January 23, 1691
Source: TSHA Texas Day by Day
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Jordan Romero, on May
22, 2010, became the youngest person in the world to climb Mount Everest. |
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Letters to the Editor |
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Dear Mimi:
When I read many of the articles in SomosPrimos I find myself walking back in time. The individuals who share the stories of their ancestors are enriching my life. After viewing the film" Latino Americans" on PBS I understood that SomosPrimos has been a gateway for all Americans to read about a history that has been forgotten or oppressed. When I receive the SomosPrimos I look forward to reading the articles, written both in English or Spanish. This is a reminder to me of how fortunate I am to understand two languages. There are golden nuggets throughout the SomosPrimos , and I am better for it. Please continue to provide a forum where writers share their stories and we the readers can retell the stories to others.
Delia Gonzalez Huffman
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Every month I anxiously wait to read Somos Prmos - and think afterwards "this is the BEST yet!" but nooooo - the Ja 2014 IS yet the best I've read! So, thank you for the work you do! Gloria Candelaria candelglo@gmail.com P.O. 490 |
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Quotes
of Thoughts to Consider |
| Tacitus | "The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws." |
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Justice Louis
Brandeis |
"We can have democracy in this country, or
we can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have
both."
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| Miguel Cervantes | "No man is more than another unless he does more than another." |
| Plato | "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." |
| George Bernard Shaw | "Democracy is a device that ensures that we shall be governed no better than we deserve." |
| John Quincy Adams |
“If
your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more,
you are a leader.” |
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Perfecto Munoz, MA, PhD, MPH |
"Man's pride causes his humiliation, but he who is
humble of spirit obtains honor. A truly humble person is the center of
peace, because he fear neither his own failure nor others successes."
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AGIF 2014 Scholarship
Recipients Alcala, Daniel Bishop, Christopher Delgado, Isaiah Dominguez, Justice; Driver, Yanni Felix, Julliette |
Flores, Leslie Galligan, Phillip Galvan, Eric Garza, Janelle Gomez, John Gomez, Justine Hinojosa, Kirklan Kearney, Ashanti |
Lowe, Ryan Mattern, Cameron McCoy, Joseph Monjaras, Manuel Montalvo, Robyn Mosel, Isabella Ortega, Jesse Palacios, Herbert |
Pastrana Becerril, Daniela Pena, Alyson Pimentel, Rolando Robin, Jacob Salinas, Alyssa Sanchez, Jacob Sanmiguel, Jorge |
Saucedo, Angelica Talamantes, Jorge Tasby, Shane Trevino, Evan Trevino, Sarah Vela, Jacqueline Wilburn, Kayla Williams, Angel |
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IN SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN GI FORUM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
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On January 17th, 2014, many American GI Forum Chapters throughout the nation celebrated the centennial birthday of my father’s, Dr. Hector P. Garcia birthday. For my part, I celebrated his birthday by doing what he did and would have most approved of-the awarding of scholarships to deserving youth. So I joined the Beatrice T. Perez Robstown Women’s Chapter American AGIF Chapter to participate in their Scholarship Awards Program in Corpus Christi Texas. The event took place on Friday, January 17, 2014 at the Harold T. Branch Academy. When I arrived at the facility, I had a Deja vu experience. The feel of the celebration reminded me of my father’s annual Founders’ Day Banquet usually held in March every year until his death. Tony Canales, my cousin, remembers the Founders’ Day banquets as quoted in the recent article by Nadia Tamez-Robledo, “Garcia recalled as humble, dedicated.” “We didn’t have a party where he didn’t introduce everybody,” Canales said. “We would always make fun of him at the GI Forum meetings (because) they didn’t end until midnight." In Garcia's mind, everyone had a role, played a part. He made you feel good, he made you feel important," Canales said, Papa made no distinction but honored everyone’s worth … all were equal. Inside the academy just as in the good old days, the corporate representatives, political office holders such as Senator Chuy Hinojosa, those seeking office were in the audience along with parents, teachers and students. It was the place to be seen. 
When I asked Patsy Vasquez Contes, National Charwoman why she thought the value of the scholarship program, she said, "We, the American GI Forum are building bridges with our Veterans and the youth to continue a legacy of an American Hero through this annual Veterans scholarship program. Recipient SPC Ayala, had already has completed his undergraduate school working towards his Master degree and plans to open up his own practice. Also the students are gaining hands on lessons through the technology equipment they will be using until they graduate from high school and at same time graduate with an associate’s degree at an early age. This is exactly what Dr. Hector wanted for his people Left to Right: Commissioner Joe A. Gonzales
SPC Joe
Ayala, United State Army, Scholarship recipient
Luis A. Vazquez Contes, AGIF National Commander
That evening Patsy gave 36 deserving students’ notebooks and five others student’s $1000 scholarships. She recognized CITGO, HEB, and Wells Fargo for their support and funding of the tablets and scholarships. Each scholarship recipient read their winning composition. Then a check for $1000 was presented to them by Luis Vasquez Contes, National Commander of the American GI Forum. National Chairwoman Patsy Vasquez Contes invited me to present a special award to Mr. Larry Elizondo, Sr. of CITGO. It was very emotional and rewarding experience for me because I could feel my father’s presence. Also, Patsy presented me with a plaque recognizing my efforts to promote my father’s legacy. After the photos were taken, the ceremony was concluded. This ceremony was definitely shorter than Papa’s were.
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Patsy M. Vazquez-Contes, |
Larry Elizondo Sr. and Daisy Wanda Garcia |
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Left to right: Sonny Loudon, CITGO; Mark
Escamilla, President Del Mar College; Senator Juan Chuy
Hinojosa; |
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The
Elephants Knew |
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| Lawrence
Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the
bestseller, The Elephant Whisperer. He bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003.  |
On
March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died. He is remembered and missed by his
wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons, and numerous elephants. Two days after his
passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large
matriarchs. Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to
their beloved 'man-friend'. A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked
over 12 milesto get to his South African House. Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way: Walking slowly, for days, making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. Lawrence 's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years! But yet they knew where they were going. The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home. |
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SOMETHING IN THE
UNIVERSE IS GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN
INTELLIGENCE. |
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A Growing Share of Latinos Get Their News in English |
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The language of news media consumption is changing for Hispanics: a growing share of Latino adults are consuming news in English from television, print, radio and internet outlets, and a declining share are doing so in Spanish, according to survey findings from the Pew Research Center.
In 2012, 82% of Hispanic adults said they got at least some of their news in English, up from 78% who said the same in 2006. By contrast, the share who get at least some of their news in Spanish has declined, to 68% in 2012 from 78% in 2006.
Half (50%) of Latino adults say they get their news in both languages, down from 57% in 2010.
The rise in use of English news sources has been driven by an increase in the |
share of
Hispanics who say they get their news exclusively in English.
These changes in news consumption patterns reflect several ongoing demographic trends within the Hispanic community: a growing share of Latino adults who speak English well; slowing migration to the United States; Latino immigrants living in the U.S. for longer periods of time; and the growth of Latinos born in the U.S.
Even though the share of Hispanic adults who consume news media in |
Spanish has
declined, the number of potential Spanish news media consumers is
growing as a result of the rapid overall rise in the number of Hispanics
in the U.S.---- to 52 million in 2011, up from
35 million in 2000.
Among the report's other findings: Following the News: About eight-in-ten Hispanic adults say they keep up with the news "a lot" (45%) or "some" (36%) and about two-in-ten keep up "not much" (15%) or "not at all" (4%). |
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Television Most Popular; Internet on the Rise: Fully 86% of Latino adults say that on a typical weekday they get their news from television. That is down slightly from 92% who said the same in 2006, but is higher than the share of Latinos who get their news from radio (56%), the internet (56%) or print newspapers (42%). Use of internet news media has grown among Latino adults since 2006 while radio news media and print newspapers have seen the biggest declines.
Number of Platforms Used: Latino adults on average use 2.4 news media platforms among the four tested---- television, print newspapers, radio and the internet---- when they consume news media. Overall, 3% of Latino |
adults do not
use any of the four news media platforms tested, 17% use one, 32% use
two, 33% use three and 15% use all four platforms.
Best at Covering News Relevant to Hispanics: Seven-in-ten Hispanic adults say the Spanish-language news media do an "excellent" (24%) or "good" job (46%) covering news specifically relevant to Hispanics in the U.S. By contrast, about six-in-ten |
Hispanic
adults say the English- language news media do an
"excellent" (17%) or "good" job (42%) covering news
relevant to Hispanics in the U.S.
The report,
"A
Growing Share of Latinos Get Their News in English," authored
by Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic research, and Ana
Gonzalez-Barrera, research associate, is available at www.pewhispanic.org. |
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Maria Contreras Sweet, |
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| Hola
. . . January 15, President Obama made one of his wisest appointments so far when he nominated Maria Contreras Sweet as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Rarely can I think of someone who is HIGHER qualified for the job. She has spent her career as a leader in BOTH private business and in government - something you rarely see. Always a leader in what she has done, Maria has headed businesses and currently heads one of the few Latino owned banks in the USA. On the governmental side of things, she was California's Secretary of Business, Transportation & Housing. ~ Kirk Whisler |
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Having
known Maria for over 30 years I've seen her mature and develop into one
of the BEST leaders the Latino community has anywhere. She truly cares
about making changes and seeing businesses grow. Our President is to be
saluted for this appointment and our country will be the better for
Maria's efforts. Go to Hispanic Marking 101 for more on the
appointment.
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| Maria Contreras Sweet was born in Guadalajara, Mexico,
and entered the United States at age 5. Her mother worked at a
chicken packaging plant in El Monte, California to support
Contreras-Sweet and her three brothers and two sisters. Source: News Service Report
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The National Council of La Raza
(NCLR) Líderes Initiative |
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| Líderes Initiative is a national program created to increase opportunities for Latino Youth that will maximize their influence as leaders in the United States. Through a wide range of leadership development and civic engagement efforts we empower, equip, and enable young Latinos to pursue positions of leadership and serve as agents of positive change in their communities. | ||
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Vision:
We aim to support and nurture young Latino leadership across all sectors of society. We seek to develop future generations of civically-minded professionals, corporate executives, public officials, and community leaders who will promote social justice at local and national levels. About the Líderes Approach: Nearly half of all Latinos in the United States are under the age of 25. Through the Líderes Initiative, NCLR is tapping into this vibrant source of leadership, proactively nurturing and developing the potential of young Latinos in this country. NCLR Líderes supports hundreds of local and community-based programs, as well as campus-based student organizations that build the skills of Latino youth and increase their leadership capacity. Moreover, the Líderes Network operates at a national level to link student groups and youth programs in 39 states. Currently, our network serves more than 600 groups by providing them with a wealth of information, resources, and networking opportunities. Developing Leadership, Facilitating Resources, Building Coalitions: The Líderes Initiative provides students with information they need to organize, educate, and foster leadership |
in their communities. Via the Líderes website, all Líderes network members have access to a wealth of resources to help them in this effort. The Líderes Network: The Líderes Network operates at a national level to support and strengthen programs and organizations serving Latino youth. Through our bi-monthly e-letter and official website, we link students with their peers, as well as with youth development professionals and NCLR. Feature articles on our site highlight community issues, leadership and educational opportunities, civic engagement efforts, and inspirational stories of bright young leaders in our communities. Through both of these online tools, Líderes alerts young people to grants, scholarships, internships, fellowships, conferences, rallies, and networking events. Finally, students can search through our online database to connect with other Latino student programs and organizations. Líderes Congresos: To increase greater collaboration and networking, and to increase the collective impact of young Latinos, Líderes facilitates the convening of young leaders around the country. |
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At the regional level, Líderes brings together youth to discuss issues pertaining to the Latino community, connecting them to community leaders and resources. The Initiative partners with Network member organizations to access speakers, resources, and funds necessary to execute powerful events for young leaders. These events provide a forum for the powerful exchange of ideas, while at the same time educating, empowering, and energizing students. In the fall of 2010, for the second year in a row, Líderes will be awarding grants to select NCLR Affiliates to participate in its national youth leadership and community advocacy program. This initiative is an evolution of the Líderes Congreso model, aimed to empower, equip, and inspire Latino students to embrace leadership roles across various sectors in the community. The 2010-2011 program is themed "Líderes Empowered: Advancing an Agenda for Change." This ten-month cohort program will focus on creating a youth-led agenda for progress. Through the execution of community needs assessments and leadership-building activities, this program will activate, empower, and equip Latino youth be agents of positive change in their communities. |
The Annual Lideres Summit
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Estimadas/os: For those who may be interested, my latest “Political Salsa y Más”
blog, in which I focus on the history makers amongst us is on “Latinopia”—the link is below.
In addition to reading books, watching videos and documentaries, taking courses, etc., about our community’s history, we should look toward the people in our communities who were involved in historical events. Books may not be written about these folks, and they may not even be mentioned in history books, but their contributions are important to our community’s evolution. |
Jesús is a true pioneer. He began his career in film and television as a student activist in the late 1960s-early 1970s, documenting the Chicano Movement that was then emerging. Among his many other credits, Jesús was co-executive producer of the highly-acclaimed 1997 four-part PBS documentary series, CHICANO! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. A Talented Director, Jesús’ television credits include Law and Order-Criminal Intent; The Unit; Criminal Minds; Prison Break; Bones; ER; Resurrection Boulevard; CANE; Third Watch; NYPD Blue; Crossing Jordan; The Practice; The O.C.; Dawson’s Creek; Chicago Hope; Nash Bridges; Seaquest; Star Trek Voyager (various episodes); and many others. Jesús has won dozens of national and international awards and recognitions including the prestigious ALMA Award (Outstanding Director of a Television Drama [Prison Break]; Outstanding Co-Executive Producer of Best Prime-time drama series [Resurrection Boulevard]) and (twice) Directors Guild of America award. http://latinopia.com/uncategorized/political-salsa-y-mas-with-sal- baldenegro-1-19-14-history-makers/ Salomon R. Baldenegro baldenes@email.arizona.edu |
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The
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| Spirituality as Responsibility toward Others The Humanistic People Humanistic People of Latinos, their values of service, compassion, responsibility toward others, and profuse generosity are all grounded in their spiritual beliefs. Janet Murguia reflects, "Early on my parents helped me develop a sense of responsibility in caring for others. They really instilled in me and my brothers and sisters a sense of caring not only for the family but also for our neighborhood and community." Chavez made the connection betwe individual contributions and community service. "Being of service is not ] enough. You must become a servant of the people."5 This was part of my upbringing as well. If I was unhappy, my mother in her simple but wise way would say, "Get busy and do something for somebody else." "Early on my parents helped me develop a sense of responsibility in caring for others. They really instilled in me and my brothers and sisters a sense of caring not only for the family but also for our neighborhood and community." —Janet Murguia Latino spirituality centers on relationships and responsibility for others. In fact, the truest sentiments of the Christian faith follow in th vein. People are described as brothers and sisters |
and are urged to fee the hungry, give shelter to those in need, and to take care of the sick. Spirituality is a moral obligation to ensure others' well-being and the collective good. For Latinos and other communities who have dealt will inequities, spiritual responsibility implies removing the roadblocks 1 limit opportunity. Social and political action are intertwined with spijj responsibility. Federico Pena describes this commitment: "I saw my life as one of helping people who were being discriminated against and had no voice." On May 1, 2006—designated a nationwide "day without immigrants"—Pena asked the organizers of the Denver march if he could address the group. He urged people to speak out for what is right: "For those of us who attended religious worship this past weekend, we should conduct a full moral gut check as we watch immigrant workers wither in our deserts, drown in our rivers, and die on our highways.... I believe that 1 a great people live by their moral and ethical principles every day. I believe I that a nation earns respect when it shows compassion and decency."6 "I believe that a great people live by their moral and ethical principles everyday. I believe that a nation earns respect when it shows compassion and decency." —Federico Pena |
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| Archbishop
Oscar Romero of El Salvador was part of the liberation theology movement that interlaced social justice and responsibility, particularly for the poor in Latin American countries.
Cesar Chavez uplifted the farm workers' strikes with such traditional religious practices is pilgrimages, fasting, retreats, public prayers, and worship services.
Perhaps Chavez explained the integration of faith and social action most
succinctly. During the huelga (farm workers' strike), when asked how they
wild achieve their goals, he said, "We're going to pray a lot and picket a
lot." The leader as community stewardship and social activist is rooted in
; spiritual responsibility.
