Somos Primos

 January 2007 
Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-7

Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues
 Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research

Paper on "Migrant Workers in Michigan: 1969 Field Notes" last item under National Issues.

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, 
and under a just God cannot long retain it."  
Abraham Lincoln

  Letters to the Editor : 

SHHAR Board:  Bea Armenta Dever, Gloria Cortinas Oliver, Steven Hernandez,  Mimi Lozano Holtzman, Pat Lozano, Yolanda Magdaleno, Henry Marquez, Yolanda Ochoa Hussey, Michael Perez, Crispin Rendon, Viola Rodriguez Sadler, John P. Schmal. 

UNITED STATES

Photo: Richard Avolio  puts up a cloth background behind a display for Hispanic Heroes, 
traveling photo exhibit, Corpus Christi, Texas.   Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Dec 22, 2006

The wife of Guy Gabaldon exits on the arm of  St. Major Sal Navarro, USMC (Ret.)

A Memorial to a Hero, Guy Gabaldon
December 9, 2006
written by 
Mercy Bautista-Olvera

As I was walking in the park towards the Memorial Ceremony of Guy Gabaldon, I couldn't help but thinking of this man, the courage and bravery of a young U.S. Marine who single-handedly captured more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers during the Battle for Saipan, he took part of the invasion of Saipan in June 1944, Guy Gabaldon as a young Marine persuaded Japanese soldiers to give up their arms, and follow him to American lines, bringing him the nickname "The Pied Piper of Saipan,"

At this memorial the remarks by Hon. Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Aguirre, Major General Gus Hernandez, and Col. John Telles, USMC (Ret) were touching, it seemed as they all had a good relationship with Mr. Gabaldon as close friends. Mr. Gabaldon spoke to them of his adventures, how Guy would say a remark as "Ai te Guacho" (slang Spanish) meaning (see you later) to Superior Court judge Frederick P. Aguirre as they said their good-bye's. Guy Gabaldon never forgot where he came from, East Los Angeles was his hometown. He started shining shoes as a young boy to earn money, learning Japanese from his neighbors in East Los Angeles helped him communicate with Japanese soldiers to surrender. The placing of the Wreath in front of Guy Gabaldon’s photo by Major General Gus Hernandez was emotional, it reminded me of all men and women who died for their country and the bravery of Guy Gabaldon during WWII. Guy Gabaldon's sons, Ray and Jeff gave the Eulogy, they both gave a beautiful eulogy of the man, the father they knew, the beloved man who gave encouragement and guidance to his children. Ray Gabaldon was speaking about his dad with such emotion, that it was heartbreaking, both sons described on how their father was, a caring loving father who loved his family. Some of us were in tears when Col. John Telles, USMC (Ret.) presenting Guy's widow Ohana, with the Flag, how she held that flag so tight to her heart, at this time there was silence from everyone. Ohana, his wife walking holding this flag with his sons and members of the Gabaldon family after the Memorial Ceremony was also memorable.

The Memorial was very emotional, to see young men and women in uniform, to hear Humberto Argucia sing "The National Anthem," "America the Beautiful," "God Bless the USA," and listening the bagpipes of Ron Berenshot, play "Amazing Grace" touched our hearts, there were tears all around us. Mimi Lozano, the editor of Somos Primos was acknowledged for the distribution of lithographs of the Pied Piper of Saipan to non profit organizations for public display. The Congressional Medal of Honor was mentioned, sadly to say our hero, Guy Gabaldon passed away on August 31, 2006, Guy Gabaldon earned the Navy Cross, the Marines’ highest award for valor, but his family deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor as well. There is a petition to elevate Guy Gabaldon’s family with the Congressional Medal of Honor which he deserves for his courageous actions on the Island of Saipan. (There could also be a sculpture of Guy Gabaldon in the near future.)

Left to right: Ohana, Jeffrey, Heather and Ray Gabaldon
Grandchildren, Hunter, Leah, and Ellie 

 Dr. Josh Valdez, 
Senior Vice President 
of Health Care Management
WellPoint West Region

Ohana receives plaque from Supervisor Michael Antonovich, LA Co.

Judge, Orange Co.
 Fredrick Aguirre

National Issues

Looking at crime and immigration
December 05, 2006
http://blogs.chron.com/bluebayou/2006/12/looking_at_crime_and_immigrati.html
Sent by Howard Shorr howardshorr@msn.com


One of the talking points on illegal immigration these days is that illegal immigrants are responsible for an increase in crime in the US. The problem, of course, is that the actual data on this is unclear. That hasn't stopped people from insisting that it must be true and offering anecdotal evidence - which shows us some disturbing examples of crime committed by illegal aliens but doesn't actually prove anything about the overall reality.

It seems, however, that people are now trying to study the situation:Even President Bush, whose perceived generosity to undocumented workers has earned him vilification on the right, commented in a speech this May that illegal immigration "strains state and local budgets and brings crime to our communities."

So goes the conventional wisdom. But is it true? In fact, according to evidence cropping up in various places, the opposite may be the case. Ramiro Martinez Jr., a professor of criminal justice at Florida International University, has sifted through homicide records in border cities like San Diego and El Paso, both heavily populated by Mexican immigrants, both places where violent crime has fallen significantly in recent years. "Almost without exception," he told me, "I've discovered that the homicide rate for Hispanics was lower than for other groups, even though their poverty rate was very high, if not the highest, in these metropolitan areas." He found the same thing in the Haitian neighborhoods of Miami. In his book "New York Murder Mystery," the criminologist Andrew Karmen examined the trend in New York City and likewise found that the "disproportionately youthful, male and 
poor immigrants" who arrived during the 1980s and 1990s "were surprisingly law-abiding" and that their settlement into once-decaying neighborhoods helped "put a brake on spiraling crime rates."

The most prominent advocate of the "more immigrants, less crime" theory is Robert J. Sampson, chairman of the sociology department at Harvard. A year ago, Sampson was an author of an article in The American Journal of Public Health that reported the findings of a detailed study of crime in Chicago. Based on information gathered on the perpetrators of more than 3,000 violent acts committed between 1995 and 2002, supplemented by police records and community surveys, it found that the rate of violence among 
Mexican-Americans was significantly lower than among both non-Hispanic whites and blacks.

There's more detail about all of this work in the article, and it's worth reading.

It's not really possible to draw a firm conclusion from any of this; first of all, it's difficult to separate illegal from legal immigrants in these kinds of studies. It is reasonable, I think, to assume that behavior in the two groups wouldn't be that different, considering that they are often members of the same communities.

But the studies do illustrate the dangers of forming conclusions from no evidence or anecdotal evidence. That danger is compounded when you're talking about a highly emotional topic, and the political climate encourages people to use the most dramatic possible stories - or poorly supported statistics that make good headlines - for their own interests.

In that kind of environment, it's wise to take anything presented as known facts with a grain of salt. But it's good to see someone studying the issue.

Preparing a Family Health History

According to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG; http://www.acmg.net), knowing your family's medical history can help your doctor predict conditions that may pose a risk to your health—meaning you can take actions to minimize those risks.

"Some families may already be collecting genealogical information but haven't gathered details about health history," said ACMG Executive Director Michael S. Watson. As with traditional genealogy, asking relatives is the best way to start. Since you’re all gathered around the table anyway, pose these questions from the ACMG:

1. What health problems are known to run in our family? 
2. Has anyone in our family had cancer, heart disease or other adult-onset health problems at an early age, such as between 20 and 50?
3. Does/did anyone in our family have mental retardation or learning problems, or have to attend a special school?
4. Have there been any early deaths in the family (including stillbirths, infant deaths and multiple miscarriages)?
5. Have any relatives had extreme or unexpected reactions to medications?

