menacing as when you see them from the water, as I did when I took the ferry that crosses the mouth of that huge bay. In my quest to rediscover America's hidden Hispanic heritage, I sought the perspective of the Union Navy and the Hispanic commander who led them to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay 150 years ago during the Civil War -- Read more -->
Cuando estás parado al lado de esos enormes cañones apuntando hacia la bahía de Mobile, como lo hice cuando recientemente visité Fort Gaines y Fort Morgan en Alabama, por alguna razón no se ven tan amenazantes como cuando usted los ve desde el agua, como lo hice cuando tome el ferry que cruza la boca de esa enorme bahía. Lea mas -->
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From the cannons mounted on the roof of Fort Conde, now surrounded by modern high-rise buildings in downtown Mobile, Alabama, it's hard to envision the time when it was under siege by Spanish and Latin American troops. But it's even harder for many Americans to understand that those Latinos were keeping the British from George Washington's flanks and helping him win the American Revolution. American history has a way of whitewashing the contributions made by Latinos even for more than two centuries before the American Revolution Read more -->
Desde los cañones montados en el techo de Fort Conde, ahora rodeado de altos y modernos edificios en el centro de Mobile, Alabama, es difícil imaginar el momento que estaba sitiado por tropas españolas y latinoamericanas. Pero es aún más difícil para que muchos estadounidenses entiendan que esos latinos estaban manteniendo a los ingleses alejados de los flancos de George Washington y ayudándolo a ganar la Revolución Americana.
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You feel like you've been there before, and yet you know this is your first time in New Orleans. That's the sensation you get if you are a Latino arriving in the French Quarter. At first you can't quite figure out why everything looks so familiar. You are expecting the French Quarter to be more French! . . . Read more
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As if the day had been made to order, just for me to truly appreciate the hardships endured by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and a few-dozen other shipwrecked Spanish conquistadors almost 500 years ago, there was menacing weather when I arrived on Isla de Mahaldo — the Isle of Misfortune. Nowadays they call it Galveston Island, Texas, but I could clearly see why the Spanish gave it its former name . . . Read more
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We all make the same mistake. When traveling through history, we tend to shorten time and lose perspective, often turning centuries into decades and decades into years. Perhaps this is the reason why so many Americans still confuse the totally justified Texas War of Independence from Mexico and the totally unjustified Mexican-American War almost a decade later . . . Read more
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Its original name was Mision San Antonio de Valero. It was built by Native Americans and Spanish Franciscan priests in 1724. But you probably know it better because of what happened there in 1836, when it was no longer a Spanish mission. You probably just "remember the Alamo" . . . Read more
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In the early evening, as I walked through Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio, headed by the majestic San Fernando Cathedral and reminiscent of the many Spanish colonial plazas throughout Latin America, I noticed that something had changed . . . Read more
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When we think of the Spanish conquistadors, most of us see images of the ruthless explorers who committed genocide while seeking gold in Latin America. Those images often are grossly distorted by the anti-Spanish propaganda known as the Black Legend, but they are even more distorted when they are applied to the Spanish missionaries who came to North America ... Read more
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Long after "Remember the Alamo" no longer needed to be used as a battle cry against Mexico, it was used once again by a Latina who fought to preserve that former Spanish mission as a shrine to the heroes of the Texas revolution. Her name was Adina De Zavala, born in 1861, the granddaughter of Lorenzo de Zavala (1789-1836), the first vice president of the Republic of Texas. I must admit that although I knew about her Hispanic grandfather, I didn't know about her until I got to Texas. But once I knew of her, I began to admire her tenacity in defense of her Hispanic heritage. I wish I had lived in her time so I could have met her. Read more.
