My namesake San Miguel,
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Built with thick adobe walls, the chapel is named after St. Michael the Archangel, and first served as a place of worship for small groups of Tlaxcalan Indians and Spanish settlers and soldiers who lived in the area south of the Santa Fe River.
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Although damaged several times by feuds and rebellions, San Miguel is always rebuilt. In 1640, parts of the chapel are destroyed by Spanish soldiers, as the result of a feud – over Spanish mistreatment of the natives – between Provincial Spanish Governor Luis de Rosas and the Franciscans who stood up for the natives.
But the damage is repaired and the chapel remains active for 40 more years, until the natives rebel against the Spanish forces in what comes to be known as the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. As the Spanish are driven out of the area, the chapel is set on fire, loosing the roof, ornaments and all except its adobe walls.
Twelve years later, in 1693, after the Spanish re-conquer Santa Fe, Governor Don Diego de Vargas orders the reconstructions of the church. However, because of lack of wood and other building materials, it takes another 17 years to complete and San Miguel reopens in 1710.
In 1798, the city of Santa Fe pays for the reconstruction of chapel’s altar. In 1872, a catastrophic storm brings down the bell tower, but it is rebuilt two years later.
But the damage is repaired and the chapel remains active for 40 more years, until the natives rebel against the Spanish forces in what comes to be known as the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. As the Spanish are driven out of the area, the chapel is set on fire, loosing the roof, ornaments and all except its adobe walls.
Twelve years later, in 1693, after the Spanish re-conquer Santa Fe, Governor Don Diego de Vargas orders the reconstructions of the church. However, because of lack of wood and other building materials, it takes another 17 years to complete and San Miguel reopens in 1710.
In 1798, the city of Santa Fe pays for the reconstruction of chapel’s altar. In 1872, a catastrophic storm brings down the bell tower, but it is rebuilt two years later.
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Nowadays, we call this a "half-basement" but it's usually below an urban building. Not this one.
some of this stuff hurts. But it's the truth and we have to learn to accept it.
it's about respect for each other Every Indian pueblo has has a Spanish-designated patron saint. |
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But it's the honest and courageous way this museum deals with the relations between Hispanics and Native Americans that I found most impressive.
clearly trying to avoid offending either side, • "Native Americans in this region speak more than a dozen different languages and have adapted to the environment in strikingly different ways." • "Catholic Albuquerque — Many early residents practiced Catholicism, the world's largest religion. Their descendants still do." Pope's Rebellion beloved by many Most people wonder through museums and galleries like they do on social media: They look as the images but they don't bother to read anything. Sometime they form opinions based on only photos, and they often reach the wrong conclusions. I'm the opposite. Once I walk into a museum, I read everything. And if the reading is interesting, I take a picture of it. It's much faster than taking notes! Since I'm usually in the town or site where history occurred, and since museum information is usually researched by more that one historian or author, I give museum literature much more credibility than what I read in history books. This is why my presentation of history is a little different and perhaps even more accurate. With a little help from local museums, I take you there! But of course I'm not there to review an entire museum. I'm searching for their Hispanic history exhibits. I want to know what they have to say about the Hispanics in their local history. The Albuquerque Museum did not disappoint me. People were right. I needed to come here! |
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• “The first major Spanish expedition to what is now the southwest United States was conducted by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado from 1540 to 1542 . . . Coronado 's expedition, consisting of 285 Spaniards and about 800 Mexican Indians as well as livestock traveled over 3500 miles and surveyed the area between the Colorado River and central Kansas.”
• “In 1573 King Felipe II of Spain decreed an end to expeditions of conquest. However, on April 19, 1583 he directed the viceroy of New Spain to contract with responsible citizens to settle New Mexico at his own expense primarily to see to the conversion of the agricultural Pueblos peoples.”
• “By virtue of his royal contract, Don Juan de Oñate became New Mexico's first governor. Oñate and his group of colonists . . . January of 1598 crossed the Rio Grande at the present location of El Paso, Texas, . . . The colonists followed the Rio Grande north, visiting a number of pueblos along the way before temporarily settling at a pueblo Oñate named San Juan de los Caballeros. Shortly thereafter Oñate established a more permanent capital called San Gabriel de los Españoles on the opposite side of the Rio Grande."
Never mind the tranquility you get to enjoy here, the peace you feel in the middle of downtown Santa Fe, Cathedral Park is much more than a peaceful resting place.
a quiet park
• “In 1573 King Felipe II of Spain decreed an end to expeditions of conquest. However, on April 19, 1583 he directed the viceroy of New Spain to contract with responsible citizens to settle New Mexico at his own expense primarily to see to the conversion of the agricultural Pueblos peoples.”