Examine your genealogy research, too, for clues to relatives’ illnesses and causes of death. Record the information using the My Health Portrait Web-based program at http://familyhistory.hhs.gov, print out the family health history chart and take it along on your next checkup.  Source: familytree-newslette@fwpubs.com

Circulo Biográfico Médico Hispanoamericano.
Jaime Gomez-Gonzalez, Leopoldo Briceño Iragorry, Miguel Rabi Chara, (Editores)
Ateproca, Caracas 2007
IBSN 980-6905-25-3

La Academia Nacional de Medicina de Venezuela nos presenta este CD Rom con la versión electrónica del DICCIONARIO BIOGRAFICO MEDICO LATINOAMERICANO
cuyos editores son los Drs. Jaime Gómez-González (colombiano), Leopoldo Briceño-Iragorry (venezolano) y Miguel Rabí Chara (peruano). 

La realización de este extraordinario instrumento de trabajo ha estado a cargo de la Editorial ATEPROCA, CA de Caracas, que ya nos tiene acostumbrados a un excelente nivel de realizaciones.

"La obra consta de 3.307 minibiografías de médicos ordenadas alfabéticamente por cada uno de los 21 países de origen. Las páginas del libro están numeradas de manera correlativa , y cada número va precedido de otro con el que se identifica el país, separados por un guión.

Esta primera edición del Diccionario Biográfico Médico Hispanoamericano, que verá su edición impresa a comienzos de 2007, es una muy loable iniciativa del colega colombiano y colaborador de Compumedicina, Jaime Gómez González, quien con el apoyo de numerosos otros médicos de todos nuestros países, y la efectiva colaboración de la Academia Nacional de Medicina de Venezuela, aportando la dinámica cooperación de su Secretario, doctor Leopoldo Briceño-Iragorry, han podido llevar a efecto este tan importante proyecto de auténtica integración cultural, con las minibiografías de médicos que ya no están con nosotros, pero cuyas obras constituyen la base sobre la que podemos seguir construyendo una medicina de muy alto nivel al servicio de toda la sociedad.

Compumedicina.com® extiende sus más sinceras felicitaciones a la Academia Nacional de Medicina de Venezuela, a los editores, a los colaboradores y a la Editorial ATEPROCA, ya que este Diccionario establece un precedente integracionista significativo, que permitirá conocernos mejor y así poder trabajar más eficientemente en el mundo globalizado en que vivimos.

by

Refugio I. Rochín
With Editor Notations by Danny Layne, JSRI

Occasional Paper No. 61
July 2006

http://www.jsri.msu.edu/RandS/research/ops/oc61.html

List of Families Attended 
and Information on Some Families
Summer 1969

Refugio I. Rochín is currently the Director of Research and Evaluation at the Educational Partnership Center of the University of California, Santa Cruz. His team conducts research and evaluates projects aimed at increasing the awareness and preparation of students in grades 6-12 for access to college. According to Dr. Rochín, "building college-going communities among low-income, minority students and parents is an important mission for all. Everyone gains in the process of educating others."

He was the first Director of the Smithsonian Institute’s Latino Initiative in Washington, D.C. He is the former Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute and Professor of Agricultural Economics and Sociology at Michigan State University and Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics and Chicano Studies at the University of California, Davis. His research interests include immigration/migration issues, farmworkers, and rural populations. He received his M.A. in Communication and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from MSU.

Danny Layne, an award-winning photographer and writer with more than three decades of journalism experience, is JSRI’s Publication and Network Administrator. He joined the JSRI team in 1995 and has been instrumental in establishing and solidifying the Institute’s web site as well as JSRI’s publications program. He holds a degree in photography and a BA in journalism from MSU. Layne, a former Marine Combat Correspondent, lives in Eaton Rapids with his wife and youngest daughter.

Rochín, Refugio I. (Dr.) and Danny W. Layne. "Migrant Workers in Michigan: 1969 Field Notes" JSRI Occasional Paper #61. The Julian Samora Research Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 2006.

More studies on varied topics pertaining to Hispanic/Latino/Chicano issues http://www.jsri.msu.edu/RandS/research/ops/

For a look at the events that influenced our world  in 1969,

Click 1969

THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN MOVEMENT COLLECTION, 1942-1955

Left: Valadez is pictured here with members of the Mexican Youth Conference, a civil rights group with roots in the YMCA. Valadez is in the second row back, fourth from the left. He was president of the conference when this photo was taken in San Pedro in 1942.

Work begun on Valadez Middle School 
By Adam Townsend, The Orange County Register, December 8, 2006

LACENTIA – Construction officially started this week on the planned Gualberto Valadez Middle School, a facility that officials at the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District say will take pressure off Kraemer Middle School.

School and city officials and friends of the late Gualberto Valadez gathered Wednesday at the site of the new school – 10 acres freshly bulldozed in preparation for the project.

They honored the school's namesake and talked about the design of the new school, which is on the same plot as Melrose Elementary.

"On this site, which is a combined 20 acres, we'll have 1,500 students who will be able to call this home," said Superintendent Dennis Smith.

Valadez was a teacher at the former La Jolla middle school starting in the late 1930s. He was also active in advancing civil rights for Hispanics in the U.S. and was instrumental in starting sports programs for the youth in Placentia.

He died last month at 93, but he was alive to see the board of education officially name the proposed school after him.

Kraemer Middle School currently operates at double its capacity, housing extra classrooms in temporary portable buildings. The district expects to siphon off half those kids to the new middle school by 2009.

Contact the writer: atownsend@ocregister.com

As an added bonus, when you are on a society membership list, you can be counted as someone with an interest in family history. When legislation arises that threatens the records we use, these membership numbers can be used to exert influence over those we vote into (or out of) office.  

Check out the societies that are out there for your area of interest and see what they have to offer. You can find many societies through the Federation of Genealogical Societies at Society Hall: http://www.familyhistory.com/societyhall/main.asp
Source: http://www.ancestry.com/s23560/t9248/rd.ashx

Editor: The Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research, SHHAR, invites you to become a member.  We have NO membership dues.

The SHHAR website has links and many resources, specifically for beginning family history.   www.SHHAR.org  Somos Primos readers are invited to start by gathering family information through oral interviews of older family members and add it to the SHHAR networking database: http://home.earthlink.net/~shharmembers/networking.htm

SHHAR is unique.  Although we do have quarterly meetings in Orange County, California, to which all are invited, our emphasis is world-wide networking. Successful networking is possible by the marvel of the internet, the SHHAR database, and the opportunity of contacting individuals who submit articles and letters.  Articles are submitted by skilled researchers, professional archivists, authors, librarians, genealogists, university professors and students throughout the world.  In addition, many articles are submitted by family researchers who want to share their information, hoping to make more family contacts.    

International Networking: 

In this issue, we start a new service to promote more international networking.  Angel Custodio Rebollo, Somos Primos staff writer and columnist for El Diario in Huelva, Spain will be coordinating the project.  Angel is literate in Italian, Portuguese. Angele will receive the queries,  condense the information and forward for inclusion in Somos Primos'  International file.  We have queries this month from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela.
For more information, go to International Networking. 

Self Identity: Hispanic/Latino Widely Accepted, but Multiethnic is Used

Lourdes Medrano -- Arizona Daily Star, December 5, 2006 
Source; http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=50884
December 6, 2006 • Volume 4, Issue #204

Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, Xicano, Mexican or Mexican American? 
J.J. Federico said he can wear most of those ethnic labels comfortably, although he prefers Mexican American and Latino. "In my opinion, there isn't just one ethnic identity," the 20-year-old said. 

The views of Federico, who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Nogales, Ariz., match those in a wide-ranging survey of the nation's largest ethnic-minority group. 

The Latino National Survey found that the so-called pan-ethnic identity of Hispanic/Latino has gained wider acceptance among people who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries. But the study also found that most of the 8,600 respondents identified with multiple identities. 

"There was a simultaneous strong sense of pan-ethnic identity, national original identity and American-ness," concluded the summer study conducted in 15 states -- including Arizona --and the Washington Metropolitan area. 

John Garcia, a UA political science professor who spearheaded the survey with five colleagues from other universities, said the rising presence of a pan-ethnic identity cuts across age, national origin and education. 

"It's an added dimension of who you are," he said. "A lot of it is being reinforced by mixed connections" between Hispanics of different backgrounds, as well as by the pervasiveness of the pan-ethnic labels in mainstream society. 