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As you drive west on I-10 across Texas, you can see Mexico from your left windows. Sometimes the highway gets so close to the Mexican border that you can clearly see the landscape on the other side of the Rio Grande. But if you take an offramp a few miles before you get to El Paso, you not only can get much closer to Mexico but also can travel back in time and relive West Texas' rich Hispanic history. Read more ->
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When you get to San Elizario, Texas, in a part of the country that bears little resemblance to Plymouth, Massachusetts, you learn that you are in "a proud and picturesque community, which is gaining fame as the home of the 'First Thanksgiving.'" At least that's what the welcoming signs tell you: "The expedition of Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate held a Thanksgiving feast in 1598 near what is now San Elizario, twenty-three years before the Thanksgiving at Plymouth Colony." Read more ->
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It is, by all accounts, "the world's biggest equestrian statue" — so big that it's meant to be seen from a distance. Standing next to this rearing Andalusian stallion — mounted by a Spanish conquistador — can be intimidating, not to mention illegal. Read more ->
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When the United States and Mexico agreed to designate a large portion of the Rio Grande as the international border between the two countries in 1848, no one asked the river whether it wanted to accept such a huge responsibility. And so, because nature is never bound by international treaties, the course of the river kept shifting — making the border inconsistent, inviting unscrupulous land-grabbing and igniting bitter feuds that lasted more than a century. . . Read more->
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Back in 1995, when I was almost 20 years younger, I was daring enough to hike all the way up to the mountaintop. But much to my relief, there was no need to do it again, because this time, I was there for a different reason. Instead of the view from 4,675 feet above sea level, this time I was there to see that majestic sierra from a distance and to admire the huge crucifix that stands on its summit. This time, I was on the Great Hispanic American History Tour, and Mount Cristo Rey — in Sunland Park, New Mexico, just west of El Paso, Texas — was a mandatory stop. It was conceived by a Hispanic priest, was created by a Spanish sculptor and has guided Latinos along El Paso del Norte (the Pass to the North) for more than seven decades. Read more->
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Mesilla 1885-86 - By Leon Trousset Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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When a huge chunk of Mexico became part of the United States in 1848, many of the Mexicans who lived in the affected territory moved further south, back into Mexico, because they didn't want to live in the country that had invaded them. Back then, the flow of immigration was in reverse! Read more -->
Cuando una gran parte de México se hizo parte de los Estados Unidos en 1848, muchos de los mexicanos viviendo en el territorio afectado se mudaron más lejos al sur, de vuelta a México, porque no querían vivir en el país que los había invadido. !En ese entonces, el flujo de inmigración era al reverso! Lea mas -->
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Using 16th-century maps but traveling on 21st-century highways — and even some waterways — my cross-country trip has been roughly following the route of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, the Spanish conquistador who spent almost eight years traveling across the North American wilderness from 1528 to 1536 — from Tampa, Florida, to Mexico City. Read more ->
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As you drive there, you get the feeling you are terribly alone. The area is so remote and desolate that if you are traveling by yourself, it feels a little spooky, like being on a deserted planet. You don't see anyone for miles! You've driven across the country to visit the Coronado National Memorial in southern Arizona, which commemorates the 1540 to 1542 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado expedition through North America and "the cultural influences of Spanish colonial exploration." But you are greeted by signs warning you that if you are traveling alone, you shouldn't be there. Read more ->
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They were the best that 17th- and 18th-century Europe had to offer. Every one of them was an explorer, a diplomat, a teacher, a cartographer, a farmer, a rancher, a builder, a scribe and a preacher. The men who really settled and first established what now are huge portions of the United States were Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries who worked for the king of Spain.
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Right then and there, as I knelt on a pew at the Mission San Xavier del Bac church in southern Arizona two years ago, I made a pledge that I would go back — not just for another Sunday Mass but by way of a cross-country pilgrimage to discover America's hidden Hispanic heritage. This church was so uniquely beautiful, so spiritually fulfilling, so ethnically enriching that it rearranged my professional priorities and took my life in a new direction.