Three Spiritual
Virtues: Humility, Courage, and Forgiveness Faith
Inspires Courage |
Courage also comes from having strong convictions:
"Right makes might." Moral courage is developed through right action and by making choices and decisions that align with our values and
beliefs. This underscores the importance of leadership preparation and
condencia, Like the roots of the great ponderosa, your core values, your history, and the trials and tribulations of those who came before can ground you and give you courage when you have difficult decisions to make or must go against the tide. Murgia finds courage in her faith: "Con Dios por adelante, todo es possible." [with God's help, all things are possible]. And so for me it was a sense that we shouldn't believe people anytime they say, 'You cant do that,' or 'No,' but to know all things are possible with God's help." Murgia went from a humble barrio in Kansas City to working in the White House—all the while keeping faith and service central in her life. Hilda Solis concurs, "We are a very spiritual people. I look to my faith to guide me in many decisions. I'm able to rely on that when I am in difficult conversations, when I'm being challenged, or when I may have to set myself apart from other people because I'm going to say something or do something that may not sit well with a lot of people. My faith gives me courage." (Solis was the first woman to receive the Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Foundation.) |
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Esperanza: Sustained by Faith and Hope "I look to my faith to guide me in many decisions ...when I am in difficult conversations, when I'm being challenged... I'm going to say something or do something that may not sit well with a lot of people. My faith gives me courage." —Hilda Solis Without the gift of hope, Latinos would not have had the courage to stand up against the inequalities of the past. Leaders have to dispense hope because if people are not hopeful, they won't act to change things. Hope and courage are the keystones for the social activist nature of leadership. Humility I asked Raul Yzaguirre, if he were speaking to a group of Latinos about our special contribution and what we should "hold on to," what would he say? His answer surprised me: "A sense of humility, modesty, and courtesy." And then he went on to say, "A truly complete human being is one who treats the maid with the same kind of respect and dignity that he affords the president or CEO." Yzaguirre was defining the leader as equal. To embody this perspective, leaders must be humble, accept their own shortcomings, and appreciate the inherent worth of others. Arturo Vargas also recognizes humility as essential. "Leadership—for me it's about clarity of purpose, courage, and being humble. Without humility there is the risk of leadership becoming a cult of personality." US Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard could certainly have taken that path—many people in power do. She was groomed by her father, Edward Roybal, the first Hispanic elected to Congress in California. He served thirty years, during which time he was a staunch |
advocate for civil rights and people's issues. Her father would remind her, "Never forget where you came from." Today Royal-Allard remains true to her father s advice:
"I can see where it would be very easy to get caught up in the glory of Washington. It's really important to remember who are, who you represent, and why you are
there." Leaders who are clear on their purpose, who put an issue or a cause first, and who actually serve something greater, lessen their self-importance. Anna Cabral observes, "Latino leaders think about the broader good and are not so focused on individual success, but rather, How do we achieve success for the larger community?" This shifts the focus from the individual leader to the people he or she serves. Humility is the essence of servant leadership, where the peoples needs come first. Many Latino leaders come from or have family members from a lower economic status and humble background. Their padres or abuelos overcame Herculean obstacles to provide the opportunities they have today. Latinos, therefore, value humility and look for that quality in their leaders. In collective cultures, humility allows the leader to connect with people and to be seen as one of them. If a leader focuses on I rather than We, this damages the collective identity and group empowerment. Orta says, "Good leaders have empathy. They've put themselves in other peoples shoes. It goes beyond caring. You have to understand where people are coming from and how your decisions are going to impact them." "Good leaders have empathy. They've put themselves in other people's shoes. It goes beyond caring. You have to understand where people are coming from and how your decisions are going to impact them." • —CarlosOrta |
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| Humility does not imply a leader does not know her worth. It is an understanding that the gifts one was given should be placed at the service of others and that in the last analysis everything a person accomplishes is because of the support and help she has received. Murguia clearly understands this:
"In the Latino community, we have this sense that we never do this alone. We rely on family, we rely on community, but in the end we rely on that higher being to help get us through the darkest times and to illuminate our path, and for me that's always been true."
Forgiveness and Healing |
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the face and image of the mestizaje, of the forced cultural integration and fusion that took place. Yet her message was of compassion, hope, and inclusion. She is perhaps the reason that Latinos are the only people of color in the Americas who have made peace with their oppressors, embraced their multiple racial backgrounds, and courageously look their history straight in the eye. Forgiveness allows people to begin anew, to birth new understandings and new pathways. Forgiveness releases and heals the past. The vibrancy, resilience, productivity, and energy of the Latino culture is the result of the complex, historically painful, and yet genetically powerful mestizaje. Forgiveness has allowed Latinos to reconcile the past, have gratitude for what we have today, and be optimistic for the future. Forgiveness is also a wise and magnanimous leadership trait. Latinos are the only people of color in the Americas who have made peace with their oppressors, embraced their multiple racial backgrounds, and courageously look their history straight in the eye. Andale!—Moving Forward We Know That Latino values revolve around relationships. People-centered leadership reflects this by taking responsibility for the welfare of others. Additionally, the multicultural global age beckons us to create authentic diversity. Due to their history as a Mestizo people, and their inherent diversity, Latinos leaders are prepared to guide this transformation. The last chapter proposes that Latino destino (our unique contribution) is to build a diverse and humanistic society. To accomplish this, leaders must empower the Latino community to reach its potential and invite others to work with us in creating a caring and inclusive society. Ten strategies will be suggested that can further this work. In keeping with our bienvenido spirit, non-Latinos are invited to join in and be part of this transformation by becoming Latino by corazon. We will look at the acculturation process that allows people to become cultural adaptive and to fully partake in our increasingly diverse world. |
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CUENTO |
Jordan Romero is the youngest person to climb Mount Everst |
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Jordan
Romero is an American mountain climber who, on May 22, 2010, became the
youngest person to climb Mount Everest. He was 13 years 10 months 10
days old when he reached the summit.
Many of you have probably seen the recent media coverage of Jordan Romero as he prepares to climb Mt. Everest later this month. For those of you who don’t know, Jordan is a 13-year-old from Big Bear, California, who has already climbed five of the Seven Summits. He’s also a two-time recipient of the annual Polartec® Challenge Grant. Two years ago, we received Jordan’s first grant application. At the
age of 12, he had already climbed Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia, Mt.
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Aconcagua in Argentina
and Denali in Alaska, arguably the most challenging of the Seven
Summits. Because of the high costs of travel and permits, Jordan applied
for a Polartec® grant to help fund his climb of Mt. Carstenz in
Indonesia. At the time, we reviewed Jordan’s application very
carefully — certainly his age was both inspiring and a reason for
concern. We had the opportunity to spend time with Jordan and his family
at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City that year and we were
impressed by his maturity and sincerity. We awarded him the grant in
2009 and Jordan bagged the peak. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Romero |
In
his attempt to become the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits,
Jordan has become a role model and mentor for other children, speaking
at schools about climbing, exercise and the outdoors. In a recent Special
Report on Youth, The Outdoor Foundation examined youth
participation in outdoor recreation — profiling the extent and quality
of participation among ages 6 to 24. The report revealed that in recent
decades — amidst changing technological and social landscapes — the
American childhood has rapidly moved indoors, leading to epidemic levels
of childhood obesity and inactivity. Role models like Jordan Romero are
critically important to the outdoor industry and the health of our
country. Thus, when Jordan applied for a Polartec® Challenge Grant to help
subsidize his climb of Mt. Everest this year, we again carefully
considered his application, but soon agreed that Polartec® should
continue to support his quest. After spending time with Jordan and his
family we believe they will make prudent decisions in the mountains and
will put safety above glory. We all know there are inherent risks in
mountaineering — the effects of altitude, weather, gear and even
dealing with cantankerous yaks on the trails — many variables that are
beyond human control. We believe Jordan and his family have done
everything they can to train and prepare for this climb and will do
everything possible to mitigate risks on the mountain. Jordan has big
dreams, which are inspiring others, and we’re proud to be one of his
supporters.
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CUENTO |
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Knock out Game |
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I was walking on the hike and bike trail a week
ago when the weather was warm and very pleasant. I was wearing my US
Navy baseball veterans cap and my wrist weights and I noticed three
black high school students walking towards me and I thought oh, oh knock
out game. I prepared myself for that possibility and was determined not
to let that happen and I thought if I go down I’m going down swinging;
so I put my head down and walked directly towards them pumping my
weights even faster. |
“My grand father was in the Navy” he
continues. I asked, “oh really how is he and when did he serve.” |
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The Migration Information Source is a project of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. Copyright @ 2014 Migration Policy Institute. All rights reserved.MPI | 1400 16th St. NW, Suite 300 | Washington, DC 20036 ph: (001) 202-266-1940 | fax: (001) 202-266-1900 source@migrationpolicy.org |
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Watch Out for Tax Scams as Filing
Season Opening Nears
IRS YouTube Videos:
Tax Scams: English | Spanish | ASL ID Theft: Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? English | Spanish | ASL ID Theft: Protect Yourself From Identity Theft English | Spanish | ASL ID Theft: IRS Efforts on Identity Theft English | Spanish
Podcasts
ID Theft: Protect Yourself from Identity Theft English | Spanish ID Theft: Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? English | Spanish
WASHINGTON — With the start of the 2014 tax season approaching on Jan. 31,
the Internal Revenue Service urged taxpayers to be aware that tax-related
scams using the IRS name proliferate during this time of year.
Tax scams can take many forms, with perpetrators posing as the IRS in
everything from e-mail refund schemes to phone impersonators. The IRS warned
taxpayers to be vigilant of any unexpected communication that is purportedly
from the IRS at the start of tax season.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be on the lookout for phone and email scams
that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers
by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type
of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.
The IRS also does not ask for personal identification numbers (PINs),
passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or
other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click
on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.
Additional information on how to report
phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.
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SAN
FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court granted a law license
Thursday to a man who has been living in the U.S. illegally for two
decades, a ruling that advocates hope will open the door to immigrants
seeking to enter other professions such as medicine, nursing and
accounting. |
California grants law license
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The
U.S. Department of Justice argued that Garcia was barred from receiving
his law license because the court's entire budget comes from the public
treasury, a violation of the federal mandate that no public money be
used to grant licenses to people who are in the country without
permission. |
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Abraham Lincoln, attacks U.S, President Polk for
aggressive action by the U.S. against Mexico |
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Most Americans don't know what Abraham Lincoln had to say when the U.S. war with Mexico started. Unfortunately it is not how early California's American history is taught in most public schools. There the implication is that there was a conquest triggered by a home invasion with racist overones, a preview to the U.S. war with Mexico. In 1846 during his single term in Congress, he exposed the phony American propaganda that Mexico had begun hostilities "by shedding our blood on our soil." That soil, originally claimed by Spain, had never been American. Lincoln belittled American pretexts for hostilities. His candor cost him. (See http: teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/spot-resolutions) When his term was up, his party denied him re-nomination. |
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Spot Resolutions in the U.S. House of Representatives |
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WHEREAS the President of the United States, in his message of May 11th. 1846, has declared that "The Mexican Government not only refused to receive him, [the envoy of the U.S.] or listen to his propositions, but, after a long continued series of menaces, HAS at last invaded our
territory and shed the blood of our fellow-citizens on our own soil:" And again, in his message of December 8,1846 that "We had ample cause of war against Mexico, long before the breaking out of hostilities. But even then we forbore to take redress into our own hands, until Mexico herself became the aggressor by invading our soil in hostile array, and shedding the blood of our citizens:" And yet again, in his message of December 7,1847, that "the Mexican Government refused even to hear the terms of adjustment which he [our minister of peace] was authorized to propose; and finally, under wholly unjustifiable pretexts, involved the two countries in war, by invading the territory of the State of Texas, striking the first blow, and shedding the blood of our citizens on our own soil" And whereas this House is desirous to obtain a full knowledge of all the facts which go to establish whether the particular spot of soil on which the blood of our citizens was so shed was or was not our own soil, at that time; Therefore, Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the President of the United States be respectfully requested to inform this House— 1st.
Whether the spot of soil on which the blood of our citizens was shed, as
in his message declared, was or was not within the territory of Spain,
at least from 1819, until the Mexican revolution.
5th. Whether the people of that settlement, or a majority of them, or any of them, have ever submitted themselves to the government or laws of Texas or of the United States, by consent or by compulsion, either by accepting office, or voting at elections, or paying tax, or serving on juries, or having process served upon them, or in any other way.
6th. Whether the People of that settlement did or did not flee from the approach of the United States Army, leaving unprotected 7th. Whether our citizens, whose blood was shed, as in his messages declared, were or were not at that time, armed officers, and soldiers, sent into that settlement by the military order of the President through the Secretary of War. 8th. Whether the military force of the United States was or was not so sent into that settlement after Genl. Taylor had more than once intimated to the War Department that, in his opinion, no such movement was necessary to the defense or protection of Texas. |
| TeachingAmericanHistory. org http://teachingarnericanhistory.org/library/document/spot-resolutions-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/ TeachingAmericanHistory.org is a project of the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University 401 College Avenue \ Ashland, Ohio 44805 (419) 289-5411 \ (877) 289-5411 (Toll Free) info@TeachingAmericanHistory.org © 2006-12 Ashbrook Center \ Design by CiVDigital Sent by Galal Kernahan |
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CUENTO |
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A
USAID Study 40 Years Ago
Showed By
José M. Peña[i] Introduction.
Many things happened to me and my family during my 35-years of
work, as Foreign Services Officer (FSO), with the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) and as an International Consultant
with private contractors, and the Organization of American States (OAS).
It was a most productive period of our lives when my family and I
were assigned – and lived – in eight different countries.
I lived in three countries by myself.
And, I went on Temporary Duty Assignments (TDY) to 26 other
countries. For
this reason, I would like to tell some of my many professional and
personal stories in a series of installments over a period of months.
For professional reasons, I will try to stay away from the highly
technical side of my work – although citing some examples and parts of
my experiences. Part
1.
These first few stories took place during my transfer from Panama
to Miami to Washington, parts of my tour in the Stateside Office, and a
time, about 40 years ago, when one of our studies showed that parts of
the U.S. Law and Policy against the drug problem were on the wrong
course or impractical. Some
Background. After
being assigned overseas 14 years to Peru, Ecuador, Vietnam, and Colombia
(stories that will come later), my family and I were stationed in a
Regional Office in Panama for 2 ½ years.
This office covered the Caribbean, Central, and South America.
Some of my jobs included a Regional Bank (CABEI) in Honduras,
televised education program in El Salvador, a family planning program in
Costa Rica, integrated agricultural programs in two or three countries
and the emergency assistance program to Nicaragua right after its
earthquake of December 23, 1972. Thus,
travel was heavy, but tolerable and I would get to see the family
frequently. With
the Director of AID/W Audit Office (R. Des), he came to Panama,
assembled all of us, and, with his odd biddy-eye look, informed us of
his decision. Most of us
thought his decision was ludicrous.
In fact, it was really crazy and made no sense from any angle
that you looked at. Some of
us (me in particular) had the temerity of pointing all the faults in his
reasoning and telling him that the travel factor, at 95%, would be
intolerable. Wasted travel
time to more distant locations and more per-diem costs could very well
equal personnel and family costs paid in the Panama office.
People would be quitting left and right, the marital situation
would be untenable, and personnel morale would be disastrous.
The Spanish language was essential; some of the U.S. Staff did
not speak Spanish and we had six local people on our staff that was
highly trained in our type of work; what would happen to them.
He flatly told us that he was not concerned with that.
The local staff would be terminated and that he did not give a
damn about personnel and family hardships.
In other words, this political-self-righteous-biddy-eyed
nincompoop, who really did not seem to have good judgment, had made up
his mind – probably to show his authority -- and no one was going to
change it. He told us the
Regional Auditor General of the Panama Office (Fred S.)
would be leaving within the month and opening the Miami Office,
the Deputy (Jim Gr) would be leaving in three months, and the office
would be closed as soon as the school year was over.
Fred S and Jim Gr were extremely competent office managers and
all of us had very high regards for them.
So, there was no reason whatsoever for closing the Panama office.
But, that was the way it was going to be. Assignment
to Miami.
In my case, I had been in overseas close to 15 years (2 ½ years
in Panama) so I requested to be transferred to the Washington D. C.
principal office (to avoid the travel factor).
However, I was given orders to go on Home Leave and transfer to
Miami. My family (wife, four
children, and a huge German Shepard named Sarge) and I quickly sold the
two cars, packed up, and went on Home Leave to Austin, Texas. Since
we had had such good luck with an old beat-up Volkswagen Beatle –
which we had bought locally -- we searched for and got a green
Volkswagen station wagon in Austin.
As some of you remember, these vehicles had the motor in the back
and you could hardly fit any luggage in there.
The luggage was usually placed on top of the station wagon.
The
family had a ball in Austin. Since
we owned a home there, there was no problem.
We stayed there for a full month, traveled around Texas -- to
Laredo to see my mother, to Monterrey, etc.
We had a real fine time. Time
came to go to Miami. We
loaded up the Station Wagon. I
drove, wife sat in front with my youngest daughter (Melissa), the three
oldest children (Joe, Jerry, and Linda) sat on the back seat and we put
Sarge (the dog) on top of the motor part of the car just behind the back
seat and all bags on top of the car.
Sarge was an obedient and noble dog.
He laid in the back very quietly – at first. ·
We
had traveled no more than a hundred miles towards Houston and different
problems began. Old Sarge
got too hot on top of the motor, so he jumped in the back seat with the
kids. The back seat got too
crowded, the kids started fighting with each other, and the disruptions
got heated. We would
stop at every rest stop, kids would let out some of the pent-up energy,
and Sarge would stretch. Back
into the car once again and the fighting would start all over again.