In the survey, Hispanic was the preferred umbrella term used, Garcia noted, although the Latino label was quite popular. 

"We've taken the position that the whole concept of Latino is an American identity," Garcia said. "It has no meaning outside the U.S., so when we think about if you say Latino, you're not American. ... that's not the reality which people have." 

The term Hispanic grew out of government efforts to count the population as a separate ethnic group, and Garcia said the Latino label surfaced as an alternative. The perceived meaning of both has been debated intensely over the years by those who subscribe to one, the other or none. 

The survey also showed that about half of Latinos surveyed see themselves as a distinct race, despite the U.S. Census Bureau's classification of Hispanics as ethnic minorities that may be of any race. 

The Latino survey was one of myriad efforts to analyze a complex and diverse group -- about 42 million, or 14 percent of the population -- that includes people from various nationalities who have been in this country for several generations as well as recent immigrants; those with and without legal U.S. status; and those who speak Spanish or not. 

In interviews, Tucsonans said they don't mind using the umbrella labels of Hispanic, Latino and Latina in addition to more specific references to identity. In Tucson, like in Arizona overall, residents of Mexican descent comprise the vast majority of Hispanics. 

Lillian Pope, 28, said that depending on where she is and who she is with, she usually identifies herself as Mexican and Hispanic. "Here, I mostly say I'm Mexican, but when I lived in the D.C.-area I used to say Hispanic because there are more Hispanics from different countries there." 

The legal assistant, who is the process of becoming a naturalized citizen, said she does not identify with the terms Latina or Chicana. But she is not offended by them, either. 

Louis Hollingsworth, an attorney, also said the way he identifies himself varies with the situation. "If I'm talking to people of Mexican or Latino descent, I identify myself as a Latino. If I'm talking to an Anglo I tend to say I'm Hispanic. If I'm asked what kind of Hispanic I am, I'll say I'm of Mexican descent. 

One self-identifier he won't use is Chicano, which he -- like other native Tucsonans -- said they view as militant. The term grew out of the Chicano Movement of the 1960s that with fierce ethnic pride demanded social justice. 

"I'm not suggesting that it wasn't necessary or that it didn't benefit Latinos of Mexican descent," Hollingsworth said. "But it's not how I like to perceive myself." 

But for Chucho Ruiz, 26, the term conjures up images of self-determination and his indigenous roots. "I feel closer to it," he said, noting that he spells his self-identifier as the more contemporary Xicano, because in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, the "x" sounds like "ch." 

Pepe Carrillo, 50, a naturalized citizen who came to the U.S. at 11, said he describes himself as Cuban, American, Hispanic, and then Latino -- usually in that order. 

"I'm Cuban by birth and American by being immersed in this country most of my life," the home inspector said. "But I can wear any of those titles: I don't have a problem." 

Lorenzo Barcelo, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, said he uses the terms Hispanic and Latino interchangeably. "To me, they are the same." 

Maggie Amado-Tellez, who was born in Tucson, said she thinks of herself as a Latina, although she has identified herself as Mexican American. 

"In the end, I'm an American," the said. "When I'm talking about being Latina, I'm not talking about my nationality. I'm talking about my culture." 

Lorraine Lee, executive director of Chicanos Por La Causa, said she proudly describes herself as a Chicana, Chinese-Chicana, or Asian-Chicana. "I'm very proud of that history because that's what set the foundation for where we are today," she said of the Chicano Movement. 

Sometimes, though, she turns to the Latina term. The umbrella labels that describe all Hispanics or Latinos can act as a unifying force as the country undergoes demographic changes, Lee noted. 

"People are unsure of who we are, what we're about and how to handle us," she said. "But we want what everybody else wants -- food on our table, a roof over our heads and a better future for our children." 

Goya Producciones, dedicada a la producción y a la edición de material audiovisual, está especializada en temas culturales, artísticos, religiosos, históricos y científicos.
http://www.arteguias.com/videomedieval.htm

National Latina Business Women Association
First Annual Conference, Building the Latina Business Woman
November 16, 2006, Long Beach, California


For information on the 2006 conference: www.nlbwa.com 
 [[Surprise, as  Board member, I am being highlighted.]]

2007 NLBWA Conference, November 15. . . . .  SAVE the DATE

Mexico Creates Network of U.S.-based high tech Migrants
Kathleen Miller/Silicon Valley


Armed with a cybernetics engineering and computer systems degree, Mexico City native Angel Camacho arrived for his first day on the job as an engineer in California’s Silicon Valley and was immediately given an assignment by another engineer: Take out the trash. (…)
The problem is creating local jobs for the graduates. A recent analysis by Mexican and U.S. immigration experts found that nearly a third of all Mexicans with advanced degrees leave Mexico for the U.S. 
“Immigration has become a way to make up for the lack of opportunities in Mexico’s job market,” said the executive director of the government-run Institute for Mexicans Abroad, Carlos Gonzalez.
These professionals are often overlooked in the vast flood of Mexican migration. Of the estimated 11 million Mexican immigrants living in the United States, less than 5 percent have at least a bachelor’s degree, feeding a stereotype among Americans that Mexicans don’t do high-tech work. 

“When they want a good-looking yard or well-paved road, they hire a Mexican,” Camacho said. “But it’s not the same with their IT servers. If they want them to run properly, they usually hire Indian or Chinese immigrants.” 

Gonzalez said the talent network could help turn Mexico’s brain drain into a “brain gain” as immigrants “who are working in very specialized niches of the global economy will return to our country, if not physically, at least through their ideas and projects.”

Source: Sintesis informativa 12/06/06  lazos@sre.gob.mx

Anti-Spanish Legends

I suggest we expand on that theme, show our historical presence by using Spanish phrases and words when ever appropriate to an events, create sound bites.  

Gracias y afectuoso saludo.
Sinceramente, Ernesto Figueroa-Figueroa

ERNESTOFIGUEROA@webtv.net

Reactions to Herman Badillo’s Book, One Nation, One Standard

Fernando Ferrer:

Joanne Rodriguez: ¡Ay, Dios mio! What are we going to do about idiots like this!

Reginaldo Atanay: ¡Excelente exposición!

José Luis Morin:

Fred Uria:

H. Velez-Colon:

Alberto O. Cappas:

Veronica Gonzalez:

Virginia Sanchez-Korroll:

Reminiscences of a Naval Aviator
A group of short stories by Daniel L. Polino

These stories were written for my kids and grandkids, so no blood/guts or sex! An 18 year old kid, who never drove a car, until WW II ended. May you get as much enjoyment out of reading my stories as I got out of living them - - and getting out of it alive. 
Mimi, You may use any of these stories in your literature. Dan Polino  

Introduction: World War II created many conditions that made it possible for young men and women of this country to become involved in adventures that would not have ordinarily been possible. The V-5 aviation cadet program made it possible for me, a recent vocational high school graduate, to experience the opportunity to fly many of the aircraft available in naval aviation, and meet people from other parts of this country and other countries, in the pursuit of the wings of gold. Many of my experiences were humorous, and many were tragic; but all were worthy of remembering. That's the purpose of this book of short stories - to record the more memorable of these for my family and friends to enjoy.

There are many books written about combat - this is not one of them. Instead, I will take you through the phases of my life in naval aviation including cadet days, a naval aviator during World War II, and the post-war ready reserve. Happenings that remained in my memory, together with the different personalities involved will be reflected on. This book is dedicated to my friends in naval aviation who, due to the hazards faced in everyday flying, never lived to be middle aged. Two were my roommates, Bob Pietsch from my hometown of Buffalo, New York, and Marion Teague from Minnesota.

In the early days of World War II, with our Pacific fleet in a shambles as a result of the destruction at Pearl Harbor, the need for building a large naval air arm was given a top priority. Many young men with only a high school education were accepted into the V-5 aviation cadet training program, which was sponsored by the U.S. Navy. Prior to that time, a minimum of two years of college was required before anyone would be accepted for naval aviator training.