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The first time I met him, I immediately perceived that he had a unique talent for bringing Hispanic American history into present-day context. And that's all I needed. Because my history columns seek the same objective, I became an instant fan and follower of Dr. Bernard "Bunny" Fontana. It was more than two years ago, and we were in the living room of his Sonoran Desert home, just outside the Tohono O'odham Native American reservation in southern Arizona — the area he has explored, researched and exposed in several books as a noted anthropologist and historian. Read more -->
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Long before southern Arizona was part of the United States and long before it was part of Mexico, back when it was part of the territory of New Spain, the town of Tucson was born. Its name is a Spanish adaptation of "S-cuk Son," which is what Tohono O'odham Native Americans called their village. But the name Tucson is what stuck, especially after 1775, when the Spanish decided to build a fort to protect the village and called it Presidio de San Agustin del Tucson. Read more -->
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Back in 1776, while 13 British colonies were becoming an independent nation on the eastern side of North America, two Spanish priests were leading an expedition across present-day New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. They were looking to establish a northern route from Santa Fe to the Spanish settlements in present-day California. But the mighty Colorado River stood in their way. Read more -->
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You are standing on a hilltop, next to a beautiful shrine. You see a valley of farmland embraced by mountain ranges. You are overlooking a quaint, historic community at the bottom of the hill — and all of it is named in Spanish. You are on "La Mesa de la Piedad y de la Misericordia," or the Hill of Piety and Mercy, standing next to "La Capilla de Todos Los Santos," or the Chapel of All Saints, overlooking the San Luis Valley, which is embraced by the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains. You are in southern Colorado. But from the names of the landmarks here, you could just as well be in Spain. Read more -->
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After Spanish conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado gave up on New Mexico because the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola turned out to be made of mud instead of gold — and before returning to present-day Mexico — he went all the way up to present-day Kansas. Marching with more than 1,000 people, with several thousand head of livestock, and often sending small groups of soldiers to explore in different directions, the 1540-42 Coronado expedition covered a huge territory — through today's Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Read more->
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Somewhere beneath the Hilton Hotel and Ballpark Village — the fancy new complex built by the St. Louis Cardinals next to Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis — lie the remains of an old Spanish fort that played a key role in defeating the British during the American Revolution. In fact, had it not been for Fort San Carlos, hastily built by Spanish troops and French Creole settlers to protect the small village of St. Louis in 1780, some historians believe American independence from Great Britain would not have been achieved. Read more -->
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76. Jefferson's Spanish LibraryHe was the star of the Founding Fathers, the intellectual architect of our system of government, the author of our Declaration of Independence, our first secretary of state and our third president. He was well-known for his attraction to France. But if you were to ask Thomas Jefferson, he would tell you how important it is for you to learn Spanish. Read more ->
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Bernardo de Galvez
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WASHINGTON — It took Congress 231 years to keep this particular promise, perhaps setting a record, but it finally happened in December, when a portrait of Spanish Gen. Bernardo de Galvez finally was hung on a wall in the U.S. Capitol. Read more -->
WASHINGTON - El Congreso tardó 231 años para cumplir esta promesa, quizás estableciendo un récord, pero finalmente sucedió en diciembre, cuando un retrato del general español Bernardo de Gálvez, finalmente, fue colgado en una pared en el Capitolio de EE.UU. Read more -->
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Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto Photo: Architect of the Capitol
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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. Read more -->
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When we go to our nation's capital, mostly as tourists trying to make time to cover all the major attractions, we seldom find enough time to visit some smaller sites that would be monumental if they were elsewhere. Read more -->
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On the broad streets of Washington, D.C., and within the majestic halls of the U.S. Capitol, our often-hidden Hispanic heritage had not been hard to find. My Great Hispanic American History Tour had discovered many remarkable monuments and works of art recognizing Hispanic patriots and heroes and their contributions to this great nation. I was truly impressed — until I got to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Read more -->
En las amplias calles de Washington, DC, y dentro de los salones majestuosos del Capitolio de los EE.UU. , nuestra herencia hispana, frecuentemente oculta, no había sido difícil de encontrar. Mi Gran Gira por la Historia Hispanoamericana había descubierto muchos monumentos extraordinarios y obras de arte que reconocen patriotas y héroes hispanos y sus contribuciones a esta gran nación. Yo estaba realmente impresionado - hasta que llegué a Museo Nacional de Historia Americana de la Institución Smithsonian. Lea mas -->
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81. Finding Dad in a MuseumThere I was, on my Great Hispanic American History Tour, visiting yet one more gallery where our heritage is on display, and much to my surprise — through my camera lens — I made a discovery that almost knocked me down. Read more . . .
81. Encontré a mi padre en un museoAllí estaba yo, en mi Gran Gira por la Historia Hispanoamericana, visitando aún una galería más donde nuestro patrimonio está en exhibición, y para mi sorpresa - a través del lente de mi cámara - hice un descubrimiento que casi me tiró al suelo. Lea mas . . .
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