Finally, Joe, the oldest, jumped where the motor was.
How he stood that hot motor, I will never know. Stopping
for breaks and at night was a blissful time.
Everybody would jump into swimming pools and cool down.
We finally got to Orlando, Florida.
As planned, the following two days were delightful.
We stayed in a nice motel, went to Disney World, and just
relaxed. On
the third day in Orlando, I called Jim Gr., Deputy in Miami, and was
about to tell him that we were arriving in Miami the following day.
He gave me a big surprise. Auditor
General (R. Ganl) had either quit or been fired.
The newly appointed Auditor General (Harry Cr), another political
appointee, had now closed the Miami Regional Office.
Since going back to Panama would be an embarrassment to the AG
Office and be admitting the huge mistake, he had made a decision that
the office would now be based in Washington D.C.
In effect, there would be two distinct Regional Inspector
General’s Office in Washington D. C. – one would cover the Stateside
and the other Latin America. In
sum, the Miami experiment had
lasted no more than three months. It
really represented a monumental embarrassment, mistake, and a waste of
human and financial resources for the Government.
(Note: The irony of this was that the Panama Regional Office was
later reopened again and – because of the assignment of a pitiful
manager who caused great staffing problems – it was closed again and
sent to Washington once again. When
this happened, I was transferred from Egypt, where I had functioned as
the Deputy RIG, and assigned as the Deputy Regional Inspector General
for Latin American to pacify and stabilize the staffing problem.
At some later date, the office was once again transferred to
Panama and to my knowledge, it is still there.) Jim
Gr. told me: “Don’t come
here. This Office is now
closed. Turn right around
and go into Washington. You
are now assigned to AG/Washington (meaning the Stateside RIG)…”
Torn between happiness and confusion, we loaded up the station
wagon the following day and proceeded to Washington D.C. Reassignment
to Washington.
It was in North Carolina that we had a problem with the car.
As mentioned before, Old Sarge did not like being on top of the
hot motor, so he would jump in the back seat with the kids, and Joe,
being the oldest, would wind up taking Sarge’s place on top of the hot
motor. ·
Clipping
along at 60 miles an hour, all of a sudden, I felt the steering wheel
radically different. At
almost the same time, I saw our front left tire next to my side window.
While the car moved forward, that tire was racing backwards –
and fast. I saw the back car
try to avoid the tire, but it hit the car and bounced all around.
That sight – of the front tire being at the same speed level of
the driver – was the weirdest feeling I had ever had.
Because of the weight on the car, the little gizmos that hold the
tire rim and car busted and the front of the car no longer had a tire.
At the same time, our left front of the car dipped down, the car
began to careen all over the road, and somehow – probably a miracle of
God – we did not overturn. I
was able to eventually maneuver the car to a stop.
How, even to this day, I don’t know.
You have never seen a man so grateful that all of us -- including
the people in the car behind -- were safe and sound. Getting
the car fixed took one whole day. And
we finally got to Washington D.C. a few days afterwards.
Buying a house was a real hassle; after we found the house and
had signed the Purchase Contract, the previous owners did not want to
move. It took four months
and a lot of hardship to resolve the problem, but we finally moved into
a nice comfortable home at 4207 Duvawn Street in Alexandria, Virginia.
When
I got to the office, in mid-1975, I was to be in a “Rotation
Assignment” in Washington D.C. office (RIG/W).
As it is still generally organized, the Office of the
Auditor/Inspector General had its principal base in Washington D.C. and
was organized into a number of offices – IG Office, Executive Office,
General Counsel, Special and Investigative Office, an Assistant
Audit/Inspector General in Washington (or RIG/W) and a number of
regional offices. As
stated before, with the reassignment of the Miami Regional Office to
Washington, office space was shared by the two different “Regional
Inspector Generals” – one to cover Stateside and the other for Latin
America. The
Stateside RIG Office, where I was assigned, was composed by a huge
number of people, many of which were General Schedule Personnel (GS) and
a number of us Foreign Service Officers (FSO) who were on rotation.
This staff did work related to “Stateside” studies; the
workload (contracts, centrally funded projects, etc.) was huge.
Although I had been Chief Resident Auditor, and Audit Manager in
the other countries, my title was downgraded and in theory, this
assignment meant that my travel factor would be diminished and I would
be permitted to study and improve myself ( as I later found out, this
was sure a false theory). I
quickly reunited with many of my old friends from Vietnam, Panama, and
other places. At that time,
there were only about five Hispanics/Latinos in the AG Office.
Carlos RC was there. He
and his wife (Carmen) have always been my best friends – in fact, like
brother and sister – ever since Vietnam.
Other Latino friends included Rudy C., Joe V., and Roberto F.
Anyway,
work was awfully heavy, analytical, and stressful.
At the time, there were no Word Processors; so, once all the
field-work was done, there was a lot of analysis, write, rewrite, type,
and retype. In subsequent parts, I will provide more stories.
In this one, I want to discuss the following important story –
related to the illicit drug problem – which was in the incipient
stages back then and is most relevant at the present time.
A
Study Of Drug Enforcement Program.
In any event, my special interest on
the use of the "Weed," as well as conversion of Coca, to a
form of medical pharmacopoeia dates back to that time – when I was
assigned to the Washington Office. On/about June 18, 1971 – and
using The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 as a basis -- President Nixon
had declared his policy on the “War on Drugs.”
Identical as today, the policies have been deterrent in
nature and a massive attempt at curbing the inflow of illicit drugs into
the U.S. Thus,
there was a big emphasis on assisting less developed countries eradicate
narcotic related agriculture (like Coca, Marihuana, etc. which are
listed on Schedule 1 of The Controlled Substance Act.) and to implement
"crop substitution" type of products. (Note:
Briefly, The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 contains five Schedules
listing different types of drugs and categorizing them in diminishing
order, according to their dangerous effect.
Schedule 1, which lists the most dangerous drugs, contains a long
list of drugs (including Marihuana or Cannabis, cocaine, opium, etc.)
under three types of sub-categories: “…(a) the drug or other
substance has a high potential for abuse; (b) the drug or other
substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the
United States; and, (c) there is a lack of accepted safety for use of
the drug or other substance under medical supervision…” ) A
high official of the Agency, at the time, sent a request for a
world-wide study of the programs. The question was whether restrictive drug
programs -- and corollary "Crop Substitution" were, in
actual practice, effective and made good economic sense for use
in developing countries. Sometime
in 1975 or 1976, my friend Carlos and Frank A -- both FSO’s and Frank
A being a nice officer of Japanese extraction -- were assigned to do the
world-wide study of the “Drug Enforcement Assistance Programs.”
Accordingly, their task was to determine the practicality of
assistance programs and related policies.
As
stated previously, Carlos, who was in charge of the review, and I have
been like brothers since the time we served in Vietnam.
Although I was assigned to another review -- and not supposed to
be directly involved in the drug review --- I helped, and/or exchanged
ideas, with my friend as the study took place, in its planning, its
progress, the formulation of conclusions, and in writing the report.
He and Frank A did all the field work and visited Bolivia,
Colombia, Thailand, and other countries and did a tremendous amount of
analysis, visitations, talking to U.S. and Host Country officials, field
people, and required fieldwork. After visiting the
producing sources (Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Thailand, etc.), the
team drew many exceptional conclusions. However, after close
to 40 years, I cannot recall them all. Nevertheless, the principal
ones pointed to the fact that restrictive types of drug
programs would be extremely costly and extremely difficult to monitor.
The practicality of crop substitution in countries like Peru, Bolivia,
and other countries was really questionable and the economic
burdens imposed on the countries could be untenable. In fact,
producers were totally against any changes.
In one of his visits to Bolivia, Carlos witnessed a demonstration
march, near the U.S. Embassy, by Coca producers chanting “…Gringos,
pendejos, la Coca no es veneno…” (Gringos, you dumb jerks, Coca is
not a poison..). In other
words, parts of the Controlled Substance Act and the War on Drug Policy
were faulty, impractical, and/or not realistic.
As everyone knew at the time, Bolivia and Peru had grown and used Coca
and the Weed since time immemorial. One other conclusion was that evidence
seemed to indicate that the big consumers (including the U.S.)
would continue their usual demand for the drugs.
In sum, the conclusion of the study went against continuance of the then U.S. policy
on these types of drugs. In
effect, the Team's analysis showed that the Farmers in Bolivia (and
other countries) would not be receptive to the eradication of Coca or
Marihuana Growth and would not accept crop substitution. Why
should they?
The
base product is their lively hood and is used in the Altiplano (high
altitude) to ward off hunger, altitude sickness, as tea, for
medicinal purposes, and even as soft-drinks. ·
In fact, I can attest
that Coca Leaves have some sort of medicinal attributes.
My experience dates back to 1963, when I was assigned in Peru and
had to make study of the PL 480 Food Program.
To do the study, a local person on my staff, a chauffeur, and I
travelled, by car, from Lima to Arequipa, to Puno, to Cusco, and return
to Lima. Crossing the 19,000
foot mountain range from Arequipa to Puno, I got extremely sick from
“Soroche” (altitude sickness). I was going every which way –
extreme headaches, vomits, diarrhea, and the works.
At those altitudes you can become dehydrated real fast.
By the time we got to Puno, I was so sick that I thought death
was near. As soon as I got
to the hotel, the Manager said “I will fix you real quick.”
They gave me “Mate de Coca” a tea made of Coca Leaves.
All it took to fix me up was two or three cups of that tea.
So, I can attest that Coca Leaves can serve a great medicinal
purpose. Since the team felt that demand for drugs in the U.S.
would continue to grow and that the production of the “illegal
crops” (Marihuana, Coca and Opium) could not be disassociated
from the economic needs or incentives at the source, attempting to stop
or curb their production and inflow seemed like a lost cause. ·
In reality, their review showed that there was
too much profit being made at every step of the system -- from the farmer to the
end supplier and even to the consumer. For this reason, the best recommendations they
could make were for a four-fold approach designed to limit the Systemic Profit
Factor. ·
The
main recommendations were to: (a) legalize the use and sales of many
drugs, (b) institute the required regulations so that the U.S. could
obtain revenues through taxation of sales,
(c) form Drug Addiction Clinics in the U.S to treat the addicts
in a similar way as it is done for Alcoholism and in other
countries; and (d) transfer to the “hard core addicts” the task of
making their own decision to “go to a clinic to get control over their
addiction” or “continue to use the stuff and die…” The
Clinics would be financed from proceeds of the U.S. taxation on drugs.
When I saw and we discussed the fieldwork and
recommended solutions, my reaction was that their points were the exact
things needed, but had that strange feeling that the top people would
not accept such radical views. As
you might imagine, the conclusions, concepts, and recommendations of the
Original Draft Report were so controversial that they never saw the
light of day. When the Office Big Wheels and Agency politicians
saw the team’s conclusions, all hell broke loose and there was
confusion and commotion galore. Because
they never explained their actions, my guess is that because a mere
Agency (out of many) would be challenging a flawed law instituted by the
U.S. Congress and a Policy dictated by a President, they were not about
to channel this controversial information and recommendations to higher
echelons and/or to change courses. They
began to consider that Carlos, Frank A, (and I guess me) were completely
off their rocker. As a
result, a good study never saw the light of day. It
was changed so radically that the failing policies were allowed to
continue their wayward course. Were
the team and the above conclusions that wrong?
It
has now been close to 40 years since that study was made and history now
shows the conclusions to have been greatly futuristic. Just look
at these facts: ·
Enforcement
efforts have been extraordinary.
Since 1976, the U.S. has tried every conceivable enforcement
avenue – increases in the Drug Enforcement Administration staff
and responsibilities, participation of enforcement forces from the
States, international agreements with different countries, crop
substitution, eradication techniques (airplane spraying, burning,
chopping, etc.), military interdictions and support (helicopters,
drones, arms, ships, etc.), fences, dog detection, and
incarcerations -- to curb the growth or flow of the Weed, Coca,
Opium Poppies, etc. The costs of all these efforts have been
astronomical. One Internet source says that the U.S. spends about
$51 billion a year on the war on drugs. ·
And
yet, the demand for drugs continues to grow.
The supplying countries
have not stopped producing drugs. Why?
Just as concluded in 1976, our country is the largest market for
their products. In fact, drug consumption in the U.S.
has grown and expanded into unusual types (Crack, Ecstasy, Molly, etc.). As long as the U.S. demand and profit continues
to be high at every point of the system, the problem will persist and
continue to grow. Statistics show that Colombia, Bolivia,
Paraguay, and Peru are the largest producers of Marihuana and coca and
that Central America and Mexico are the main corridors.
Although statistics for illicit drugs from South America are
difficult to assess, best estimates are that production of illicit drugs
continue to increase. Moreover,
available statistics of
Afghanistan show that poppy cultivation, in that country has grown 18%
(from 131,000 hectares to 154,000 hectares) between 2011 and 2012. ·
And
why?
Because
there is a profit factor at nearly every point of the illegal drug
system. Just
look at the constant newspaper headlines showing a number of ways
enforcement is circumvented and the drugs are made available in the
U.S. – organized crime (in the form of Cartels) have taken over parts
of a number of countries (Mexico, Central America, etc.), use of human
mules, tunnels found, submarines uncovered, airplanes used, NAFTA trucks
used, ramps over the fence, violent cartel in-fighting and beheadings, Afghani
warlords increasing Opium production, money laundering,
armament smuggling, kidnappings, human trafficking, etc. Now,
production is shifting to the U.S. (hydroponics and clandestine
farms) etc. Prison population continue to be increased
when non-violent people are incarcerated for possession of minor
amounts of unlawful stuff or someone smokes a reefer, or is pictured
puffing Mary Jane on a bong.
For example, according to the Internet, drug related
incarcerations grew from 50,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 1997.
Other statistics say that over 2.2 million people are
incarcerated in the U.S. apparently for drug related crimes. In fact, legal enforcement seems overloaded and the
U.S. policy goes counter to the philosophical nature (addiction,
demand, and profits) of the problem. Thus, if we were to
hypothesize the outcome of finding a sensible resolution (to the
problem) -- back then or today -- we probably would reach the same
conclusion – as was done with liquor in 1933 -- not to throw good
money at the two
interrelated problems -- the drug demand of the U.S. and the
pervasive Profit Factor that exists at every point in the system. Looking at it from an economic point-of-view, the analysis
probably shows that the U.S. has reached (and passed) that critical
"point of diminishing returns." In fact, we have thrown
everything at the problem and everything has failed.
If the point of diminishing return has been reached, the long
historical negative lessons are then telling us that it is time that we cut
our losses and begin to try other alternatives… During this past 40 years there have also been
certain Commissions and Presidents who have voiced appeals for
decriminalization of Marihuana and other drugs.
Also, it is most interesting that a group of Regional Leaders –
Former Presidents of Latin America (Brazilian Fernando Henrique Cardoso,
Columbian Cesar Gaviria, Mexican Ernesto Zedillo ) – presided, o/a
February 13, 2009, over the Latin American Commission on Drugs and
Democracy. They issued a
report which emphasizes several things: (a) the need to legalize certain
types of drugs; (b) the need to find alternatives to eradication,
interdiction, and penalizing drug use; (c) the need to treat drug users
as patients and not criminals; and, (d) to encourage drug debate within
the U.S. Were my friends and their conclusions, in 1976,
wrong? Not by a long shot.
In fact, I wrote many parts of this particular section nearly 4
years ago. Since then, many
U.S. States have been finding that using the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
portion of Marihuana for medicinal purposes help tremendously in
alleviating the symptoms of a number of diseases and conditions.
Over 16 States have now legalized Marihuana for medical purposes.
Colorado and Washington States have legalized it for both
recreational and medicinal. In 2013, the Country of Uruguay was the
first in the Continent to legalize Marihuana country-wide.
Portugal has a legalized system covering different drugs.
Israel researches and allows the use of Marihuana for different
medicinal purposes. Thus,
the time has been reached for the remaining U.S. States to reassess this
perennial problem and find more practical solutions.
It seems to me that the four-fold recommendations (made in that
ancient USAID draft report), combined
with the recommendations -- made by the Latin American Commission on
Drugs and Democracy -- are still valid and merit reconsideration.
Perhaps the recommendations might need some minor modifications;
for instance, the U.S. might want to adopt a high profile publicity
campaign – similar to the one on cigarettes – against the use of
drugs. However, the
recommendations should be adopted across the U.S. In
this connection, it is estimated that if drugs were legally sold and
taxed at a comparable tax as alcohol or cigarettes, the tax revenue to
the U.S. Treasury would be over $46.7 billion annually -- this would
certainly make a sizeable dent to our National debt. Let me make one clarification on everything that I
have said in this section. I
don’t smoke and have never done, possessed, or dealt in drugs in
my life (except the Mate de Coca in Puno) and I gave up alcohol
over 25 years ago. So, I have no conflict of interest. My
position only comes from Professional analysis, hindsight, intuition, and
old age ... I certainly believe in the "dicho" que
dice: "Mas sabe el Diablo por viejo que por Diablo..."