My first assignment was to the training center established at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York; better known as R.P.I. The first few months were spent in the classroom learning those subjects that were to help us fly and navigate in our new, temporary career. After three months of ground school we were introduced to flying at the adjacent Troy airport, in a program sponsored by the U.S. Navy and administered by a civilian school, flying civilian-type aircraft. We learned to fly in the popular Luscombe aircraft, a very forgiving plane with a single parasol wing, fixed landing gear, and a 90 HP engine. The fuselage was all metal, while the wings were fabric-covered. Our instructors were civilian pilots who became role models for very impressionable young men.

Before describing the details of my first solo flight, I'd first like to describe the layout of the Troy, New York, airport; at least, as it was in the early 1940's. It consisted of a large grassy field with a small hanger and ready room. There was one basic runway, identified by the fact that the grass was shorter where the planes took off and landed. In other places the grass was 12 to 18 inches high. At the upwind end of the runway, as you took off you'd fly over a row of trees approximately 50 feet high, beyond which was a line of power poles, followed by a drop of approximately 25 feet to the road that bordered the field. Beyond that point was a very large cemetery with many acres of tombstones, certainly not one's first choice for an emergency landing.

The throttle on the Luscombe aircraft consists of a narrow rod projecting horizontally out of the instrument panel, capped by a small knob, much like the choke handle found on some of the older cars and trucks. Full throttle meant that the rod was pushed all the way toward the panel. Idle position was with the rod pulled all the way out, a displacement of about six inches. Being somewhat tense and excited at the prospect of a hard landing, with an iron grip on the throttle knob, I had the throttle halfway in at the moment of impact. The result was that the force of the landing caused the throttle rod to bend down 90 degrees against the panel. It was jammed so that I couldn't push the rod inward, or pull it out to the idle position. Anyone with automobile driving experience would have reached over and turned off the ignition switch, but then I had no experience in either an auto or aircraft.

So - there I was with an aircraft that was so damaged that it shouldn't be
flown again, proceeding down the runway with something a little better than half-throttle, dodging other aircraft that were foolish enough to try to cross over toward the hanger at a time like this. I managed to control the Luscombe up over the trees, power lines, and cemetery to a safe altitude where, while circling the field, I managed to straighten out the throttle rod so that it was workable and could be returned to the idle position. At that point I made my downwind approach, pulled the throttle back to idle, and spiraled down to a reasonably good landing. Taxiing back to the hanger I was met by a very excited airport manager and a stunned instructor, followed by some shaken cadets. Without a word to me, the manager inspected the aircraft and found: An engine loose on its mounting, a loose wheel strut, broken internal bulkheads in the fuselage, and an unusual accordion effect on the aluminum under-skin of the body. Needless to say, the aircraft was beyond repair and was surveyed (scrapped).

Descriptions of my (first) solo landing by the spectators were very colorful. Upon impact, the wing tips bent down to momentarily meet the grass. One of my cadet friends, upon seeing the landing, had the great urge to relieve his bladder, which he promptly did. My instructor said that it was the biggest thrill that he'd had in his years of flying.

In my own defense it should be noted that in the ensuing ten years of operational flying, during which time I flew everything the Navy had, under conditions including night carrier landings, I never damaged another aircraft. Some of my squadron mates, however, could have qualified as Japanese aces on the basis of the number of planes they destroyed (ours). My first solo is an event that I'm sure neither my instructor nor I will ever forget. As the saying goes - any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.

July 2006, a friend of mine told me about Sergeant Rafael Peralta, who was a United States Marine killed in Iraq in 2004 during Operation Phantom Fury in the city of Fallujah. Peralta an immigrant from Mexico, sacrificed his life to save his fellow Marines when he absorbed the blast of an enemy hand grenade with his body. Peralta is under consideration to receive the Medal of Honor.

When I was a child growing up in New York City, the only heroes that we Hispanics had were "El Zorro", The "Cisco Kid" and "Speedy Gonzalez". Our history books failed to make mention of the numerous contributions which Hispanics have made to the formation of our country. I didn't know about our participation in the Revolutionary War nor about our heroes in the Civil War. As I grew older, I became aware that our people produced good singers and that in some cases some Hispanics were given minor stereotyped roles in Hollywood and that we had a Desi Arnez who was in love with Lucy in the television sitcom "I love Lucy", but that was it.

I therefore set it upon myself as a goal to write about the positive contributions which we Hispanics have made to this country in general. After reading about Sergeant Rafael Peralta, my friend suggested that I write about our brave soldiers who in some cases have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I started by writing a List of Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients with contains a short profile of each of our heroes. I then realized that the only information available in the Internet on these amazing men was only their Medal of Honor citation. I therefore decided to do some research and write short biographies which I plan to share with our readers in "Somos Primos".

I want to dedicate this Medal of Honor series to all our readers, to our youth and especially to our brave men and women in the Armed Forces serving our country. I want the nation, the world to know, especially during this time when you hear a lot of talk about anti-immigration laws, building of border walls to keep immigrants out and English-only legislation which forbids the use of Spanish, that yes, we do have many heroes who themselves were either immigrants or sons of immigrants. I hope that you all enjoy this series and that it fills you with the same pride that I felt when I wrote it.

I would like to thank my friend ERcheck for collaborating with me on some of the articles in this upcoming series.


Who is Tony the Marine?

Tony Santiago, a.k.a. "Tony the Marine," is a writer and administrator for Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, specializing in Puerto Rican related topics. He is also the editor of the Puerto Rican Military Channnel of El Boricua magazine and a contributor in Somos Primos.

Tony was born on March 9, 1950 in the South Bronx section of New York City, to Puerto Rican parents. When he was 13, his family moved to Queens during a time in history when the United States was going through the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam conflict. He was raised in the mean streets (Simpson St.) of New York where he was a member of a gang called "The Torchmen" a branch of the "Crowns". When his family moved to Queens he created and led a gang called "The Vikings".

Upon graduating high school he continued the family tradition by joining the United States Marine Corps. and soon served in Vietnam. In the Marines he and a group of fellow Puerto Ricans formed a group called "Puerto Rican Power in Unity" which eventually became "Latin Power in Unity". The objective of this group was to unite all the Hispanic Marines regardless of their national background, as a brotherhood. Together they shared their cultures and demanded to be treated equally as their black and white counterparts in the military.

Upon being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Tony went to Puerto Rico with the intention of getting in touch with his roots. There he met and married his wife Milagros and together they had three children.

He enrolled in the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and majored in Business Administration and accounting. He was a magna Cum laude student. Tony has also graduated from the Puerto Rican Real Estate Academy and the American Banking Institute with honors. He studied computers in the Polytechnical Institute of Caguas , Puerto Rico and was the owner of a wholesale business and of other ventures.

In Puerto Rico Tony realized that as a child he was never taught about the contributions which Puerto Ricans had made to society. When he was a student in the United States, he recalled that he never heard nor read about any contributions made by Hispanics to that nation. The only Hispanic heroes that he ever heard about were "El Zorro" and "El Cisco Kid". He then made it a point to read and study the lives of Puerto Rican and Hispanic historical figures and soon had a library in his house with books about these people.

In 1990, he sold his business and retired, moving to Arizona, there his children finished their superior education and went to college. He spent many hours in the campuses library, while his children attended classes, looking for more information about Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics who helped shape our society but were relatively unknown.

With the wealth of information that he meticulously gathered and indexed, Tony began his own personal goal of educating the nation.  Somos Primos is very happy to welcome Tony and look forward to his series on the Medal of Honor Recipients.

Welcome to the Cold War Museum
http://coldwar.org/museum/museum_features.html
Sent by Bill Carmena

From the 1940s until the 1990s the rivalry between the democratic Free World and the nations of the Communist bloc affected Americans' daily lives and events throughout the world. This "Cold War" actually became a "hot" one in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War but generally took the form of espionage and diplomatic maneuvers, with the United States, the Soviet Union and China as the major combatants. The Cold War Museum seeks to memorialize the people and events of those years and educate future generations about that era.