• “By virtue of his royal contract, Don Juan de Oñate became New Mexico's first governor. Oñate and his group of colonists . . . January of 1598 crossed the Rio Grande at the present location of El Paso, Texas, . . . The colonists followed the Rio Grande north, visiting a number of pueblos along the way before temporarily settling at a pueblo Oñate named San Juan de los Caballeros. Shortly thereafter Oñate established a more permanent capital called San Gabriel de los Españoles on the opposite side of the Rio Grande."
Never mind the tranquility you get to enjoy here, the peace you feel in the middle of downtown Santa Fe, Cathedral Park is much more than a peaceful resting place.
a quiet park
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In Albuquerque, I wrote about La Jornada but dealt with the positive side of the story, delaying discussion over the removal of the statue's leader, Oñate,
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Huge Rearrangement!
Friends and students: Realizing that I have many more articles to write about my trip to New Mexico, and that it would not be feasible to post the entire series on one single web page, I have rearranged my New Mexico stories on my website. Now each articles has its own page. This means that you will be able to help me share these stories (hint) individually, and lazy readers will not be discouraged by pages that require a lot of scrolling. I’m currently working on part 9 of my series and I expect to be able to disseminate the rest of my articles a lot easier, with your help, from now on. To share each article individually, clic on the buttons on the right of each page. Check it out? Have you read the first eight parts? What do you think? Are you going to help me?
Friends and students: Realizing that I have many more articles to write about my trip to New Mexico, and that it would not be feasible to post the entire series on one single web page, I have rearranged my New Mexico stories on my website. Now each articles has its own page. This means that you will be able to help me share these stories (hint) individually, and lazy readers will not be discouraged by pages that require a lot of scrolling. I’m currently working on part 9 of my series and I expect to be able to disseminate the rest of my articles a lot easier, with your help, from now on. To share each article individually, clic on the buttons on the right of each page. Check it out? Have you read the first eight parts? What do you think? Are you going to help me?
´Gran Reorganización!
Amigos y estudiantes: Al darme cuenta de que tengo muchos más artículos por escribir sobre mi viaje a Nuevo México, y que no sería factible publicar la serie completa en una sola página web, he reorganizado mis artículos de Nuevo México en mi sitio web. Ahora cada artículo tiene su propia página. Esto significa que podrán ayudarme a compartir estas historias (hint), y los lectores perezosos no se desanimarán por las páginas que requieren mucho desplazamiento. Actualmente estoy trabajando en la parte 9 de mi serie y espero poder diseminar el resto de mis artículos mucho más fácilmente, con tu ayuda, de ahora en adelante. Para compartir cada articulo individualmente, haz clic en los botones a la derecha de cada pagina. ´Échale un vistazo? ™Has leído las primeras ocho partes? ™Qué opinas? ™Me vas a ayudar?
Amigos y estudiantes: Al darme cuenta de que tengo muchos más artículos por escribir sobre mi viaje a Nuevo México, y que no sería factible publicar la serie completa en una sola página web, he reorganizado mis artículos de Nuevo México en mi sitio web. Ahora cada artículo tiene su propia página. Esto significa que podrán ayudarme a compartir estas historias (hint), y los lectores perezosos no se desanimarán por las páginas que requieren mucho desplazamiento. Actualmente estoy trabajando en la parte 9 de mi serie y espero poder diseminar el resto de mis artículos mucho más fácilmente, con tu ayuda, de ahora en adelante. Para compartir cada articulo individualmente, haz clic en los botones a la derecha de cada pagina. ´Échale un vistazo? ™Has leído las primeras ocho partes? ™Qué opinas? ™Me vas a ayudar?
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Friends,
One year after my "On the Road Again" trip in search of our Hidden Hispanic Heritage, which many of you followed on this website and through social media, I'm about to hit the road again! This time I will be "Exploring Nuevo Mexico." I invite you to come along for the ride, by following my trip through this webpage. I have been to New Mexico before, (see photo from 2014) but only along the southern border with Mexico. This time I intend to follow El Camino Real to numerous Hispanic heritage sites in central and northern New Mexico. If you live or know New Mexico, I would appreciate suggestions on the Hispanic heritage sites I should visit. Mind you, I already have a long list. But I find that local folks always guide me to hidden treasures. I'm particularly interested in meeting folks who can bring me up to date on what became of the Hispanic monuments that have been removed in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Since New Mexico was part of New Spain and later Mexico before it joined the United States, it is a treasure trove of Hispanic history. I have already read it. Now we are going to explore it! Did you know that there is a town in Spain called Alburquerque, and that the capital of New Mexico (minus one "r") was named after a man from that Spanish town? Did you know that Santa Fe was the capital of the Spanish "Kingdom of Nuevo Mexico?" Did you know that the town of Socorro (Help/Aid) got its name because that's where the Indians helped the Spanish survive? Did you know that in territory where almost everything is named Spanish Hispanic monuments have been removed by politicians trying to erase Hispanic history? We have a lot to explore in Nuevo Mexico. I hope you invite your friends to come along. It should be interesting! Are you coming? |
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READY TO WRITE!Ok folks, You have seen some of my New Mexico photos, right? Well, I'm back home and ready to write!