(The Devil knows more from age than for being a Devil). Here is a final note: about five years after the USAID study, Frank A. developed Alzheimer’s disease at a very early age, was hospitalized for many years, and appears to have passed away. May he Rest in Peace. Carlos and I continue to see and feel each other like brothers. Forty years have passed since that study was made. We continue to believe that the course of the drug problem would have been very different if it had been re-directed towards a more constructive path -- at the right historical moment. Hopefully, things will now change in a manner that we envisioned the solution 40-years ago. [i]
Jose M. Pena is author of a history book entitled “Inherit
The Dust From The Four Winds of Revilla” and a number of articles.
He worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development for over
30 years and served as its first Hispanic Regional Deputy Inspector
General in two regions. He
was also a Director for a Health Project in Guatemala and a
Financial Consultant for the Organization of American States. |
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World War II in Photos |
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| At the end of World War II, huge swaths of Europe and Asia had been reduced to ruins. Borders were redrawn and homecomings, expulsions, and burials were under way. But the massive efforts to rebuild had just begun. When the war began in the late 1930s, the world's population was approximately 2 billion. In less than a decade, the war between the Axis the Allied powers had resulted in 80 million deaths -- killing off about 4 percent of the whole world. Allied forces now became occupiers, taking control of Germany, Japan, and much of the territory they had formerly ruled. Efforts were made to permanently dismantle the war-making abilities of | those nations, as factories were destroyed and former leadership was removed or prosecuted. War crimes trials took place in Europe and Asia, leading to many executions and prison sentences. Millions of Germans and Japanese were forcibly expelled from territories they called home. Allied occupations and United Nations decisions led to many long-lasting problems in the future, including the tensions that created East and West Germany, and divergent plans on the Korean Peninsula that led to the creation of North and South Korea and -- the Korean War in 1950. The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine paved the way for Israel to declare its | independence in 1948 and
marked the start of the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict. The growing tensions
between Western powers and the Soviet Eastern Bloc developed into the Cold War,
and the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons raised the very real
specter of an unimaginable World War III if common ground could not be found.
World War II was the biggest story of the 20th Century, and its aftermath
continues to affect the world profoundly more than 65 years later. (This entry is Part 20 of a weekly 20-part retrospective of World War II) [45 photos] |
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http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/world-war-ii-after-the-war/100180 |
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Our
Hispanic Roots |
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—The Spaniard Pedro de Coronas tried to
establish a post in Chesapeake Bay. —Francisco Vazquez de Coronado and his men discovered and explored a vast territory in the American Southwest, namely the Far West, the Praderas, the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon, the depth of the Gulf of California, the culture of the Pueblo Indians, the Llano Estacado, plus the states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Kansas, and trekked thousands of miles through today's Texas and Oklahoma. The narrative of his expedition, written by Pedro de Castaneda spurred further explorations of the vast area. It would take another 200 years before the Jesuit Francisco Garcas looked again in awe at the Grand Canyon. By the way, "Colorado" is the Spanish word for "coppery-red," which is precisely the color of the Canyon. |
—The Santa Lucia Mountains in California were originally named "Sierras de San Martin" by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in honor of the day of San Martin, November 11th. And Cabrillo also discovered the Islands of the Channel of Santa Barbara in 1542. —Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca not only pioneered the exploration of the entire Southwest, but was the first to discover and write about primitive North America, and the first to sight the North American bison, which he called "vacas corcobadas," or hunchback cows. With his other three companions, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, Andres Dorantes, and Estebanico, an Arab from Morrocco, they trudged over 10000 miles across the North American Southwest. Cabeza de Vaca's Naufragios stands today as the first narrative of North America. Another companion of de Vaca, Andres Docampo, trekked the longest distance from Northern Kansas to the South of Mexico, which took him nine years to complete. |
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—The Sacramento River, California's largest (384 miles from source to sea), was discovered by the Spaniards in 1808 on the Holy Day of the Sacrament, hence its name. —The city of Monterey in California was named for the viceroy of Mexico, Don Caspar de Zuniga y Acevedo, Count of Monterrey, who dispatched the Vizcaino expedition in 1596. Incidentally, when Vizcaino entered the Gulf of California and took possession of the peninsula, he named it "Nueva Andalucia." —The first relatively detailed map of
Florida was published by Pedro Martir de
Angleria in 1511, showing the isle of Beimeni (Bimini)
to the north of Cuba. On the reverse of the map he noted "to the north of this isle wonderful countries and
lands had been discovered." Extracts, pgs. 255-256, Second Edition |
—In 1556 the Spaniards reached Virginia, 30 years before Sir Walter Raleigh and half a century before the visit of John Smith. By this year, Chesapeake Bay was already known by the Spaniards who named it "Bahia de Santa Maria." In 1588, Captain Vicente Gonzalez also reached Chesapeake Bay and re-named it "Madre de Dios del Jacan." He also discovered many rivers in that region, including the Susquehanna River, which they named "San Juan de las Rocas." —Hernando de Soto not only discovered the Mississippi but also ten of today's states, and the writings of his explorations fueled further European expeditions resulting in the settlement of a vast territory. True, it is conceivable that someone else could have done it at a later date, but this would have set back the birth of our nation for, perhaps, as many as 100 years. But de Soto's importance to American history goes even further. On leaving Cuba, he commanded an expedition unparalleled up to that time; and, in fact, he has been rightly called the United States' first true pioneer and settler. His expedition consisted of a fleet of nine
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Domingo Terán de los Ríos appointed first governor of TexasJanuary 23, 1691 |
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| On this day in 1691, the Conde de Gálvez appointed Domingo Terán de los Ríos the first governor of the Spanish province of Coahuila and Texas. Most historians consider the appointment the beginning of Texas as a political entity. Terán's instructions, prepared by a Junta de Hacienda acting under suggestions by Damián Massanet, were to establish seven missions among the Tejas Indians; | to investigate rumors of foreign settlements on the coast; and to keep records of geography, natives, and products. Terán's army crossed the Rio Grande in May and explored East Texas as far as Caddo settlements on the Red River until December. By March 1692 Terán had returned to Matagorda Bay, where Juan Enríquez Barroto gave him instructions from the viceroy to explore the lower reaches of | of
the
Mississippi River. Bad weather caused Terán to abandon the project and
return to Veracruz in April. Terán's mission proved to be a complete
failure. He succeeded in founding no new missions, and the expedition
added little new information about the region. After his return, Terán
compiled a lengthy report, defending his actions and detailing the
dismal situation in East Texas. |
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Adelfa Botello
Callejo lawyer: June 10, 1923- Jan 26, 2014 at 91 years |
 Adelfa Botello
Callejo:
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Drawing on her own personal family experiences inspired Callejo to
turn obstacles into opportunities and begin her journey through the
halls of education and the legal system.
“My father crossed over from Mexico legally in 1911 by paying a nickel, the required toll. I remember immigration officials were always harassing him. They tried to say he was here illegally. That’s where my anger to do something about injustice began,” said Callejo, who worked as a legal secretary to support her family while attending SMU. In 1939, when she was 16, her family moved to Dallas. Eager to work, she did not let continued discrimination prevent her from finding a job and setting goals. “My grandfather was buried in a segregated cemetery. During World War II, Three Rivers, Texas, refused to bury a Mexican soldier in a White cemetery. So even in death, we were discriminated against. But I’ve learned anger is a big distraction if you let it control you,” she said. In the 1980s, she again took her rage to the streets, leading hordes of demonstrators to protest in downtown Dallas against the deportation of the undocumented parents of children born in the United States. “In 1982, I led the first immigrant march in Dallas to protest roundup and deportation of parents whose children were born here. I put Dallas in a bad light, and they didn’t like it. But as a result of this march, we got amnesty,” she said referring to then-President Ronald Reagan’s decision to grant amnesty to thousands of illegal aliens. |
Another victory came in the courtroom in the 1990s with a historic
challenge to the Dallas City Council’s method of electing members.
Plaintiffs charged that an “at-large” method diluted the voting
strength of Hispanics and Blacks in violation of the Voting Rights
Act. The U.S. District Court in Dallas agreed, handing Callejo another
victory.
“I had three goals when I was young. I
wanted to be a lawyer, become a millionaire and help my community. I
think I’ve achieved that, with the support of my husband, Bill,” she
said. |
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“I went to segregated schools where Mexican children had to drink
water from the same trough as their horses. Down the road, White
children had a nice school and a proper water fountain. Those injustices
had a lot to do with my desire to be a lawyer.”
“Adelfa and I are like night and day. In fact, if someone had predicted our future together, they would have said we’re going to have a complete catastrophe,” said Bill, who graduated from SMU Dedman School of Law in 1966, the same year the couple started Callejo and Callejo law firm.
Now, after battling colon cancer in 2007 and breast cancer in 2008,
Callejo is like the mythical Phoenix, reborn and reinvigorated. Neither
illness kept her from marching – via a wheelchair – in a protest
rally through downtown Dallas the spring of 2010.
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Resilience is a virtue Callejo honed from the time she was a child.
The buoyancy she cultivated is one attribute that guided her through
higher education, the legal profession and community service. “Adelfa is one of the most active leaders in the Hispanic community. The 87 is just a number. She has enormous energy and drive,” said Tom Leppert, current Dallas mayor. “She’s gone through cancer treatments and been through so much in her life, yet she continues to run her law firm, and she’s as committed to education as I am,” he added. Not only does Callejo serve on the mayor’s education committee; she has served on many boards throughout her career. Callejo’s legal, civic and service awards include: SMU’s Dedman School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award; Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism’s Sandra Day O’Connor Award; American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award; Dallas Bar Foundation’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award; Hispanic National Bar Association’s Lincoln-Juárez Award; the Mexican government’s Ohtli Reconocimiento Award – and many more. Recently, Callejo founded the Adelfa Botello Callejo Institute of International & National Leadership and Latino Studies, the first of its kind in Dallas and the nation. Law scholarships, leadership certificates and an international visiting professorship are among the institute’s goals. The Callejos have donated $1.5 million to begin the institute chair and professorship at SMU’s Dedman School of Law. “This institute is something she said she had been thinking about for several years. They were very generous to donate a professorship to the law school, and the Dedman family has already matched that. We are very proud of her and Bill,” Attanasio said. Today, in a coiffed wig and pastel-colored suit, Callejo stresses the need for more Hispanic leaders. Her only regret is lack of time to keep fighting for clients. “Gov. Perry said Arizona’s law isn’t for Texas, and I agree. Right now, nobody is representing the children of illegal immigrants who were born here. I just need about 10 more years because I want to do a lot more to help my community,” she said.  |
| Luis Avalos, a most beloved actor/director
September 2, 1946 - January 22, 2014 |
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 On Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 3:30pm, Luis
Avalos, a most beloved actor/director passed away of a heart failure at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, CA surrounded by friends and family. Millions of TV viewers will remember watching Avalos in PBS's The Electric Company where he appeared in over 650 episodes.The sudden death of a true Latino pioneer in the entertainment industry and a dear friend and mentor to so many, sent shockwaves throughout the Latino community and within minutes of his passing memories of those who knew him were being shared on Facebook and social media. Born September 2, 1946 in Havana Cuba Avalos immigrated to New York as an infant with his father Jose Antonio Avalos and Estrella De Leon. He began his television career in his early 20's on the Emmy and Grammy award-winning program Electric Company (1972-1977) working alongside actors like Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby. In 1983 Luis starred in one of the first Latino sitcoms on network television with the show Condo. It helped open doors in a variety of ways. In recent years, Mr. Avalos appeared in Dennis Leoni's Resurrection Blvd., as Father Mario Reyes. He has also starred on several series, including Condo (1983) with McLean Stevenson and Julie Carmen as well as Ned Blessing: The Story of My Life and Times (1993). His guest starring credits include, Soap, Fame, E. R. and NYPD Blue, among many others. He also co-starred in films such as The Ringer with Johnny Knoxville in 2005. More recently, Mr. Avalos worked with Christopher Walken and Sharon Stone in the 2008 film $5 A Day. In 1993 he wrote, directed and produced the award-winning special for the Telemundo Network, El Regalo de Paquito for which he received an Emmy nomination for best director and honors from the Columbus Film Festival and UNICEF. |
Active in the Latino entertainment community, Mr. Avalos gave generously of his time and leadership to help organizations such as Nosotros, The Ricardo Montalban Foundation, Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and the Imagen Foundation. He worked tirelessly to help bring about a more diverse and inclusive television and film industry. But it was in his community that Avalos made the biggest impact among Latinos. In 2000 Avalos founded The Americas Theatre Arts Foundation in Los Angeles and served as his artistic director. His musical Paquito's Christmas which premiered at the Los Angeles Theater Center in 1994 became a holiday tradition in Los Angeles earning him a 2002 Imagen Award for Best Theatrical Production. This play would go on to mentor, introduce and provide a place for hundreds of talented Latino actors to work their craft and share the Latino Christmas traditions. Luis Avalos will be remembered as the talented actor/director he was; a pioneer in the entertainment industry; a loving son to Estrellita (as his mother was known to all); and most of all for the twinkle in his eye, his jokes, his laughter and as the best friend he was to all who knew him. Details will be announce for the memorial services which will take place next week and will be open to the public.  FUNERAL AND MEMORIAL SERVICES ANNOUNCED Friday, Jan. 31 and Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014 Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills
Sent by Kirk Whisler
kirk@whisler.com voice: (760) 434-1223 Latino Print Network overall: 760-434-7474 web: www.hm101.com Podcast: www.mylatinonetwork.com |
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EDUCATION |
| Quote: "Once social change begins, it
cannot be reversed." by Cesar Chavez Cartoon: Our Education System State Board of Education Plans Mexican-American History Course Become an Event Sponsor for the forthcoming LEAD Summit - March 2014 Continuing Education, Migrant Education Program fills gaps in children's schooling by Jordan England-Nelson |
| Once
social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the
person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who
feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.
We have seen the future, and the future is ours...We cannot seek
achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for
our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the
aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."
Cesar Chavez Source: Marketing 101 sent by
José Melendrez from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas |
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State
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| Last fall, hundreds of protesters gathered at the University of Texas
at Austin after a student group announced it would stage a game of
“Catch an Illegal Immigrant” around campus. The local Young
Conservatives of Texas chapter was planning a human scavenger hunt, with
targets wearing “illegal immigrant” buttons, but canceled the game
after receiving criticism from across the country. The same day, just a few blocks from campus, Houston author and activist Tony Diaz stood before the State Board of Education to offer a modest suggestion: The students who’d organized that “game” just might have benefited from a class that instilled a little cultural sensitivity. The game, he said, was “proof that we need Mexican-American studies in Texas.” |
The
timing was coincidental. Diaz, who is also director of intercultural
initiatives at Lone Star College, had been planning his speech and
rallying supporters well before the “catch an immigrant” fiasco blew
up. The State Board of Education was deciding what courses will be necessary for new graduation requirements the Legislature passed last session. Those changes have been controversial; there’s been strong resistance by Latino advocacy groups, among others, to eliminating courses like Algebra II—generally seen as important college preparation—from basic diploma requirements. But Diaz saw a fresh opportunity in the turmoil. One provision of the law, he noted, adds a “community engagement” aspect to school district evaluations. |
Adding
Mexican-American studies to graduation requirements, Diaz told the
board, would go a long way now that more than half of Texas’ students
are Hispanic. “I would beg you,” Diaz responded, “to hear our community say that it should be listed explicitly.”
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His
appeal was answered the next day, when Ruben Cortez, a new board member
from Brownsville, submitted Mexican-American history to the state’s
list of new social studies courses to develop. Before joining the board,
Cortez had watched from afar as a hyper-political State Board of
Education tried to scrub the history standards of figures like labor
organizer Dolores Huerta. Cortez told the Observer he was amazed by the
board’s response. “Nobody raised an objection to my request. I was
kind of speechless, everybody just stayed quiet.”
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University
of Texas history professor Emilio Zamora says this is the biggest
advance in Mexican-American studies education in a decade. A 2003 law
authored by state Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D-Dallas) allowed community
colleges to offer Mexican-American studies programs. Now Cortez and the
rest of the board are poised to do the same thing for Texas’ public
schools. |
Patrick
Michels is a reporter for the Texas Observer and a former legislative
intern. He has been a staff writer and web editor at the Dallas
Observer, and a former editor of the Texas Independent. He has a
bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University, a master's in
photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a
competitive eating enthusiast. |
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The LEAD
Organization serves as a primary site for a set of innovative and
productive programs, publications and events in Latinos and Education;
with impact numbers reaching more then 17 million yearly! LEAD engages ways and means of awareness-raising, education, promotion, advocacy, activism, analysis, discussion, critique, and dissemination of educational issues that impact Latinos. One way to employ these, stay motivated, keep up the momentum for current initiatives, and build efforts to create infrastructure, community development, and strengthen support is through events. |
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LEAD
- About Us Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvbRQeuIPOc&feature=youtu.be Dr.
Enrique G. Murillo, Jr., LEAD
Executive Director |
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CONTINUING EDUCATION Photo: Jeff Gritchen
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| English
learners that come from low-income families are among the most
vulnerable students in any district.