EXAMPLE FOR 1940s
· Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945) - President 1932 - 1945 
· Atomic Bomb Development Summary 
· Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) - Premier 1927 - 1953 
· Nike Missiles (1945) 
· Potsdam Agreement (1945) 
· Harry S Truman (1884/1972) - President 1945 - 1953 
· End of World War II (1945) 
· Separation Of Berlin (1945) 
· U.S. Constabulary (1946 - 1952) 
· UFO Crash in Roswell, New Mexico (July 3,1947) 
· Marshall Plan (April 3,1948) 
· Czechoslovakia Coup (February, 1948) 
· Berlin Blockade (June 24, 1948 - May 12.1949) 
· Berlin Airlift (June 26, 1948 - May 12, 1949) 
· Soviet Atomic Bomb Test (August 29, 1949) 
· H-bomb development Summary (1949) 
· American History - 40's 
· Links 

Cuentos

Literature

THE FUNERALS FOR CARLOS V
     By 
Vicente Riva Palacio

Nachito vivia el la vecindad de Las Ranas en el barrio de East Austin, Tx. Y tenia ocho anos. Sus padres Ignacio & Elena Hermandez siempre lo apoyaban aprender todo a su gusto; pero tambien lo cuidaban muy bien y les gustaba mucho que "Chito' tenia mucha curiosidad.

Don Ignacio trabajaba por la Cuidad como jardinero. Y por eso le daba orgullo que su hijito tenia interes en la naturaleza.

En dias cuando llovia mucho Chito siempre les pedia a sus padres permiso para salir y andar entre las condiciones que las llovisnas creaban. Y Don Elena siempre le decia "Esta bien pero cuidate mucho..y vale mas que no triagas lodo adentro de la casa!  Y Chito salia corriendo.

Haci es que parecia que ya gozaba todo de lo bueno en su vida. El siempre se quedaba asombrado y mistificado porque cuando llovia siempre habia ranitas brincando como si apenas habian caido de el cielo: Y tan derepente que tenia que reflejar: Donde vienen estos animalitos maravillosos destinados a llegar ser sapos?

Un sabado por la manana cuando se padre estaba en la cosina esperando que su 'ama acababa de ser tortillas a mano, Chito se acerco y pregunto:"Ama..'apa, donde vienen las ranitas?"

"Las ranitas vienen de el cielo mijo," respondio su mama.

"Apa! puedo salir a jugar afuera? pregunto el nino.

"Ta' lloviendo mucho, mijo. Valemas preguntarle a tu mama."

"Ama, por favor..dejame ir afuera a jugar!"

Y como era un dia de verano y no estaba haciehdo frio..le dijo: "Esta bien, mijo..entonces salte a jugar, pero valemas que te quites los zapatos porque no quiero tener que ponerlos en la estufa para secarlos. Y tambien vale mas que no triagas lodo adentro de la casa, porque le dire a tu padre que te de nalgadas."

"No voy a taer lodo 'apa porque me lavare los pes antes de entrar."

"Ta' bueno mijo..entonces sale a jugar..nomes que tengas mucho quidado..no se vayas a golpear!"

Chito pronto se quito la zapatos y salio corriendo. Y pronto se encontro con su amigo Luis Lopez que sabia como hacer barquito con los palitos de 'popsible' para ponderlos en las corrientes que hacian la llovisnas. Derepente notaron ranitas que parecian que apenas habian caido del cielo.

"Miro 'Viz' las ranitas que acaban de cayer de el cielo!"

"Mentiras, dijo Luis..no calleron de el cielo."

"Ajaa! Me dijo mi mama."

"Pos, no es verdad..vienen de las charcos."

"Tu eres el mentiroso," le grito Chito.

"Y tu no sabes nada," respondio Luis.

Un poco despues encontro un charco grande que ya tenia tiempo de estar alli.

"Ito! Mira. Vez ese charco grande?"

"Si, que tiene?"

"Vamos alli y te voy a ensenar de una vez donde vienen las ranitas. "Fueron pronto y Luis levanto una pierda grande y la tiro adentro del el charco. Y salieron ranas grandes y chiquitas.

"Y vez!" dijo Luis.

"Si," respondio Chito. Y se puso muy pendiente porque sus padres no le dijieron la verdad. Y cuando llego a la casa se limpio los pies con mucho cuidado y entro a la cocina donde estaba su mama cocinando cosido de res.

"Ama..ahora vi donde vienen la ranitas. Luis me enseno que viven le los charcos. Porque me dijieron que venian de el cielo?"

"Pos..porque la lluvia viene de el cielo, y ademas todo viene de Dios que esta en el cielo. Mi'jo, ademas, todo eso es un misterio."

Chito se quedo pensativo..y despues pregunto: "Ama, porque hay tantos misterios?"

"Haci lo quiso Diosito Lindo..El Creador de todo en la vida," le dijo su mama con calma..
Aquerdate que El tambien hace los charcos.

THE END

SURNAME

Surnames identified in the Surname Column, 2000-2006

If you want to find mention of a specific surname in all the issues of Somos Primos, 
use the KEYWORD SEARCH. It will list the specific issues in which the surname is found. 

For example: Farias, 61 hits; Cardenas, 69 hits; Guerra, 111 hits.  http://www.somosprimos.com/sitesearch.htm

From: MIMILOZANO@aol.com to cstorey1@satx.rr.com and crisrendon@earthlink.net 
Subject: Re: Ancestors found in Somos Primos website 

Dear Catrina . . . It is really exciting when you make a connection. I am forwarding your information to Cris Rendon (a Texan also) who has compiled a monumental work, interconnecting Texas primos. 

Cris is our database coordinator and maintains an online database.
http://home.earthlink.net/~shharmembers/networking.htm

I suggest that you search it out and then contact Cris at crisrendon@earthlink.net
Cris will be the best resource for you. 

I will add your email to receive monthly notification of when the latest issue of Somos Primos is online. If you prefer not to be notified, just let me know. 

I invite you go to our SHHAR and Somos Primos websites and explore all the resources available.

Feliz Navidad. . . . Mimi

Subj: Re: Ancestors found in Somos Primos website 
From: crisrendon@earthlink.net to MIMILOZANO@aol.com, cstorey1@satx.rr.com

Hello Mimi and Catrina, Based on the information that Catrina has provided my computer determined that we are all related. 

Nohemi (Mimi) LOZANO and Catrina HINOJOSA are 10th cousins 1 time removed. Their common ancestors are Capitan Pedro GARZA and Maria Lucia ROCHA.

I am also related to Catrina.
Crispin D. RENDON and Catrina HINOJOSA are 6th cousins 2 times removed. Their common ancestors are Nicolas SALINAS MORONES and Micaela CANALES.

With some more research we could find we are even closer.

Tu Primo,
Crispin Rendon

Patriots of the American Revolution

Official website of El Regimento de La Luisiana,a unit of living historians dedicated to faithfully replicating the life & times of the Spanish soldiers which fought the British in the American Revolution, and which garrisoned Spain's North American colony of Louisiana for over thirty years.

In 2002, individuals who had long replicated soldiers of the unit on their own came together to form a cohesive, single unit.  Since that time, the unit has taken part in various events around Louisiana and the Gulf Coast of the United States, including the annual "Prelude to the Siege of Baton Rouge, 1779" in Vicksburg, Mississippi (site of Spanish Fort Nogales), the Bicentennial Ceremony of the Louisiana Purchase, and various other local events. Our unit is generally based in and around Louisiana, with members also located in Texas, Missouri, Maryland, Mississippi, and Florida as well.  Membership in our unit is open to individuals 16 years of age and older. Basic requirements for participating with our unit are mainly:
 1) meeting the minimum uniform requirements, and
 2) yearly dues to the Brigade of the American Revolution in order to attend B.A.R. events.