After spending a month searching for New Mexico's Hispanic heritage, traveling hundreds of miles, visiting dozens of historic sites, staying in five cheap hotels (lol), meeting dozens of interesting and very welcoming people, filling a notepad with details, gathering five pounds of brochures, and taking hundreds of photos and some videos, I'm ready! Traveling is terrific. Getting to know new places is awesome. Learning their history is enlightening. But believe or not, for me, the best part begins now. I love to write, and I can't wait to tell you and show you all I have seen and learned. And I will do it in a series of short articles from each of the sites I visited. Mind you, some articles still need further reporting and, before I write them, I intend to follow up with some great people who are seeking answers for me in New Mexico. But I'm ready to write many stories now. In a few days, I will begin posting my stories on HiddenHispanicHeritage.com and social media. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I will enjoy writing them. And I hope you will help me by sharing them with your friends. Mil gracias, Miguel Pérez ps. As you will see, I had a wonderful time. I fell in love with New Mexico and its awesome Hispanic history. |
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Amigos,
Un año después de mi viaje "En el Camino Otra Vez" en busca de nuestra Herencia Hispana Oculta, que muchos de ustedes siguieron en este sitio web y a través de las redes sociales, ´estoy a punto de emprender el camino nuevamente! Esta vez estaré "Explorando Nuevo México". Te invito a que me acompañes, siguiendo mi viaje a través de esta página web. He estado en Nuevo México antes (vea foto de 2014) pero solo a lo largo de la frontera sur con México. Esta vez tengo la intención de seguir El Camino Real a numerosos sitios de herencia hispana en el centro y norte de Nuevo México. Si vives o conoces Nuevo México, agradecería sugerencias sobre los sitios de herencia hispana que debo visitar. Eso sí, ya tengo una larga lista. Pero encuentro que la gente local siempre me guía a los tesoros escondidos. Estoy particularmente interesado en conocer gente que me pueda ponerme al día sobre lo que pasó con los monumentos hispanos que han sido removidos tanto en Albuquerque como en Santa Fe. Dado que Nuevo México fue parte de la Nueva España y mas tarde de México antes de unirse a los Estados Unidos, es un tesoro de la historia hispana. Ya la he leído. ´Ahora la vamos a explorar! ™Sabías que hay un pueblo en España llamado Alburquerque, y que la capital de Nuevo México (menos una "r") fue nombrada en honor a un hombre de ese pueblo español? ™Sabías que Santa Fe fue la capital del "Reino de Nuevo México" español? ™Sabías que el pueblo de Socorro obtuvo su nombre porque allí es donde los indígenas ayudaron a los españoles a sobrevivir? ™Sabías que en un territorio donde casi todo tiene nombres en español monumentos hispanos han sido removidos por políticos que intentan borrar la historia hispana? Tenemos mucho que explorar en Nuevo México. Espero que invites a tus amigos a venir. ´Debe ser interesante! ™Vienes? |
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´LISTO PARA ESCRIBIR!Ok amigos, han visto algunas de mis fotos de Nuevo México, ™verdad? Bueno, estoy de vuelta en casa y listo para escribir!
Después de pasar un mes buscando la herencia hispana de Nuevo México, viajar cientos de millas, visitar docenas de sitios históricos, hospedarme en cinco hoteles baratos (jeje), conocer a docenas de personas interesantes y muy acogedoras, llenar una libreta de notas con detalles, reunir cinco libras de folletos, y tomar cientos de fotos y algunos videos, ´estoy listo! Viajar es maravilloso. Conocer nuevos lugares es genial. Aprender su historia es esclarecedor. Pero creas o no, para mí, la mejor parte comienza ahora. Me encanta escribir, y no puedo esperar para contarles y mostrarles todo lo que he visto y aprendido. Y lo haré en una serie de artículos cortos de cada uno de los sitios que visité. Eso sí, algunos artículos aún necesitan más detalles y, antes de escribirlos, tengo la intención de hacer un seguimiento con algunas personas que están buscando respuestas para mí en Nuevo México. Pero estoy listo para escribir muchas historias ahora. En unos días, comenzaré a publicar mis artículos en HerenciaHispanaOculta.com y en las redes sociales. Espero que disfruten leyéndolos tanto como yo disfrutaré escribiéndolos. Y espero que me ayuden compartiéndolos con sus amigos. Mil gracias, Miguel Pérez PD. Como verán, me lo pasé muy bien. Me enamoré de Nuevo México y su asombrosa historia hispana. |