For poor English-learners whose parents are constantly moving around the state in search of work, it is even easier to slip through the cracks. The California Migrant Education Program provides nearly 80,000 students with support services such as tutoring, summer school programs and educational field trips to help fill the gap when a parent is forced to spend long periods of time away from home. In Santa Ana Unified School District, about 1,500 students benefit from the program. There are two main requirements to qualify for the Migrant Education
Program. At least one parent must work in a seasonal industry (such as
agriculture, lumber or fishing) and the |
district
boundaries at least once every three years. One of the difficulties with addressing the needs of migrant families is that they can be difficult to locate, said Celina Torres, an education programs consultant at the California Department of Education. Transportation and the logistics of catering to students in remote areas are also issues, but the ultimate goal is to meet the special needs that crop up for children of migrant workers. "We supplement what the schools cannot provide," said Patricia Gomez, director of the Migrant Education Program for Santa Ana Unified. The 1,500 students enrolled in the program in Santa Ana have access to after-school tutoring, summer school classes, and the opportunity to go on educational field trips. |
Many
migrant students fall behind because they are either constantly changing
schools or because they lack parental support at home. After working 12
hours in the fields, their parents are often too exhausted to help with
homework or drive to the school to ask why their child's grades are
falling, Gomez said.
"That's where we intervene," Gomez continued. "We talk to the teachers and counselors and continue to support the child at school." Identifying the students' unique needs is a big part of what the migrant program does. For example, many children lose credits or fall behind because of missed classes, so the migrant program attempts to make up for those missed classes by providing tutors. Migrant students also often miss out on field trips during the year, Gomez said, so the program provides educational |
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their
kids engaged in positive activities and focused on their future. "If the majority of the community participated and focus more on the education of the children, there would be less gangs and drugs," said Patricia Pineda, who has four children in the program. Elodia Herrera said the program has helped all four of her children, especially her son, Luis Daniel Herrera. Luis was diagnosed with cancer when he was three and underwent four years of chemotherapy, which impaired his hearing and his learning abilities. Herrera said that her son would never have gotten into Santiago College last |
year
if it wasn’t for the Migrant Education Program. The tutoring, science
workshops and academic counseling has helped Luis succeed in school
despite his learning disability, she said.
“The program has given him confidence in himself,” Herrera said of her son, who returns to Saddleback as a sophomore this fall. “It’s helped him continue to move forward like a normal person.” Contact the writer: 714-796-7055 Contact the writer: jenelson@ocregister.com |
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| The Mora Santero by Ray John de
Aragon 42 Years Since the Birth of Salsa Texas Sorolla Exhibition Makes History |
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THE
MORA SANTERO ©
Ray John de Aragon |
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"Nuestra
Señora de los Dolores” May
not be reproduced without written
permission |
Ortega’s
folk art is easily recognizable because of his use of milled lumber.
He used the wood, but he primarily depended on yeso
(gesso) to cover his fashioned images with joints, or hollow skirts he
used calico cloth. His
colors were few, but vibrant and included the use of indigo, dark red,
light yellow, black and green, the color of the spinach plant.
His completed work would receive a coating of pine resin. The
Mora Santero started the
use of black high boots on his santos
and the hands he made looked like animals feet.
Ortega took greater care on the head of the santo
and it was here that his masterful hand worked, carefully forming the
nose, the eyes, the forehead, and the cheekbones.
The faces of his santos
closely resemble those of living Hispanic New Mexicans.
This probably shows that he used models to sculpt the heads. The
agonizing figures that Ortega produced for the moradas include the body of the dead Christ painted in light
blue. With these particular
figures he is credited with reestablishing an iconographic concept in
painting that at one time was used by the Italian Primitive Schools and
which was discarded after Giotto. The
santero used a combination
of that paintings on his three dimensional figures in the round, and
strictly two dimensional paintings on retablos.
In any case, he didn’t consider depth or form when he worked on
his retablos. Very
little is known about the life or career of Jose Benito Ortega.
Church records show that he was baptized at the parish of Santa
Gertudis de Mora on March 28, 1858.
His parents were Jose Guadalupe Ortega and Gabriela Maestas.
The santeros
godparents were Rafael Cardenas and Juana Gertrudis Aragon from
La Cueva. Almost
all of the santos
from Mora, San Miguel, and Colfax were made by the Mora Santero.
He made his typical santos for more than
thirty years and after the death of his wife, Maria de La Luz Ramirez
Ortega, he spent the rest of his life with his children.
They had several children including a son named Macedonio, and
daughters, Ana, Maria Delfina, and Refugio.
The santero
died on September 2, 1941, and he is buried at Fairmount Cemetery in
Raton, New Mexico.
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History
recognizes significant events from the past and the birth dates of
important people. Everyone
knows about the traditional days that commemorate the birth of our
nation, the founder of our country, and of the historical figures. Cities
throughout the United States have taken up the standard of honoring
great deeds and influential citizens.
Mora, New Mexico also has an admired native son that rises out of
its turbulent and fascinating past. Jose
Benito Ortega, the last of the great santeros was born on March 20, 1858, on the banks of the Mora
River. As a creator of
religious images, Ortega is noteworthy in southwestern history.
This santero’s work is found in many collections including the
Taylor Museum in Colorado Springs, and the Smithsonian Institute in
Washington, D.C. The santero’s tradition in the Mora Valley is intertwined with the culture and religious customs of the area. The Brotherhood of Our Lord Jesus (The Penitentes) which was at one time widespread often commissioned sculpted religious images for their moradas (meeting places). Local villagers also asked that their favorite saints be fashioned for their homes and private chapels. It was in this area that Ortega gained certain fame and his popularity identified him as the Mora Santero.
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42
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Does
Anyone Really Care? In fact, Salsa dancing has created a world-wide
industry that is booming. Salsa Clubs and dance studios continue to spring up to
meet the demands of the 100s of thousands wanting to learn how to dance Salsa.
This growing interest has also led to the growth of local Salsa bands throughout
European, African and even Asian countries. They sound like and even dress-up to
look like 1970s Latinos. The question is:
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August 26 1971 The
Fania All Stars perform at the Cheetah |
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1975: The Spark that
Ignited the Salsa Explosion!
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 The coverage by mainstream media such as The N.Y. Times, created an
incredible worldwide avalanche of interest in Salsa. What made the awards (by
American media standards) a “News Worthy” event was Latin NY magazine's
intense criticism of NARAS for ignoring 17 years of repeated requests to give
Latin music its own separate category in the Grammys.
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IZZY
SANABRIA - A Creative Innovative Multi-Media Artist and Publisher of
Latin NY Magazine that Spearheaded and documented the Latino Cultural
Renaissance during the 1970s in New York City. |
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Texas
Sorolla Exhibition Makes History |
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| “This
is the first exhibition to study this important Spanish artist; it’s
an exhibition we felt was needed,” said Mark A. Roglan, Ph.D. Dr.
Roglan is the Linda P. and William A. Custard Meadows Museum Director and the Meadows School of the Arts Centennial Chair. The largest and most comprehensive exhibition of Sorolla ever assembled runs through April 19, 2014 at the museum. It showcases some 160 works of art by Spain’s most famous modernist artist. In fact, more than 40 of the artworks have never been on public display before. Museum attendees may be surprised to learn that Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida was the best known Spanish artist in the world before Pablo Picasso came on the art scene. Sorolla, who was an admirer of Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, was a master of light who preferred to paint outdoors. |
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Algur H. Meadows, a Texas oilman, philanthropist and Spanish art collector, dreamed of starting
his own “Prado on the Prairie” after being inspired by artworks he saw at the
Prado. In 1962, he donated his art collection and funds to Southern Methodist University to start the museum. His
dream of having a Prado in Dallas became a reality in 1965 when the museum opened to the public. Today, the Meadows Museum has amassed a collection of Spanish artworks that spans from the 10th to the 21st century. For the Sorolla and America exhibition, the museum is partnering with the San Diego Museum of Art and Spain’s FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, a cultural institution, to host the exhibition. |
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| The Meadows Museum is a leader in the study and presentation of artworks from Spain. Its vast collection includes works by Velasquez, Murillo, Goya, Picasso, El Greco, Miro, Sorolla, and many others. The museum’s collection of Spanish art is second only to the Prado Museum in Madrid. | ||||
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| “It’s possible to go to almost any museum in the United States and see Sorolla’s work. The
Hispanic Society of America is Sorolla’s home in the U.S. The Meadows Museum is uniquely
well suited to present the first exhibition examining the reciprocal influence Sorolla had on
America and America had on Sorolla,” he added. More than 50 different institutions have loaned Sorolla’s artworks for this exhibition. They include: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the J. Paul Getty Museum; The Museum of Fine Arts Boston; The Philadelphia Museum of Art; The Art Institute of Chicago; and the San Carlos National Museum in Mexico City. The Hispanic Society of America and Museo Sorolla in Madrid have provided archival material in addition to numerous artworks. The U.S. Department of State has loaned its private collection as well. |
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 Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863–1923), Playing on the Beach, 1908, charcoal and chalk on paper. Private Collection. Photo by Joaquín Cortés |
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| San Diego Museum of Art is the next venue for the exhibition, which concludes with a final stop at Fundacion MAPFRE in Madrid. The exhibition is made possible due to a generous gift from the Meadows Foundation and the support of Hispanic Society of America. In addition to the mural-sized paintings, the exhibit features oil sketches, drawings, and gouache. Sorolla was fond of sketching and drawing on the backs of menus while in New York and Chicago, so viewing these items provides visitors with more of an understanding of the artist. | Many of Sorolla’s paintings were purchased by private collectors. That is why some 100 have
not been seen publicly since 1909 and 1911. The artist’s great-granddaughter and the exhibition’s curator, Blanca Pons-Sorolla, has worked diligently for decades to locate many of the paintings. “I have worked on this project for many years, and there are still approximately 200 paintings by my great grandfather that have not yet been located,” she said at a recent press preview at the Meadows. |
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| Paintings and artworks exhibited more than a century ago, in 1909 and then in 1911, will be
reunited for the first time in this monographic exhibition, which is a colossal tribute to Spain’s foremost modernist artists. |
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida was born in Valencia in 1863. He and his only sibling,
Concha, were orphaned in 1865 after their parents died, possibly from cholera. Sorolla and his sister were
reared by their maternal aunt and her husband. At 22, after mandatory service in Spain’s
military, Sorolla received a grant enabling him to study painting in Rome.
In 1888, Sorolla returned to Valencia and married Clotilde Garcia del Castillo. The couple had
three children. His family, especially his wife, became popular subjects of his art. In 1890,
Sorolla moved his family to Madrid, where he spent the next decade painting large canvases |
Sorolla’s first taste of international success as a painter came in 1892 with a striking painting
titled Otra Margarita! or Another Marguerite! Social realism, one of his topics, is depicted in the
painting of a woman accused of suffocating her child. The National Exhibition in Madrid awarded
this painting a Gold Medal.  Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923), Another Marguerite!, 1892, oil on canvas. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. Gift of Charles Nagel, Sr., 1894. WU 2930 |
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| In 1893, the painting earned a Medal of Honor at Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition. In
fact, Otra Margarita! was purchased and donated to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the first painting by Sorolla to hang in an American museum. The museum is now the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Another turning point in Sorolla’s career came in 1899 with a painting depicting disabled children enjoying a day at the beach while supervised by a monk. Titled Triste Herencia or Sad Inheritence, the painting earned the highest awards at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and at Spain’s National Exhibition in 1901.  Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923), Sad Inheritance!, 1899, oil on canvas. Bancaja Collection, Valencia |
The two iconic paintings set the stage for Sorolla’s introduction to two wealthy American patrons,
Archer Milton Huntington and Thomas Fortune Ryan. Huntington and Ryan would be the
catalysts for his first and second exhibitions in America. Huntington, who founded The Hispanic Society of America for the diffusion of Spanish art and literature, discovered Sorolla at a London exhibition in 1908. He was so impressed with Sorolla’s work that he arranged for his first American exhibition at The Hispanic Society of America in New York. During its month long run, the exhibition attracted more than 150,000 people despite bone chilling weather. The New York Herald reported that “hundreds, perhaps thousands, of visitors were turned away.” The exhibition enjoyed similar success during its run in Buffalo and Boston. With 150 of the 356 artworks sold during the New York run, Huntington persuaded Sorolla to return for a second exhibition. So in 1911, another |
American exhibition of Sorolla’s work was
held at the Art Institute of Chicago and subsequently at the City Art Museum in St. Louis,
Missouri. This second exhibition included his familiar works as well as a “Vision of Spain” series proposed by Huntington for The Hispanic Society of America facility. The request and subsequent contract with Huntington prompted Sorolla to visit unfamiliar regions of Spain. (The "Visions of Spain" murals are not actually in the show, as they were too large to travel from The HAS.) The result of Sorolla’s travels through Spain was a monumental collection of 14 canvas murals highlighting the natural beauty of several Spanish regions. Sorolla painted his subjects in costumes reflecting their culture and heritage. His artworks captured the essence of Spain and resulted in public display at the New York headquarters of The Hispanic Society of America. |
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Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida
(Spanish, 1863-1923), The death of Pedro Velarde y Santillán during the
defence of the Monteleon Artillery Barracks. Biblioteca Museu Víctor
Balaguer |
In 1909 while Ryan was in Paris, he commissioned Sorolla to paint Christopher Columbus.
Sorolla researched the life of the famous explorer before settling on Christopher Columbus
Leaving Palos, Spain, the final painting. It depicts a balding, gray-haired Columbus looking out
from his boat. The painting is on loan from the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia, for
the exhibition. Sorolla’s American contemporaries, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) and William Merritt Chase
(1849-1916), also played a role in his success in America. That said, the focus of the
exhibition is Sorolla’s influence on America, and America’s influence on him.
Sorolla was internationally recognized for his beach scenes, landscapes, and portraits prior to
his first exhibition in America. In 1900, he won a Medal of Honor at the Paris Universal
Exposition and a Knight of the Legion of Honor nomination. In 1901, Sorolla won a Medal of
Honor from the National Exhibition in Madrid. He was an honorary member of the Fine Arts
Academy of Paris, Lisbon, and Valencia. |
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 Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923), Lighthouse Walk at Biarritz, 1906, oil oncanvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Peter Chardon Brooks Memorial Collection; Gift of Mrs. Richard M. Saltonstall, 22.691. Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Over his lifetime, Sorolla produced some 4,000 works of art. While Sorolla was a prolific artist, when he completed work on Huntington’s Vision of Spain in 1919, he was exhausted. In 1920, the artist, whose home and studio is now the Sorolla Museum in Madrid, suffered a stroke while painting in his beloved garden. The stroke left him paralyzed until his death in 1923. |
The exhibition has an accompanying 320-page catalogue published by Ediciones El Viso. It
includes a complete list of all works exhibited, created and sold in America during Sorolla’s
lifetime, including reproductions of works yet to be located. The Meadows Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2015. So it plans to hold special exhibitions and programs to celebrate. That said, the Sorolla and America International Symposium is set for Feb. 8, 2014. The “Sorolla and America” exhibition and symposium is expected to draw art lovers from across the country. Call: 214 768-2516 or go to: www.meadowsmuseumdallas.org for museum hours and ticket information. |
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http://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/traveling/texas-sorolla-exhibition-makes-histor...