Robert H. Thonhoff wins the 
Presidio La Bahia Award 
for a Fifth Time

AUTHOR/HISTORIAN ROBERT H. THONHOFF, of Karnes City, Texas, holds his latest prize- winning publication, A Quadrilogy of Essays, for which he was awarded last December 2, the Presidio la Bahia Award for 2006. The slipcase set of essays, two in English and two in Spanish, are about the vital contribution of Spain, including Texas in the winning of the American Revolution. The award is presented annually by the Sons of the Republic of Texas "for outstanding contribution in the field of the Spanish Colonial Period of Texas History." This is the fifth time since 1970 that historian Thonhoff has won the prestigious award for his writing efforts. The essays, which tell a story that most Americans, including the author, never heard, read, or learned in school of college, would also be enlightening to persons of Hispanic descent worldwide. They are posted on www.granaderos.net .

BUENOS AIRES PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, M-Z
By Granville Hough, Ph.D. 

ORANGE COUNTY, CA

Tracing your Native American Heritage
Native American genealogist Daniel Bartosz 

Saturday, January 13, 1–4 pm
Southwest Museum of the American Indian, Mt. Washington 
234 Museum Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90065 
323.221.2164 
www.southwestmuseum.org

Many Americans have a Native American heritage.  For some, it may be a very small part of who we are. Some may be eligible for tribal benefits. Too many have little or no knowledge of our genealogies and the cultures represented in them.

Representatives from local Native Nations will be available to share information about several of the Los Angeles area peoples. The Museum Store will have a wide selection of books and videos about genealogy and various Native American cultures.

Reservations are suggested. Call 323.667.2000, ext. 353
To contact Daniel Bartosz, email: kc6toi@yahoo.com

Tropical America, 1932
David Alfaro Siqueiros
18'H x 82'W

The article below was previously published 
in Somos Primos, June 2005 as part of the  
 Olvera Street 75th Anniversary Celebration,  1930-2005

We are happy to report that the Getty Museum has undertaken to restore Topical America 
 to its initial condition.  It is estimated that the task will be completed by 2009. 
Thanks to Dan Hogan for sharing the information.  hogan-4@sbcglobal.net 

In executing this work, along with his other murals in Los Angeles, Siqueiros extensively used mechanical equipment, such as the airbrush, for the first time. So emotionally charged was the allegorical imagery that within six months, a section of the mural visible from Olvera Street was painted out. Within a year, the work was completely covered. Portraying the struggle against imperialism was particularly offensive to Christine Sterling, the leading promoter of Olvera Street, presumably because it did not conform to her image of a docile and tranquil Mexican village. 

Virtually forgotten for years, the mural was rediscovered in the late 1960s when the whitewash began to peel off. However, it was severely damager shortly thereafter by exposure to the sun. A plywood cover which now hides the work, was installed in 1982 to prevent further deterioration. The mural has now been conserved. 

David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), born in Chihuahua, Mexico, joined Jose Orozco and Diego Rivera as the 20th Century's most influential muralists. They revolutionized mural content and style by portraying Mexico's rich history and contemporary economic problems in visually bold political terms.

Source of information: http://www.ci.la.ca.us/tourist/tropical.htm
For more about Siqueiros or to receive a free newsletter concerning activities on Olvera St. go to: http://olvera-street.com/html/siqueiros_mural.html

Information below from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Alfaro Siqueiros (December 29, 1896 in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico - January 6, 1974 in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico) was a painter and muralist known for his social realism work.

His notable projects include his collaborative mural at the Mexican Electricians' Union (1939-40), From Porfiriato to the Revolution at the Museum of National History (1957-55), March of Humanity and the Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros on Avenida Insurgentes (1965-71), and his role in procuring mural commissions for artists on the University City campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1950s Mexico City.

Siqueiros was one of several well-known Mexican muralists working at the time, including Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and Rufino Tamayo. His art directly reflected the time period in which he flourished as an artist. His art was deeply rooted in the Mexican Revolution, a violent and chaotic period in Mexican history in which various social and political factions fought for recognition and power. The period from the 1920s to the 1950s is known as the Mexican Renaissance, and Siqueiros was active in the attempt to create an art that was at once Mexican and universal.

Political activism was an important piece of Siqueiros' life, and frequently inspired him to set aside his artistic career. In 1911, when he was only fifteen years old, Siqueiros attended the Academy of San Carlos and was involved in a student strike that protested the academy's method of teaching and urged the impeachment of the school's director. One year later, when he was just sixteen years old, he conspired against Victoriano Huerta's dictatorship. At the age of eighteen, he participated in the Constitutionalist Army fighting against the forces of General Victoriano Huerta. He briefly gave up painting to focus on organizing miners in Jalisco. He ran a political art workshop in New York City in preparation for the 1936 General Strike for Peace and May Day parade. The young Jackson Pollock attended the workshop and helped build floats for the parade. Between 1937 and 1938 he fought in the Spanish Civil War alongside the Spanish Republican forces, in opposition to Francisco Franco's military coup. He was exiled twice from Mexico , once in 1932 and again in 1940, following his assassination attempt on Leon Trotsky.

From 1919 to 1922 he traveled to Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain to study art. Throughout his career he traveled internationally, promoting his version of muralism in the United States, South America (including Uruguay, Argentina and Chile), Cuba, Europe, and the Soviet Union.

Siqueiros was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize for the year of 1966. His nephew is filmmaker David Siqueiros.  

Original art by Siqueiros is available. .   go to ARTCYCLOPEDIA
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/siqueiros_david_alfaro.html

Commercial Art Gallery Guide
David Alfaro Siqueiros in Museums and Public Art Galleries  
 
David Alfaro Siqueiros in Artnet Galleries: Artnet homepage for this artist
Diane Villani Editions, New York, 2 works listed
Pan American Art Gallery, Dallas, Texas, Nahuatl
Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art, New York, Macbeth or the Criminal Act
ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries, Coral Gables/Miami, Florida, Sentimental Friendship
Susan L. Halper Fine Art Inc., New York, From the Mexican Suite
Galería Enrique Guerrero, Mexico City, Mexico, Niño Sentado

CALIFORNIA

California’s Heritage Discovery Center 
Home of the Wilbur-Cruce Spanish Mission Horse 

The following article is by Robin Collins, President and Founder of Heritage Discovery Center, a new non-profit dedicated to preservation and continuation of the rare breed of Spanish Mission horse from the Wilbur-Cruce Ranch. Currently located on temporary quarters in Madera County, the HDC is working to establish a living historical agricultural museum that will highlight these wonderful horses and interpret Spanish Colonial life through a living museum.

I have been fascinated by ‘behavior’ as far back as I can remember.  I was curious about frogs, deer, foxes, birds, and all wildlife. I was raised in the Los Angeles area and fortunate enough to have a second home in Big Bear Lake, where I grew up surrounded by the bounty, beauty and magnificence of nature. 

I have always been in the companionship of animals, all shapes and sizes.  Thanks to my wonderful parents, I have had the honor of sharing my life with horses since I was three years old.  I cannot remember what made me so determined to have a horse, but at seven years of age, with money I had saved, I purchased my first horse. I loved them all any color, shape or size.  And so I started to collect them, any color shape or size.  Mom always said about my love of horses, “If it was breathing, it was a beautiful horse.” 

I did my homework in the barn, slept with my horses, took them everywhere I possibly could and refused to go anywhere they could not go.  I believe you could call this “Horse Crazy,” a fantasy so many young people have, but so few get to make into a reality. 

My parents tried to understand and allowed me to start a horse directed lifestyle in my early years.  My Mother and Father decided that if I so inclined that I should ride with the best horseman that she could find. Lucky me! And so I became a student of Jimmy Williams, Master Horseman in every discipline. (Williams since received the honor of being inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. He was a founder and director of the Pacific Coast Horse Show Association.) 

My Mother picked me up after school and drove me to the Flintridge Riding Club nearly every day – what amazing dedication on her part.  There I learned not only about riding horses but behavior and life, both for me, and for the horses. Jimmy Williams trained people not only to ride but also horses and animals of all kinds to do anything and everything.  Many Disney movies are full of his “animal magic,” not to mention his stunt work in such classics as the very first “Mark of Zorro” with Tyrone Power and his training the horse Albarado in the Walt Disney feature film "The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit."

I was fortunate to be able to observe and learn some of this behind the scenes training magic for a period of over twenty years.  This was in addition to riding and training performance horses for the Hunter/Jumper international circuit.  I also had the privilege of training horses and people that became Olympic Level Competitors from teams from the USA, Canada and Mexico. From the 1960s through the 1990s, my professional life consisted of training horses and animal behavior modification. My career was on a steady track – or so I thought! 

In 1990 I was offered another incredible opportunity.  Some Spanish horses, descendents from the earliest period of the Spanish presence in the New World, were placed into a conservation program to preserve their rare and unique genetics.  I was given the chance to share in their future. 

These horses came from the Mission and Rancho Dolores, Father Kino’s Mission in Sonora, Mexico, and were maintained on a ranch in Arivaca, Arizona for approximately 120 years.  This ranch was founded and owned by the Wilbur-Cruce family, beautifully described by Mrs. Eva Antonia Wilbur-Cruce in her book about the life and times of her family and horses on the ranch, A Beautiful Cruel Country (University of Arizona Press, 1990).

These horses were gathered and placed into this conservation program with the collaboration of Mrs. Wilbur-Cruce and the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, now known as the American Livestock Conservancy. Philip Sponenberg, PhD, Director for the AMBC, had done the scientific documentation of the horses, determining that they were, indeed, pure descendants of horses imported to Mexico and the American Southwest by the Spanish. Along with Mrs. Wilbur-Cruce, a strictly structured program for care and breeding was set, and the horses were placed with three conservation breeders. I was one of the three chosen to lead a conservation effort of the horses. I traveled to Arizona to meet my new herd, and I returned to California with twenty horses --six stallions and the balance in mares and foals. My new direction had begun.

At that time I was living in Carmel and our show horses were located at the Laguna Seca Ranch in Monterey.  This ranch had been a great stallion station and breeding operation -- such great stallions as Royal Orbit, Indian Hemp and Determined stood here.    This was a wonderful facility for the Wilbur-Cruce herd -- not to mention that it was California’s Capital of the Spanish Colonial period.  I soon realized that the horses from the Wilbur-Cruce Mission strain of Spanish Horse was an incredible living history on the hoof -- still part of the great story of the Spanish, Mission and Californio period of our region’s history. As many of the historians and artisans who reside in Monterey County came forth with illuminating historical facts and stories about theses horses I began to realize that their history was my own.

Stories of the treks of Portola and Father Serra as well as Juan Bautista de Anza bringing the colonists through the Mission Chain to Monterey and San Francisco brought more awareness of the participation and importance of the Spanish Horse.  Further colonization of California created the fabled lifestyles of the Californio and Vaquero, and vast herds of Spanish Cattle dotted the landscape.

I grew eager to revisit all that I was learning about out fabulous Colonial Period.  I had visited the Eastern Colonial Parks, such as Williamsburg and Sturbridge Village, and looked for a similar Western experience. I felt the need for people to share in the magnificent history of the Spanish Horses (Wilbur-Cruce remnant) I wished for the opportunity for people to share in California’s natural bounty, Native American and Spanish history as well. And so the idea for the Heritage Discovery Center began. 

There was someone who understood the history and above all the horses, my mentor Jimmy Williams. He knew the human history and he knew the role the horses played and understood their great importance in our history.  As I trained this horse to step forth from the pages of history into today’s re-enactment of our Spanish Colonial history, Jimmy shared the nuances of the Vaquero culture with me. The Wilbur-Cruce horses were invited to participate in a documentary film about Portola & Serra coming to Monterey and the history of Monterey as California’s Capital. Jimmy’s knowledge of the period proved invaluable; he explained how the Vaquero used his reata and rode in a ‘Center Fire’ saddle. He also talked about how people of the early Californio period depended on their horses and why it was called the ‘equestrian’ period of California.  Jimmy Williams passed before he could witness the finalization of the HDC, but his knowledge/inspiration and spirit of the partnership of horse and man will remain.

Generation after generation of these rare Spanish horses has proven that the history told about these horses is accurate and that they truly are living icons of a time past.  To visit these horses is to step back in time when horses were a part of our daily lives and man was proud of his equine partner.  These horses invite you into their social groups with enthusiasm and joy.  Their character is generous and communicative as a dear friend would be.  To know them is to feel their passion and spirit for life, as they make you part of theirs.

To ride one of these intuitive horses is to experience someone knowing your every move and desire, to frolic with the foals is to share time with your personal freedom, to share time with the mares is to witness unconditional love, and to be close with one of the Stallions is to feel your unbridled spirit.

Preservation of these unique equines time is a must.

I researched all of the Spanish Horse registries and found the Spanish Barb Breeders Association to be the most appropriate organization to use to develop registration identification for the preservation of this unique gene pool. These horses have returned from our colonial times to demonstrate adaptability to the 20^th century. They have shared the pageantry and celebration of our history by participating in the Rose Parade, the Santa Barbara Fiesta, Interpretive days at various Mission celebrations, and ceremonies for the Los Californianos, and the Anza Trails Association.   

These are horses with keen intelligence that have shared human experience for thousands of years.

These horses are the Treasure that the Spanish left behind.

 ”Our history was written on the backs of horses. Never was there an animal as completely absorbed in the service of man as the horse.”  

 These horses are a living testament to the Spanish Colonists’ partnership with this noble breed.

 I believe this is my favorite poem about the horse, a favorite I share with Bill Cooke, director of the Kentucky Horse Park:

“Where in all the world is nobility found without conceit?
Where is there friendship without envy?
Where is beauty without vanity?
Here ones finds gracefulness coupled with power and strength, tempered by gentleness.
A constant servant, yet no slave.
A fighter, even without hostility.
Our history was written on his back.
We are his heirs.
But he is his own heritage...the Horse.”

At the Heritage Discovery Center these living ambassadors of our equine legacy are embraced and celebrated, recognized for their contributions to our human development.  At HDC we will come to better understand our partners in history. These horses link us intrinsically with a heritage we all share.  We need your help to continue to perpetuate this precious living legacy.  With your contribution and support, you have the opportunity to preserve this integral part of America’s history and bring the history of Spanish California to thousands upon thousands of children and families, students and seniors, tourists and residents of our great State alike – we look forward to your participation and support.

Robin Collins
President and Founder
Heritage Discovery Center
Madera, California

Working title: Hispanic American Heritage: Cultural Traditions and the Built Environment.

It appears that the timing and mission of the Heritage Discovery Center is right on target in terms of the National Parks vision. 1992, the National Park Service established the Spanish Colonial Research Center in partnership with the University of New Mexico. The Spanish Colonial resources of the National Park Service provide numerous ways to explore Spanish heritage and its legacies in the United States, particularly in architecture, location, and documentation of the population.

[For information on research projects visit: http://www.cr.nps.gov/crdi/research.htm
National Center for Cultural Resources http://www.cr.nps.gov/crdi
National Park Service 202.354.2266 202.371.2422 fax ]

In 1960, a Spaniard Luis A Bolin, authored a book entitled Parques Nacionales Norteamericanos. It was published in Madrid by Editora Nacional. It was then translated by Herbert Weinstock and published by Alfred A Knopf, Inc. as the National Parks of the United States in 1962.

Traces of Spain in the National Parks & Monuments of the U.S.

DURING the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, Spanish activity in the regions later integrated into the United States was far more intense than may people now suppose. Vestiges of that activity lie in full view. Some have tried to hide them, but others have sung their glories. To bring them back to life it is sufficient to stir up old memories.

It is thus that the memory of Spain's ventures-exploratory, military, or spiritual, always heroic in the face of peril is honored in areas that now form part of the United States and its possessions. This tradition provides a treasury of resources which, through Spanish and American public opinion, can help to cement Spain's close relations with a country to which so many peoples are linked today by close friendship. [[ and family lineage - editor]]

November 27, 2006

First Lady Maria Shriver
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Subject: Save the Juana Briones House

Historic Preservation

Dear Madame:

It is with the utmost urgency that I am writing this letter to bring you up to date regarding the status of the legendary Juana Briones House. Efforts to save the house from demolition within a very short time remain tenuous, at best.