12/16/2013
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BOOKS & PRINT MEDIA |
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Largest Latino Book Awards Open For Submissions When Mexicans Could Play Ball: Basketball, Race, and Identity in San Antonio, 1928–1945 By Ignacio M. García Deschooling Society, Commenting on Ivan Illich by Rodolfo F. Acuña Alma Reed, la Peregrina de Felipe Carrillo Puerto |
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By
Alina Gonzalez The 16th International Latino Book Awards, put on
by Latino Literacy Now, in conjunction with Las Comadres |
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Latino Literacy Now . . . |
López, Pablo Neruda, Ana Nogales, Jose-Luis
Orozco, Luis Rodriguez, Alisa Valdes, and Victor Villaseñor. |
With
the growing awareness of the ILBA, Latino Literacy Now has decided to
launch a tour of the year's winning books. 2014's Finalists will be a
part of the International Award Winning Authors Tour and tour to
"at least 10 major book, media, Latino professional, and Latino
consumer events in the USA and Mexico." Events under consideration
for this Tour include The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, BookExpo,
the National Council of La Raza Convention, Feria Int'l del Libro de
Guadalajara, CABE, and the National Association of Hispanic Publications
just to name a few. Finalist's books will also be presented in the 2014
Int'l Award Winning Author Catalog, which will be distributed at the
events. The
Awards Ceremony for the 16th Int'l Latino Book Awards
will be at the American Library Association Conference in Las Vegas, June
27-30, 2014. Enter now to be a part of one of the largest book
awards in the world. For
more information please contact: Kirk Whisler, kirk@whisler |
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Nonprofit co-founded by Edward James Olmos that has produced 52 Latino
Book & Family Festivals around the USAand the Latino Books into
Movies Awards. Las Comadres mission is to create opportunities for
Latinas through community, culture, technology, and education. REFORMA
is the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services
to Latinos and is an affiliate of the American Library Association. |
| Latino Print Network's new FREE 80 page study: The Strengths of
Hispanic Owned Publications The study details through interviews and research the 29 key values Hispanic Publications offer to those wanting to reach the Latino community. Click for The FREE 80 Page Study |
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 Voices de la Luna: A Quarterly Poetry & Arts Magazine is pleased to announce the publication of the 15 January 2014 issue. This issue is available in print to subscribers and contributors. It is also available in three online formats from http://voicesdelaluna.com |
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When Mexicans Could Play Ball Basketball, Race, and Identity in San Antonio, 1928–1945 By Ignacio M. García This inspiring story of a high school basketball team’s unlikely journey to victory in segregated WWII-era San Antonio sheds light on Mexican American cultural identity formation through sports and education and exposes stereotypes that are still held today. |
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| Description: In 1939, a team of short, scrappy kids from a vocational school established specifically for Mexican Americans became the high school basketball champions of San Antonio, Texas. Their win, and the ensuing riot it caused, took place against a backdrop of shifting and conflicted attitudes toward Mexican Americans and American nationalism in the WWII era. “Only when the Mexicans went from perennial runners-up to champs,” García writes, “did the emotions boil over.” The first sports book to look at Mexican American basketball specifically, When Mexicans Could Play Ball is also a revealing study of racism and cultural identity formation in Texas. Using personal interviews, newspaper articles, and game statistics to create a compelling narrative, as well as drawing on his experience as a sports writer, García takes us into the world of San Antonio’s Sidney Lanier High School basketball team, the Voks, which became a two-time state championship team under head coach William Carson “Nemo” Herrera. An alumnus of the school himself, García investigates the school administrators’ project to Americanize the students, Herrera’s skillful coaching, and the team’s rise to victory despite discrimination and violence from other teams and the world outside of the school. Ultimately, García argues, through their participation and success in basketball at Lanier, the Voks players not only learned how to be American but also taught their white counterparts to question long-held assumptions about Mexican Americans. |
Contents/Acknowledgments $55.00$36.85 | 33% website discount price | Hardcover | 6 x 9 | 292 pp. | 13 b&w photos |
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Commenting on Ivan Illich Subject: Illich's Toe By Rodolfo F. Acuña 20 January 2014 Other than my stint in the army, the first time I had ever been outside of Los Angeles for more than a week was in the spring of 1971 when I visited Cuernavaca, Mexico for several months. Bored as hell I gravitated to el Centro Intercultural de Documentación (CIDOC) – a think tank founded by that Ivan in 1961. Illich was a guru who warned against the First World’s imposition of its cultural values on Latin America, founding CIDOC to train priests and nuns to think of themselves as guests and not the saviors of the poor. Like almost every intellectual hippie of the time, I was anxious to listen to Illich, a radical priest who was in hot water with the Vatican for his criticism of Western culture. Born in Vienna to a Croatian Catholic father and a Sephardic mother, Illich spoke at least eight languages and had a doctorate. |
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| Part of his mystique was that he had worked as parish priest in a poor Puerto Rican New York neighborhood. At 30, he was appointed as the vice rector of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Controversy followed him, and he resigned from the priesthood. He had come to the attention of the Vatican through Opus Dei. Illich’s publication of Deschooling Society (1971), a critical discourse of public education, moved him to the eye of the storm. According to Illich, universal education through schooling was not feasible, and he said de-institutionalizing education was the starting point in de-institutionalizing society. Schools, according to Illich, confused process and substance. Students were "schooled" to confuse teaching with learning, and success with a diploma. According to Illich, they schooled the students’ imagination to accept service in place of value. His solution was to get rid of the myth that bureaucracies guided by scientific knowledge were efficient and benevolent. Illich called for collaborative learning. Admittedly, Illich’s hyperbole created a storm with approval of libertarians of the right and left who interpreted him the the way they wanted to. The value of Illich was not his theory; he was not a scientist but a thinker, a philosopher. He contributed to awakening the intellectuals’ cultural consciousness to the insidious effects of institutional dependency. |
Illich’s dragon was the monopoly of the schools of education that in turn blinded poor people and gave them the illusion that schooling was the answer to their problems. The objective of schooling thus became the acquisition of material goods in order to increase their consumption. According to Illich, schools served a function similar to that which the established church once played in claiming a monopoly as the repository of society's myths. Illich distinguished between skill acquisition and humane education. Only by deschooling society would we be able to eliminate hierarchies and the mass production of education. As an educator I was not enamored with the idea of eliminating schools. I had spent most of the sixties fighting for better access to education for minorities, and for me it was a question of who controlled the schools. Illich’s vision at the time seemed too utopian. About this time, Illich sauntered into the CIDOC’s courtyard. He was wearing black cotton pants, a white guayabera, and sandals. But the only thing I saw at the time was his big toe; it was enormous. The crowd of a couple of hundred people went wild. “Ibán!” “ee-bán!” They shouted, “Ibán, what is knowledge?” |
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| It all began to come together with his next book Tools for Conviviality (1973), which continued the theme of specialized knowledge and technocratic elites in an industrial society. Illich boldly called for the reconquest of practical knowledge. “The result of much economic development is very often not human flourishing but 'modernized poverty,' dependency, and an out-of-control system in which the humans become worn-down mechanical parts.”
Illich argued that we needed convivial tools; people had become the servants of machines. The book put Illich at the forefront of critical pedagogy along with Paulo
Freire. |
Convivial was defined as the degree of a person’s control over a tool. People controlled a telephone but not television. Building homes was at first a convivial tool, but with the rise elite of housing contractors and strict building codes a person lost the option of building his own house in his spare time. Ultimately, Illich was concerned with people's freedom to be creative; he insisted that creative activity required the use of tools, which can be controlled by the individual using them. Her mastery and control of the “Tools foster[ed] conviviality to the extent to which they can be easily used, by anybody, as often or as seldom as desired, for the accomplishment of a purpose chosen by the user.” Over the years I have related more to Tools for Conviviality than Illich’s other works, although my admiration for him has grown. I can think of many theoreticians but very few pure thinkers. |
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| This week I begin another semester. I am often asked how my present students differ from those of forty-four years ago. That’s where Tools for Conviviality comes in. My classes are overwhelmingly first generation university students, three quarters are Latinos, and almost all are working class. Every semester I ask them how many can use a sewing machine, keeping in mind the pedal powered Singer that we had when I was growing up. When I first asked the question over three-quarters raised their hands. Last semester the number fell to two and that included me. Only two knew how to sew buttons on their shirts or blouses, and none had ever darned a sock. These were all routine things one did when I was growing up.  On some Sundays I go out and watch immigrants hit the garage sales, picking up perfectly good clothes often almost new. A button is missing, or a zipper is jamming. They take the piece of clothing, put a button on it or a zipper, wash, starch and iron it, and give it to relatives back home. |
 When I was a child we would go downtown and window shop. My aunt would sketch the latest fashions, and if she liked a dress she would buy a pattern and a piece of cloth and make it. Today my students buy a blouse for $35 that they could make for $2.00.My rumination about Illich’s toe was triggered by a conversation that one of my colleagues had with a part time instructor. Apparently the latter was miffed about our fight with the administration over the privatization of the university. She responded that why make a big deal about it, we could do nothing about it. The part-time instructor thought of herself as educated, after all she had read Michel Foucault in grad school. But I guess she cannot appreciate or hear the chants of “ee-bán!” or admire his huge toe, and perhaps that is why she does not know the definition of the word struggle. Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. beto@unt.edu
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Biografías, La Peregrina | October 28, 2013 Alma Reed, la Peregrina de Felipe Carrillo Puerto
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Con toda seguridad alguna vez en su vida ha escuchado la canción yucateca Peregrina… Lo que tal vez desconozca es la historia que se tejió detrás de ella. La obra musical es un auténtico libro hablado y al mismo tiempo un himno de amor que ha trascendido hasta nuestros días. El romance que sostuvo Felipe Carrillo Puerto, primer gobernador socialista de Yucatán (en 1922) y la periodista Alma Reed provocó y seguirá provocando ríos de tinta… Alma Marie Sullivan (Alma Reed) nació en San Francisco, California (EEUU) en 1889 y no sólo fue una de las primeras periodistas mujeres de su país sino también de las más importantes. Tenía una columna que firmaba bajo el seudónimo de “Señora Goodfellow”. Aquí Alma brindaba asesoría jurídica a quienes no tuvieran posibilidades de contratar los servicios de un abogado, casi siempre mexicanos. |
En 1921 la familia de Simón Ruiz, contactó a la periodista, pues Simón a sus escasos 17 años de edad estaba condenado a la pena de muerte acusado de cometer un asesinato, pero Alma no sólo le salvó la vida sino que también logró reformar las leyes de su país. La historia de la periodista “gringa” defensora de los mexicanos fue ampliamente difundida por la prensa nacional lo que motivó al presidente Alvaro Obregón a invitarla a nuestro país en calidad de huésped distinguida. Un detalle curioso ocurrió cuando al llegar a la terminal ferroviaria de la ciudad de México ya la esperaba un representante del presidente Obregón pero justo al lado también se hallaba un empresario que había ido a recibir a su mujer con mariachi, y al escucharse las notas de la canción “Alma de mi alma” la periodista –pensando que la serenata era para ella– rompió en llanto y empezó a abrazar a todos los mariachis… nadie la sacó de su error para no lastimarla. |
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SU LLEGADA A YUCATAN Alma Reed decidió trabajar en la ciudad de México desde donde se desempeñaba como corresponsal. Posteriormente fue enviada a Mérida, Yucatán para entrevistar a Eduard Thompson, el primer arqueólogo que excavó Chichén Itzá, y fue durante esta visita cuando conoció a Felipe Carrillo Puerto, un gobernador dinámico que había ordenado la construcción del camino Mérida-Chichén Itzá. Finalmente logró entrevistar a Thompson quien desde 1885 ya exploraba y excavaba Chichén Itzá. En 1890 una empresa empacadora de carne en los Estados Unidos hizo un donativo a Thompson, dinero que el investigador utilizó para comprar 100 millas cuadradas de la tierra en la que se localizaban las ruinas. Thompson se enamoró de Alma y le comentó que había sustraído del cenote de Chichén Itzá piezas de oro, jade, joyas y los ornamentos que habían adornado a las doncellas |
Asombrada por la gravedad del asunto, Alma pidió a Thompson que le firmara una confesión, y así lo hizo. Luego, la periodista con sus publicaciones provocaría un escándalo internacional que ayudó a México a recuperar gran parte de los tesoros nacionales que ya se hallaban en el Museo de Boston Peabody.
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AMOR A PRIMERA VISTA Después de viajar a Chichén Itzá, Alma pasó a la zona de Uxmal. Ahí entrevistó a Felipe Carrillo Puerto y conforme avanzaba la entrevista se fascinó del célebre político yucateco. Durante la charla Carrillo Puerto le explicó que Yucatán había sido habitado por 100 familias poderosas que llegaron desde 1542 cuándo Mérida fue fundada por Francisco de Montejo. Estos eran ricos hacendados extremadamente crueles con los mayas a quienes habían convertido en esclavos. Alma supo que Carrillo Puerto había peleado en el centro del país al lado del general Emiliano Zapata y bajó el grito de “Tierra y Libertad”. A su regreso a Yucatán, Carrillo Puerto iniciaría las reformas. Levantó un programa para la emancipación, y desarrolló la restauración de la aldea comunal que había sido robada bajo la dictadura de Porfirio Díaz. Tradujo la Constitución mexicana a la lengua maya para que los campesinos conocieran sus derechos. |
NACE LA CANCION Alma decía que Felipe Carrillo Puerto era el “Abraham Lincoln” mexicano. Pero la historia no acabaría ahí. Una segunda visita a Yucatán provocaría que ambos defensores de los desprotegidos terminaran perdidamente enamorados. Carrillo Puerto se divorció de Isabel Palma, su esposa de muchos años. Luego, mandaría a componer una canción que reflejara lo que estaba viviendo y su inmenso amor por la norteamericana. Carrillo Puerto juntó a dos talentos de la época, al poeta Luis Rosado Vega y al músico Ricardo Palmerín Pavía. Para ese entonces el romance era vox populi, y condenado por las familias “decentes” de Yucatán, de manera que la canción “Peregrina” era un tema prohibido para los jóvenes de “buenos principios” aunque en la clandestinidad fue un éxito total. |
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LA MUERTE DE CARRILLO Ajenos a lo que les deparaba el destino, Felipe Carrillo Puerto y Alma Reed empezaron a preparar su boda misma que se realizaría en San Francisco, California el 14 de enero de 1924. Para arreglar todo lo relativo al evento Alma salió del país pero al poco tiempo estallaría la revolución delahuertista. Carrillo Puerto había luchado a favor de los mayas pero las condiciones se estaban dando para los hacendados (la Casta Divina) propietarios de enormes extensiones de henequén pudieran derrocarlo. Carrillo Puerto intentó embarcarse junto con tres de sus hermanos y seis amigos con rumbo a Nueva Orleáns en donde adquirirían fusiles pero enfrentar esta nueva revolución, pero fueron interceptados y detenidos (diciembre de 1923) en la isla de Holbox, Quintana Roo. |
Es de destacar que la lealtad hacia Felipe Carrillo Puerto llegó a tal grado que el primer pelotón de soldados yucatecos disparó sobre sus cabezas sin que una sola bala diera en el blanco, lo que irritó al coronel Broca que de inmediato mandó a fusilar íntegramente al primer pelotón para que, advertidas las consecuencias, el segundo no tuviera más alternativa que disparar sobre los sentenciados.
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LA NOTICIA EN SAN FRANCISCO Alma Reed fue avisada en San Francisco sobre la revuelta en México. Después sabría a través de su propio periódico que Felipe Carrillo Puerto, de 49 años de edad, había sido asesinado en Yucatán en calidad de mártir. Alma volvió a Mérida en donde permaneció muy poco tiempo. Recorrería el mundo como enviada del The New York Times. Finalmente nunca se casó y siguió apoyando a los mexicanos como ocurrió en una galería de arte que abrió en Nueva York en donde promovía la pintura mexicana y muy especialmente la obra del muralista José Clemente Orozco. En 1950 Alma regresó a México pero esta vez al Territorio de Quintana Roo en donde siguió escribiendo sobre la cultura maya de la que tanto se enamoró. En 1961 el gobierno mexicano la condecoró con la presea “Aguila Azteca” la distinción más alta que un extranjero pueda alcanzar en nuestro país. |
Finalmente a la edad de 77 años, Alma Marie Sullivan (Alma Reed) como si hubiera escogido el día, falleció en un hospital de la Ciudad de México un 20 de noviembre de 1966 fecha en la que se conmemora el inicio de la Revolución Mexicana. Sus restos fueron cremados y sus cenizas depositadas en Mérida en el mismo lugar en donde descansa su amado. Desde 1936 la población maya más importante de Quintana Roo, antes llamada Chan Santa Cruz, lleva el nombre del prócer yucateco, Felipe Carrillo Puerto. ((Publicado en febrero de 2005, en la edición número 24 de la revista Pioneros. Texto basado en apuntes de diferentes autoras: Ruth Ross-Merrimer y Jeanine Kitchel) Escucha la canción “Peregrina” en la interpretación del charro mexicano Jorge Negrete. Sólo da clic a la siguiente dirección: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e06PHapO6dc Sent by Dorinda Moreno pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com
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Renews Effort for Rafael Peralta to Receive the Medal of Honor Mini-bio: Hero Street, U.S.A. by Marc Wilson Cuento: Reminiscences of a Naval Aviator by Daniel L. Polino Cuento: Tsunami, A Close Call by Daniel L. Polino Cuento: A Korean War veteran erases a 60-year-old regret By Dennis McCarthy One of the best search lists compiled about Vietnam Good information of our SS benefits |
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The Hispanic Medal of Honor Society |
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Peralta legacy lives on: USS Rafael Peralta to carry tradition of heroism By Lance Cpl. Scott Reel | I Marine Expeditionary Force | September 25, 2013 SAN DIEGO -- One of the most heralded Marines from 2004’s Battle of Fallujah was honored during a ship-naming ceremony aboard Naval Base San Diego, Calif., Sept. 20, 2013. Friends and family watched as the USS Rafael Peralta took on the namesake of the late Navy Cross recipient, Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, announced the naming of the 65th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in February 2012. The event was a proud moment for the Peralta family, and brought to life a moment of heroism performed almost one decade ago. Peralta, a Mexican immigrant who joined the Marine Corps as soon as he obtained his green card in 2000, deployed to Iraq as a scout leader with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and soon found himself leading a squad of Marines through house-to-house urban warfare during the second battle of Fallujah, Operation Al-Fajr. According to a Marine Corps article from Cpl. Travis J. Kaemmerer, who was embedded with Peralta’s squad, on Nov. 15, 2004, Peralta and members of his squad kicked down a door and were instantly fired upon—Peralta was fatally wounded and fell to the floor. In that instant, he noticed a grenade only a foot from his head, and without hesitation reached out, grabbed it and pressed it to his heart, subsequently saving the lives of the other Marines in his squad. “That kind of heroism, that kind of love for his fellow men did not fall on deaf ears,” said Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan, commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force. “And by naming this ship today, we remember that kind of heroism.” Lance Cpl. Ricardo Peralta, an infantryman like his heroic brother, is currently assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, and accompanied his mother, Rosa, to the ceremony. “It’s really emotional for the family because his nomination for the Medal of Honor has now been turned down more than once,” Peralta said. “But we know that there’s not a single decoration or medal that they can give him that will make us more proud. We’re proud to the fullest.” Ricardo Peralta, only 14 years old, received a letter from his brother before he left for Fallujah. “Be proud of me, bro…and be proud of being an American,” Rafael Peralta wrote. The younger Peralta said his brother was always a leader, whether on the soccer field or battlefield. People often looked up to him. His brother’s leadership and sacrifice created a drive in the younger Peralta, which formed into a promise. “At his wake, I held his hands and promised him that I would join the Marine Corps for him, and not just join the military, but go into the infantry,” Peralta said. Peralta said people often recognize the name on his uniform nametape and ask if there’s any relation to the war hero or Sgt. Peralta. Many individuals have approved the lance corporal to tell him they were motivated to join the Marine Corps after hearing his brother’s story. “In boot camp, there are classes where his Navy Cross citation is read, so every Marine hears about him,” Peralta said. “That’s when it hit me. He truly is a legend. I had no idea, because I was not in the Marine Corps until that day.” When their father passed, it was Rafael’s responsibility to look over the family, a privilege that was passed to Ricardo too soon. “Whenever they need anything, I’m always willing to help them,” Peralta said. Despite the strength that Peralta has, he admits his mother has to be even stronger. “My mom is a strong woman. She’s dealt with my father’s death and my brother’s death,” Peralta said. “Emotionally, she’s sad about it, but we’re proud and happy to be here. I remember my mom telling me that it gives her comfort in all these ceremonies. We’ve been through so many ceremonies. It gives her comfort that her son is not forgotten.” The ceremony ended with a look to the future, the rebirth of a hero. “Your loved one’s legacy will soon be forged in steel and sent to sea to support our national interests and those of our key partners abroad,” Toolan said. The USS Peralta is scheduled to be commissioned in May 2014. The Hispanic Medal of Honor Society is renewing its efforts to for
Peralta to receive the Medal of Honor. The May event appears to be
a perfect venue for Rafael Peralta to finally receive the distinction
and honor due Rafael for his outstanding bravery. The Hispanic Medal of
Honor Society is seeking
support towards that goal. If you would like to help, please send
a letter of support, indicating any organizations to which you
belong. |
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CUENTO |
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Hero
Street, U.S.A.