Plans for the Briones House were to remodel the house which would serve as a public educational resource for California history. The loss of this treasure of a house would be devastating for citizens of our county and state.

The owners of the Juana Briones property at 4155 Old Adobe Road and the City of Palo Alto have engaged in discussions regarding the house. However, the court has ruled in favor of the owners, Mr. Jaim Nulman and Ms. Avelyn Welczer. This couple is adamant about having the house destroyed. The historical significance of the house, built in the 1840s on the land called the Rancho La Purisima Concepcion, and now the oldest house in Palo Alto, is a testament to our Early California heritage.

Your support is needed to help us save the Juana Briones House.

Sincerely,  Lorraine Frain Descendant Briones 
Web site: http://www.brioneshouse.org

PALOMINO Productions

AND PRESENTATION OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS. 
VIEW VIDEO CLIPS on PALOMINO Productions’ web site www. PaloPalomino.com
Contact: PALOMINO Productions (PaloPro2004@yahoo.com OR (510) 236-3257)
La Peña Cultural Center (www.lapena.org OR (510) 849-2568)

NORTHWEST UNITED STATES

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

New book Tio Cowboy 

Ricardo Palacios ricklaw@netscorp.netwww.tamu.edu/press or 
800-826-8911 www.tamu.edu/press or 1800-826-8911

Juan Salinas, Rodeo Roper and Horseman
by RICARDO D. PALACIOS

One of the best tie-down calf ropers ever to come out of South Texas, Juan Salinas grew up on a 15,000-acre ranch near Laredo, with the finest of horses to ride and hundreds of head of cattle to practice on. He roped in Texas rodeos large and small, and from 1936 to 1946, he followed the national rodeo circuit, competing from Texas to New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“Ricardo Palacios gives us a vivid portrait of . . . the first great Mexican cowboy to brush prejudices aside and follow the rodeo circuit in the 1930s and 1940s. 
He also provides a revealing study of a fading way of life in the mixed Hispanic-Anglo ranching community of deep South Texas. This book revives pleasant memories of such arena stars as Toots Mansfield, who trained under Juan Salinas and remained a close friend for life.” 
—Elmer Kelton, western novelist

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY PRESS
College Station, Texas
Orders: 800-826-8911  Fax: 888-617-2421
www.tamu.edu/upress  
9 1/2 by 6 1/2, 195 pages, 38 b&w photos, $22, cloth.

African-American

Page 1

Ben Vinson III

Barnard College, Columbia University
Prepared for delivery at the 1998 meeting of the Latin American Studies Association,
The Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, September 24-26, 1998

Page 2

Creating Racial Identities: The Free-Colored Militia in Colonial Mexico

The question of identity has been one of considerable importance to the study of race in Latin America. Particularly for the multitude of racially mixed offspring produced by miscegenation, it has been debated, what exactly was the degree of consciousness that race could produce? What degree of strength, if any, should be attributed to the caste boundaries created in the colonial period, and how did the reins of “caste” contribute to the 19th and 20th century heritage of the region?1 With the new and emerging research on the African Diaspora in Latin America, the question has often been asked: did the free mulato, moreno, or pardo ever feel a specific identity, especially during colonial times, and especially when racial discourse was apparently created by, and served the interests of those who held the supreme positions of power?

I feel that some of these questions can be addressed through an analysis of the militia. Few colonial institutions offered blacks (and I use the term “blacks” loosely to incorporate the free-colored castes, including pardos, morenos, and mulatos) the same amount of political, social, and legal strength as did participation in the military establishment. Military legal immunities, known collectively as fueros, offered a measure of autonomy from the traditional state channels of criminal litigation. While there has been some debate regarding the actual worth of the privilege, it is undeniable that under the fuero, military cases were reviewed by a designated legal appointee, the auditor de guerra, who often reviewed case files from a stance that took into consideration the free-coloreds’ value as soldiers.2 This distinctly military perspective mitigated the effects of racial prejudices and biases that frequently prevailed in ordinary civilian courts. Furthermore, free-colored militiamen enjoyed other special benefits, called preeminencias, which liberated them from numerous civil obligations that were often imposed by municipal and provincial authorities.

1For a sample of the literature and debates on race and class in Latin America see: Peter Wade, Race and Ethnicity in Latin America (London and Chicago: Pluto Press, 1997); John K. Chance and William B. Taylor, “Estate and Class in a Colonial City, Oaxaca in 1792,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 19, (1977): 454-87; Idem, “The Ecology of Race and Class in Late Colonial Oaxaca,” in Studies in Spanish American Population History, ed. David J. Robinson (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1981), 93-117; Dennis Nodin Valdes, “Decline of the Sociedad de Castas in Mexico City” (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan, 1978); Magnus Mörner, “Economic Factors and Stratification in Colonial Spanish America with Special Regard to Elites,” Hispanic American Historical Review (HAHR) 63, no. 2 (1983): 335-369; Lyle N. McAlister, “Social Structure and Social Change in New Spain,” HAHR 43, no. 3 (1963): 349-370; Woodrow Borah and Sherburne F. Cook, “Sobre las posibilidades de hacer el estudio histórico del mestizaje sobre una base demografica,” Revista de historia de América 53/54 (1962): 181-190; Patricia Seed, “The Social Dimensions of Race: Mexico City 1753,” HAHR 62, no. 4 (1982): 569-606; Rodney D. Anderson, “Race and Social Stratification: A Comparison of Working-Class Spaniards, Indians and Castas in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1821,” HAHR 68, no. 2 (1988): 209-41; R. Douglas Cope, The Limits of Racial Domination, Plebeian Society in Colonial Mexico City, 1660-1720 (Madison, Wisconsin: Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1994); Richard Boyer, Cast and Identity in Colonial Mexico: A Proposal and an Example (Storrs, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Amherst, Massachusetts: Latin American Studies Consortium of New England, 1997); Robert McCaa, Stuart B. Schwartz, and Arturo Grubessich, “Race and Class in Colonial Latin America: A Critique,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 25 (1979): 421-33; with a reply to this article by Chance and Taylor, “Estate and Class: A Reply,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 25, (1979): 434-42; and Herman L. Bennett, “Lovers, Family, and Friends: The Formation of Afro-Mexico, 1580-1810” (Ph.D. diss., Duke University, 1993).

2Christon I. Archer, The Army in Bourbon Mexico, 1760-1810 (Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1977); Lyle N. McAlister, The “Fuero Militar” in New Spain, 1764-1800 (Gainesville: Univ. of Florida Press, 1957).

Page 3  

Additionally, select tax exemptions, such as relief from mandatory tribute and service fees (servicios reales) served to distance the free-colored soldier from ordinary civilian blacks.3

In the view of some scholars, military status placed the soldiers in a separate social space that eroded the inhibiting effects of the caste system. Many free-colored militiamen sent their sons to the university, entered prestigious liberal professions, changed their baptismal registers to specifically mention that they were white, took fair-skinned brides, and used the honorific “Don” before their names to emphasize “hidalgo” status.4 In Mexico, there were certain militia families, such as the Santanders of Puebla, who reputedly possessed fortunes in excess of 70,000 pesos during the early 18th century, more than enough to be considered among the city’s elite members.5

In Jalapa, some free-colored officers played a role in local political assemblies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.6 The possibilities for wealth, class, and even racial mobility have caused the militia to be perceived as a stepping stone towards achieving social whiteness, or at least to serve as a vehicle for lesser-grade “passing.”7 Undoubtedly, some soldiers used the militia in this capacity, as the evidence maintains. But for others, I argue that quite a different process was occurring. Within the military, and specifically the militia framework, I believe that the unique military privileges, along with the numerous struggles for added rights, actually worked to solidify racial ties by imbuing concrete meaning onto racial abstractions. In other words, while the pardos, morenos, and mulatos who participated in the militia may have been legally and socially 

3Free-coloreds in 18