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| Peter Masias grew up in the shabbiest house on one of the poorest streets in America. His mother and stepfather, perhaps the meanest man on the block, drank away much of the family's money. Peter rarely had shoes that fit or clothes that weren't ragged, and food was far from plentiful. His neighbors, themselves impoverished, took pity and fed and clothed him. Yet, by all accounts, Peter was the nicest, kindest, sweetest-singing boy living on what is now known as Hero Street, U.S.A. Peter's mother, Epifania "Fanny" Rivas, gave birth to Peter on March 13,1924, in Lorain, Ohio, an industrial town at the mouth of the Black River on Lake Erie, west of Cleveland. Fanny was born in April 1904 in Mexico, probably in the state of Guanajuato. When she died at age forty-three in February 1948, she was preceded in death by six sons from three marriages. Her first marriage was to a man named Uribe. That marriage produced three children —two sons who apparently didn't survive early childhood and a daughter, Francis, born in 1920. Fanny's second husband was Tomas Rivas, although family members aren't certain about his first name. Fanny and Tomas gave birth to two sons, Peter, and younger brother Raymond, born in 1926. According to family recollections, Tomas Rivas died shortly after Raymond was born, and Fanny then married her third husband, Agapito Macias, who moved the family to Silvis, Illinois, in 1927 to work for the Rock Island Railroad. |
Agapito was an illiterate and, by all accounts, a drunkard. The family lived a brief time in a boxcar in the Rock Island Railroad's locomotive repair yard. When the railroad and city officials ordered the boxcar settlement abandoned, the Masias family moved to a tiny house at 124 2nd Street. "It was really just a shack —a couple
of rooms with a [wood-burning] stove and dirt floors," said Peter's maternal cousin, Lupe Picon Garcia. She said the boxcar in the rail yard "was probably better housing" than the shack on 2nd Street. Neither the boxcar nor the shack had electricity, running water, or indoor plumbing, but at least the boxcar had a wooden floor and walls that shut out the prairie winds and the winter snows. Peter was so poor he didn't even own his own name. His step-father, Agapito Masias, was actually Agapito Macias, but he mis-spelled the name —or it was misspelled for him —when he first applied for work when he arrived in the United States from Mexico. "We weren't really Masiases, we were Maciases," said Peter's half sister, Mercedes. And Peter was born Peter Rivas, and never had his named legally changed to either Masias or Macias. His friends called him "Peter M." His younger brother joined the navy as Ray-mond Rivas, but Peter went into the air force during World War II as Peter Masias. |
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His cousin Lupe Picon Garcia described Peter as "very quiet and shy, but very kind, social and nice." He was "a very, very good person," said his stepsister Mercedes. She described him as "just the nicest person. He was nice when it wasn't easy to be nice. Welived in a small, poor home and it wasn't easy. He was kind when there wasn't much kindness around." He is also remembered as the best singer on 2nd Street. "I would take my guitar and climb up to the top of the hill and Peter would come with me," said Luis Ramirez, who lived across the street from Peter on 2nd Street. "We didn't have any money or anyplace to go, so all the boys on the block just spent our time together. I was a pretty good guitar player and Peter was the best singer. He couldn't aiford a guitar — he was really poor, worse than the rest of us, who were really poor. We would gather around a fire atop the hill late at night and sing old Mexican songs in Spanish." Peter's best friend growing up was Luz Segura, who, after his mother died, moved in with his aunt and uncle, Maria and Juan Pompa, up the street from to the Masias home. Luz and Peter did everything together. "We boxed at [Burt] Visconi's boxing club, but we quit after a couple of bouts because we weren't very good.... But Visconi hired us to help set up the ring and bring water and towels to the fighters." Once, at bouts at a tavern in Davenport, Iowa, two of the scheduled boxers didn't show up, so Visconi asked Luz and Peter to box each other to fill out the under card. "Peter and I said we were friends and didn't want to fight each other, and Visconi said to just sort of fake it for three rounds and he would pay us, so we did it," Luz recalled. "In the middle of the second round, I hit Peter hard in the face and said 'Whoops — I'm sorry Peter!' and the crowd booed." Peter won the fight, though he hardly laid a glove on Luz, or so says Luz. |
Peter and Luz worked odd jobs together, on the railroad and in the onion fields along the Mississippi River in Iowa. After long, hot July days topping onions, the boys would run and dive into the river. One day, Peter dove into shallow water, struck his head on rocks, and had what Luz said was a "five-, six-, maybe eight-inch cut in his head. We had to pull him out of die water. He was kind of groggy. We washed his wound with dirty river water, and that was it. His mother didn't do anything else when he got home — but he lived."
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"My father asked: 'Is anything wrong, Peter?' " "You must understand — our dad was really, really mean," sister Mercedes repeated. "We didn't do anything around him without asking permission. Even then, we were always in trouble." |
He
was seventeen when the United States went to war with Germany, Japan,
and Italy. The buildup for the war
and the rush of men into the service created a manpower shortage, and
Peter got a job at the nearby Rock Island Arsenal, the area's largest employer. He was paid seventy cents an hour,
and could work all the overtime he wanted. In March 1942, Peter
turned eighteen and the draft board ordered him inducted into
the U.S. Army. His half brother, Johnny Masias, told WGNTV in
1972: "He didn't volunteer. He waited to be drafted, but once he was
in he was proud to be wearing his airborne wings. He was standing
tall. He was proud."
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Peter
joined Company C of the 139th Airborne Engineer Battalion,
constituted in March 1943 at Camp Mackall, North Carolina, as
part of the 17th Airborne Division. Engineers specialized in laying
and removing mines, building and destroying bridges —some
of the most hazardous duties in World War II. |
On January 6, the 17th
airborne went on the defensive, with Peter's unit positioned on the
divisions left flank. Survivors hid in the open fields, line in me deep
snow for up to 48 hours without food or sleep. Many suffered frozen
feet. March 24, 1945 was clear and cold, at daybreak, the temperature was near freezing. Winds blew 20 to 25 mph - unfavorable conditions for flying and parachuting. Also, Allied shelling and bombing the day before had knocked down many landmarks the pilots were supposed to use. Pilots couldn't identify the jump areas, which were obscured by smoke from the German anti-aircraft guns. The 17th airborne suffered 834 men wounded, 282 men missing and 393 men killed during the day peters listed in the hundred and 39th airborne engineer battalions role of honor. Peter's younger half-sister, Lupe, believes that Peter's spirit returned home after he died. "One night, right after we learned that Peter had been killed, I was awakened by a shimmering pale light in the room where Peter had slept. I could see someone sitting in the pale light, taking off his big boots and laying down to sleep in Peter's bed," Lupe said. "And I knew that Peter had come home." He was buried, temporarily, in an Allied military cemetery near Wesel. In 1949, the Army disinterred Peter's body and ship it to Silvis, then buried him with full military honors at the U.S. Military Cemetery at the Rock Island Arsenal in August 1949. His body lies there today, under his borrowed, misspelled name.
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Reminiscences
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TSUNAMI,
pg. 79 In the Pacific, the phenomenon known as the Tsunami, or tidal wave, can occur at any time. It is usually caused by seismic disturbances that may happen deep in the ocean, resulting in an enormous amount of energy radiating in all directions. The energy is radiated much like the visual shock waves seen in atomic blasts, moving through the deep ocean water at speeds in excess of 400 miles per hour. The destructive damage occurs when the shock wave becomes confined by shallow water or an irregularity in the shape of the land mass such as a shallow bay. The result is the focusing of this energy into a tidal wave sometimes in excess of 50 feet in height. The city of Hilo on the big island of Hawaii has seen more than its fair share of this phenomenon. The shape of the bay at Hilo has resulted in several instances of extensive destruction. Upon my arrival at the John Rodgers Naval Air Station on Oahu, in the spring of 1946,1 had an opportunity to see what a tsunami can do. At the time I was attached to the VRJ transport unit. We took a C-54 on a checkout hop to the big island, landing at the Hilo airport. The flight was interesting in that we were able to sight-see the entire island from the air, including the still-active volcanoes. The scene at Hilo was anything but serene. The tsunami had hit the bay only a few days earlier, causing quite a bit of damage and loss of life on the ocean side of the main street. Everything located on the ocean side of the street had been washed away, including the railway station.
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remember the incongruity of a bare wall from a destroyed building still
standing like a monument to the catastrophe, a of the destruction. When the first wave hit, it rolled several blocks
up a major street that sloped upward away from the sea. By freak of
nature, it deposited a huge fish, flopping out of its environment. A
local inhabitant picked it up, tossed it onto his shoulder and proceeded
to take it home. A second tidal wave rushed up the hill, engulfing both
man and fish, returning the fish to its natural element and drowning the
luckless individual. After a number of tsunamis, and an understanding of what causes them,
the Pacific community developed a warning communications network to
alert ever one of an impending incident. This enables coastal
communities to prepare for the worst. The city of Hilo, realizing the
effect of the tsunami on their bay, has restricted people from building
in that area, instead reserving the bay for a park. The worst a tsunami
can do now is knock down some coconut palms. I can recall a few years ago a documentary film that traced the
history of the tsunami, and specifically the effect on Hilo. One segment
showed a scientist, who had been notified via the warning system of an
expected tsunami, setting up his camera and instruments on a stone
bridge over an entrance to the bay. He thought he was safe in his perch,
30 feet over the water. The first wave carried him and his equipment
away, never to be seen again.
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A CLOSE CALL,
pg 78 by Daniel L. Polino While in transit with another naval aviator between station assignments spent a few days at the Breezy Point Naval Air Station, adjacent to the Norfolk, Virginia, naval base. Since we were obligated to fly a minimum of four flight hours each month in order to qualify for our flight pay, we decided to arrange a flight out of the air base. Sometimes, we'd co-pilot on any available aircraft, like the PBM Mariner, which is much like piloting the Queen Mary. And so it was that this buddy and I checked in with NAS Breezy Point flight operations and signed up for a local flight scheduled for the next morning at 2 a.m. on a Martin B-26 twin engines light bomber. The wings on the B-26 twin small for the size and power of that aircraft that it was commonly known by tl nickname, "the flying prostitute" because it had no apparent means of support But it was very fast. For some unknown reason, a very unusual thing happened to us the next morning: We both overslept and awakened too late to make the flight. The result was that at about 8:05 a.m., we walked out of the junior officer's quarters and headed for the officers' mess at the senior bachelor officers quarters (BOQ), obviously too late for our scheduled flight. |
The layout in the housing area was as follows: There was a large circular mall covered with grass, with sidewalks joining the various buildings located along the periphery. Three main buildings around the mall included the junior BOQ, the senior BOQ, and the WAVES quarters. The distance between these buildings was approximately 100 yards. It was within this mall that the
following events occurred. As we left our building and started into the mall toward the senior BOQ mess hall for breakfast, we were commenting on the fact that we'd missed our flight and would have to go to flight operations and schedule another. At that instant, the B-26, with a substitute crew aboard, rose into the air off the runway, and directly over the mall, went into a half-roll, and crashed in front of us, between the buildings. The impact alone was sufficient to kill the five crewmen aboard, and the resultant flames fed by full tanks of gasoline incinerated what was left. The fire engines were there in just a few minutes and covered the area with several feet of foam. We watched them remove the burned bodies. But for the grace of God, and the fact that we'd overslept, it would have been us. That was the ONLY time I overslept on a duty day in my entire career. |
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CUENTO |
 Everett Sosa, 83, finally receives his medals from his service in the Korean War from Army Sgt. Jacob Hostetler |
A Korean War veteran erases a 60-year-old regret By Dennis McCarthy It was Christmas Eve and Everett Sosa was a man at peace. Everywhere he looked he saw love. Most of his 10 children and 30 grandchildren were sitting around talking and laughing, catching up on each other’s lives while they kept an eye on his 23 great-grandkids and waited for the homemade tamales to warm up in the oven. Everett never heard the doorbell ring. “Dad, it’s for you,” said his oldest daughter, Sally Lopez, who hosted the holiday family tradition at her home in Covina. The room went quiet as the 83-year-old patriarch of the family slowly
rose from his easy chair, thinking who could be looking for him on
Christmas Eve? It was his country, with a gift from 1953. Some medals he had earned 60 years ago serving in the Korean War. |
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Her
father never talked much about that time in his life when she and her
seven sisters and two brothers were growing up, says Ernestine Duran,
Everett’s youngest daughter. But that all changed at Thanksgiving
dinner in 2012. Everett began reminiscing about the time he spent on Koje Island (in
South Korea) where he guarded Chinese POW’s during the exchange of
prisoners. How it affected him when nearly 300 U.S. soldiers being held
as POW’s in North Korea decided after the cease-fire they didn’t
want to go home; they wanted to stay and live in North Korea. “He couldn’t understand how they could denounce their country like that,” Ernestine said. “He had a hard time with it. Then he told us one of his
biggest regrets was never receiving his medals so he could show them to
his kids.” “I was so excited to be home that I just never really knew what I
was supposed to do (to get the medals),” he said. “That’s my
regret. I look at my grandkids and great-grandkids today, and think they
would get a kick out of seeing those old war medals I earned.” |
After
that Thanksgiving dinner, Ernestine went online to see about applying
for the medals. With luck, maybe she could get them by Christmas. But
the first response back came in February 2013, and it wasn’t good
news. Her father’s military records were among tens of thousands destroyed by fire. The only way she could get the medals now was if she had her father’s original discharge papers. She couldn’t ask him because that would ruin the surprise. So she
went to the “boss” of the family — her mother. “I love my mother to death, but she can’t keep a secret,” Ernestine says. “She forgets which daughter tells her what, and ends up telling every one of us what the other is up to. “And Mom throws everything away. The joke in the family is if Mom
is looking for important papers, she looks in the couch cushions
first.” On July 4, 2013, Ernestine received a letter saying the medals would be sent. She waited and waited. She was told they were on back order; then the government shutdown happened.
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“Father’s
Day passed, my dad’s birthday passed, Veterans Day passed,
Thanksgiving passed. Every holiday I pictured giving my dad his medals
had passed.” Finally, earlier this month, they arrived — the Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars, the United Nations Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. Now what? It didn’t seem like enough just to have them framed and
wrapped up as a Christmas present. She went to the local Army
recruitment office in Glendora to see if there was a way the medals
could be presented to her father. Sgt. Jacob Hostetler of the Army recruitment office in Glendora wasn’t quite sure what to tell the woman standing in his office. He had never had a request to present a Korean War veteran his medals. He checked with his captain, and they both agreed. Sosa had served his country honorably in a time of war before either of them had even been born. The least they could do was rectify one of his biggest regrets. “I thought, why not do it on Christmas Eve?” Hostetler said. “What a cool present that would be, what a great surprise.” And so when the doorbell rang Tuesday night, it was Sgt. Jacob Hostetler standing there asking to see former Pfc. Everett Sosa. He had a gift the country owed him from 1953. He was confused at first, Everett said. He just stood there, looking at his family in tears, snapping pictures of him. |
Afterwards, Ernestine’s husband, Darren, walked Hostetler to his car and handed the sergeant a full tray of tamales to take home to his own family for Christmas Eve dinner. The two men shook hands and nodded. No words were needed. They had both just witnessed something we don’t see enough of in this country anymore. Pride. Respect. Inside the house, Everett was being treated like a hero by his family — even by the “boss.” He was a man at peace with the world. That 60-year-old regret from
1953 was finally gone. Dennis McCarthy’s column runs on Friday. He can be reached at dmccarthynews@gmail.com
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All you
ever wanted to know about Vietnam and a lot more.
Can look up old buddies from the service also.
This is probably the one of the best search lists compiled about Vietnam.
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/fac/Thomas.Pilsch/Vietnam.html Sent by Juan Marinez marinezj@msu.edu |
Good information of our
SS benefits
that our people should
be aware off.
Sent by Rafael Ojeda
rsnojeda@aol.com
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Drum & Fife Clinic
hosted by the Order of Granaderos y Damas de Galvez, San Antonio |
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Drum
& Fife Clinic |
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Attendees learned: How Drummers controlled the daily lives of soldiers Musical commands Drummers & Fifers gave on the battlefield Drum rudiments and fife techniques Technical exercises, drum rolls and cadences Tunes of the American Revolution Sent by Joe Perez |
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| En la publicación digital www.elespiadigital en la sección Informes publica el 3 de noviembre de 2013 el trabajo dedicado a la expedición de intento de regreso a América desde Filipinas y descubrimiento de Nueva Guinea por parte de Ortiz de Retes, en el trabajo titulado “Un español desconocido: El marino alavés Iñigo Ortiz de Retes”.En este trabajo se expone la aventura de este español universal, a la luz del amplio territorio geográfico que iluminó en una zona especialmente oscura en su época. Por su extensión y significado el mayor logro fue la exploración y la posesión de la gran isla de Nueva Guinea. Aún hoy todavía muchos de los topónimos dados por los españoles siguieron usándose durante más de tres siglos, y algunos todavía perviven. No nos cabe duda de que el amplio trabajo cartográfico de la campaña ayudó a un mayor y mejor conocimiento de las aguas del Pacífico, cimentando así la empresa posterior de Legazpi y sobre todo la definitiva de Urdaneta. La intuición de Ortiz de Retes y de quienes le precedieron sobre la existencia de importantes territorios en la zona austral del Pacífico, alentaron las siguientes exploraciones en busca de la Terra Australis, en su mayoría ya lanzadas desde el Virreinato del Perú. http://www.elespiadigital.com/index.php/informes/3511-un-espanol -desconocido-el-marino-alaves-inigo-ortiz-de-retes |
Intervención radiofónica en la emisora
Es.Radio, el domingo 3 de junio de 2012, en el programa “Sin Complejos”, dentro de la sección titulada “Españoles
Olvidados”, en esta ocasión dedicado a “Los exploradores del Pacífico, soldados viejos y
estropeados, especialmente en homenaje a los marinos Ruy López de Villalobos y Ortiz de
Retes, protagonistas de los dos últimos intentos de búsqueda del Tornaviaje y descubrimiento de Nueva Guinea”. El objetivo de todos estos artículos e intervenciones no es otro que hacer presente y actual nuestra memoria histórica en la idea de abonar el camino para recuperar la verdad histórica y cohesionar España.Fonoteca de
Es.Radio: José Antonio Crespo rinde un pequeño homenaje a aquellos soldados españoles que viejos y
estropeados, y sobre todo, olvidados, como Ruy López de Villalobos y Ortiz de
Retes. Esta semana, los que surcaban el Pacífico.
http://fonoteca.esradio.fm/2012-06-03/espanoles- |
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En este trabajo se expone la aventura de este español universal, a la luz del amplio territorio geográfico que iluminó en una zona especialmente oscura en su época. Por su extensión y significado el mayor logro fue la exploración y la posesión de la gran isla de Nueva Guinea. Aún hoy todavía muchos de los topónimos dados por los españoles siguieron usándose durante más de tres siglos, y algunos todavía perviven. No nos cabe duda de que el amplio trabajo cartográfico de la campaña ayudó a un mayor y mejor conocimiento de las aguas del Pacífico, cimentando así la empresa posterior de Legazpi y sobre todo la definitiva de Urdaneta. La intuición de Ortiz de Retes y de quienes le precedieron sobre la existencia de importantes territorios en la zona austral |
 del Pacífico, alentaron las siguientes exploraciones en busca de la Terra Australis, en su mayoría ya lanzadas desde el Virreinato del Perú. |
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| Hablamos como siempre de marinos y soldados olvidados especialmente en estas líneas de los soldados viejos y estropeados en la exploración del Pacífico. Son muchos los capítulos desconocidos de nuestra Historia protagonizados por soldados españoles que acabaron no sólo olvidados, en muchos casos perdieron la vida o terminaron “viejos y estropeados”. Recordemos que esta palabra “estropear” en origen significaba maltratar a uno dejándole cojo, manco o lisiado, lastimado gravemente, dejándolo muy maltratado. Covarrubias aseguraba viene de Tropa por ser la vida y servicio con ella la que por lo regular ocasionaba estos daños. Cervantes en el Quijote, tomo 2 capítulo 26 emplea el término cuando dice “derribando a unos, descabezando a otros, estropeando a este, destrozando a aquel…”. |
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| Tras la llegada a América un segundo capítulo se abre… Alcanzar Asia, que se creía muy próxima, apenas pasando un golfo, por ello las primeras expediciones marítimas cortesianas que no pasaron de costear California. | Finaliza este período con el descubrimiento del
Tornaviaje abriendo una potente línea comercial que uniría hacia el
oeste, la península, Nueva España y Asia, convirtiendo al peso duro, el
real de a ocho, en la |
primera moneda internacional del
momento, lo que hoy día es el dólar. Como primer hito citemos el descubrimiento del Mar del Sur por Balboa, así bautizado, en 1513. |
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| Distinguimos una primera fase conocida como la de los “Viajes al
Maluco”, con el objetivo de reivindicar las Molucas, islas de las
especias, que según las interpretaciones al amparo de la imprecisión del Tratado
de Tordesillas en el cálculo de la longitud geográfica eran consideradas de responsabilidad española. |
Aquí enmarcamos las expediciones de Magallanes-El Cano (1519-22), la de Loaysa (1525-27), la de Saavedra (1527-1529) y la de Grijalva (1536-37), todo fueron desgracias, sufrimientos, frustraciones, que gracias a la perseverancia y la inasequibilidad al desaliento, no amedrentaron a aquellos soldados… y el conocimiento sobre las corrientes, los vientos y los nuevos | descubrimientos
a bordo de aquellos cascarones fueron en aumento. El tratado de Zaragoza, en 1529, puso fin a esta fase de la navegación española en el Pacífico, zanjando el contencioso en favor de las pretensiones portuguesas. |
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La segunda fase, se corresponde con la penetración española en el
Pacífico y tuvo la meta concreta de ocupar las islas de Poniente,
Filipinas, y el establecimiento de una ruta estable que garantizase el
contacto regular con la América española.
En este ciclo se encuadra la expedición de Ruy López de Villalobos que aunque no condujo al establecimiento permanente ni a la determinación de una ruta de retorno contribuyó al conocimiento de las Filipinas y de nuevas islas y archipiélagos, luego renombrados por otros europeos. Ambos objetivos serían conseguidos por la siguiente expedición, la de Legazpi (1564-65), fundador de Manila, y el hallazgo de la vía de regreso por Andrés de Urdaneta puesto al frente de la nave capitaneada por el joven piloto Felipe de Salcedo. Pues bien, de lo que pudo considerarse un fracaso y que es ejemplo
de perseverancia, son los intentos de regreso Villalobos, acuciado por el hambre, la falta de recursos y la presión ortuguesa, enviaría los dos siguiente intentos de regreso, el quinto con la nao San Juan de Letrán mandada por |
Bernardo de la
Torre, y el sexto del 16 de mayo de 1545, mandado por el bravo alavés Iñigo
Ortiz de Retes, a quien con Villalobos dedicamos estas sencillas líneas,
pues los estudiosos han hecho recaer una severa sentencia sobre la expedición de Villalobos, sumada a su desastroso final y al conflicto jurisdiccional con los portugueses, olvidando el bautismo de Felipina, a Leite, que luego daría el nombre de Filipinas desde documento fechado el 24 de septiembre de 1559. Además de que Retes en su desesperado intento de regreso por la línea ecuatorial desconociendo la corriente oceánica en contra con la que no podría luchar daría nombre a la gran isla de Nueva Guinea, en razón a la piel oscura de los melanesios pobladores de aquella tierra. Es de justicia señalar en el activo de la expedición la identificación de varios archipiélagos, el actual Revillagigedo, Marshall, Marianas, Filipinas, Volcano, Bonin y Shouten en torno a Nueva Guinea, sin desdeñar las exploraciones de Bernardo de la Torre y de Iñigo Ortiz de Retes en el laberinto isleño filipino, y de este último como pionero en la exploración de Nueva Guinea de la que tomó formal posesión el 21 de junio de 1545, y que podemos leer en el documento depositado en el AGI como Relación del viaje que hizo Ruy López de Villalobos desde Nueva España a las islas de Poniente, año de 42 por orden del Virrey Don Antonio de Mendoza.
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Villalobos muere desesperado por el dolor del incumplimiento de la
misión comido por fiebres palúdicas en Amboina, el Viernes Santo de
1546, en brazos de San Francisco Xavier.
El represo de los 144 supervivientes estuvo jalonado de calamidades desde Amboina, isla de Java, Sumatra, Malaca, Goa, hasta llegar a Lisboa por el Índico y Atlántico el 1 de agosto de 1548 momento en el que García de Escalante concluye la relación de este apasionante viaje. Tras esta introduccíon dedicamos las siguientes líneas al recuerdo de este hombre en un momento tan crucial en el que no sabemos si el patrimonio inmaterial que constituye la memoria de las personas y sus hechos quedará fraccionado en 17 pedazos próximamente. Lo que no cabe duda es que este hombre fue por el mundo sirviendo a su rey y a España desde ese territorio tan español como las Vascongadas desde el que florecieron exploradores, soldados y misioneros desde la antigüedad al servicio del Imperio Español, participando de forma voluntaria y consciente en la arquitectura y definición de España. |
Es
indudable que en la exploración y el conocimiento del más extenso de
los océanos los españoles tuvieron un papel decisivo y dentro de ellos
los marinos vascos ocupan un lugar especial y decisivo. Como anecdótico
podemos citar que los dos grandes personajes europeos que abrieron las
vías para su descubrimiento y exploración, desde poniente y desde
levante, se llamaran “Vasco”, por un lado el portugués Vasco de
Gama, primero en alcanzar el Pacífico desde levante y el extremeño
Vasco Núñez de Balboa que lo hizo desde la costa este del estrecho de Panamá. Ese océano llamado Pacífico por la calma con que sus aguas recibieron a Balboa y su grupo, sería por primera vez atravesado de este a oeste por la nave Victoria capitaneada por Juan Sebastián Elcano nativo de Guetaria, resaltando el hecho de que en la expedición de Magallanes había al menos 30 vascos, ello nos lleva a pensar en la decidida actuación de estos bravos españoles como tales, lejos de la corrupción histórica que hoy se lleva a cabo pervirtiendo la esencia de nuestro pasado. |
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| El primero en armar navíos y explorar la costa del Pacífico americano
fue el alavés Pascual de Andagoya, de la misma manera que otro de los pioneros en marear por estas aguas fue Juan de
Basurto. Más tarde sucedieron otros dos excepcionales navegantes vascos que marcarían el destino de la que sería navegación comercial a través de ese inmenso océano: por un lado el guipuzcoano Miguel López de Legazpi, explorador y conquistador de las Filipinas y del agustino Fray Andrés de Urdaneta, nacido en la guipuzcoana Villafranca de Oria, quien encontró el camino de tornaviaje trazando la ruta definitiva que durante siglos recorrerían los galeones españoles, el famoso Galeón de Manila, entre México y las islas orientales que formaban parte del Virreinato de Nueva España. Esto supuso la total apertura de un amplio espacio marítimo que hasta aquel momento sólo había permitido el regreso con vida a sus exploradores por la agotadora ruta de poniente. Junto a estos conocidos no podemos olvidar a un enjambre de otros muchos españoles dentro de los que había otros vascos cuyo buen hacer influyó en el devenir de este océano, el lago español, y que aportaron esfuerzo, conocimiento, valor, y la propia vida, en esa titánica aventura que supuso el descubrimiento, exploración, conquista y poblamiento de los espacios físicos en aquellas aguas y tierras, las más orientales del imperio español. |
En todas las expediciones pacíficas siempre hubo marineros españoles
entrenados en las aguas del bravo Cantábrico, gallegos, asturianos, cántabros y vascos codo con
codo. Su experiencia marinera les hizo ser apreciados y fue raro el navío que partiendo de Sevilla no llevara en su
tripulación marineros y curtidos oficiales nacidos en las orillas del cantábrico desde Galicia a Fuenterrabía que no hubiese tenido su bautizo en ese mar norteño. Podemos citar algunos como Juan de Areyzaga, natural de Cestona, náufrago patagónico y marino en la expedición de Jofre de Loaysa al Pacífico (1525-27); las desventuras y hallazgos en los bellísimos fiordos australes de Chile de la nave San Sebastián descritos por el escribano Miguel de Goyzueta en 1557; la exploración y conquista del archipiélago de Chiloé realizada en 1567 por Martín Ruiz de Gamboa, oriundo de Durango; las peripecias Martín de Ibarra, nacido en Bilbao, maestre de la nao San Pedro, nave capitana de la flota de Legazpi; o la errática singladura de Iñigo Ortiz de Retes, de quien hablamos hoy en estas líneas. A ellos sumamos un cosmos estrellado de marinos gallegos, asturianos, andaluces… que darían para una enciclopedia y que merecería una detallada biografía como mínimo así como la atención de nuestros cinematógrafos. |
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| DESTINO:
EL OCÉANO PACÍFICO El alavés Iñigo Ortiz de Retes es uno de los singulares marinos participantes en la deslumbrante aventura de la exploración y conquista de las aguas y aislados territorios del Pacífico durante las primeras décadas del siglo XVI. Su impresionante y accidentada travesía junto a la costa de la Gran Isla de Nueva Guinea merece y debe ser recordada como un hito de nuestra Historia Naval, como una aventura única y excepcional, que, como tantas otras protagonizadas por los aquellos navegantes ibéricos del siglo XVI, sobre frágiles cascarones de nuez, convierte en cosa sencilla los actuales desafíos en la navegación. Quienes han estudiado y se han adentrado en su biografía confirman un destino claramente marcado con la empresa de la exploración de la Mar del Sur, así como su nacimiento en la aldea alavesa de Retes de Llanteno, hoy tierras del municipio de Ayala. Era hijo de Iñigo Ortiz y de madre María Sánchez, hidalgos y vecinos de Retes, tal como se confirma en diversas relaciones y documentos donde se le cita como hidalgo. No hay datos sobre su nacimiento, infancia y juventud, que pudo ser durante la primera década del siglo, pero lo que si podemos imaginar es que desde muy pronto sentiría la llamada del mar y la entrada al servicio al emperador, muy lejos de los valles alaveses. Atraído por la empresa americana, marchó a Sevilla con el ánimo de embarcarse en algún galeón atlántico. Podemos verlo por primera vez en un documento que lo relaciona es el listado de expedicionarios a Indias que acompañaban a Pedro de Alvarado en 1538 en su trayecto como gobernador de Guatemala. |
Alvarado parte de España con la licencia de Carlos I de España y V de
Alemania para explorar la costa occidental de México, de lo que se creía era un simple golfo que en uno de sus extremos tendría a la India
desconociendo la inmensidad que se abriría ante sus ojos, e intentar alcanzar las
Molucas. Siguiendo el rastro documental dejado por el alavés, escudriñado por sus biógrafos, se conoce que anduvo siempre cerca de Alvarado y comprometido con la empresa marítima del conquistador. Asentado en la ciudad de México, es muy probable que estuviera implicado en los preparativos técnico-financieros de la expedición hacia las Molucas. Cuando Alvarado ya había conseguido aprovisionar tres barcos, una sublevación de indios palisqueños en los territorios de Nueva Galicia obligaron a suspender temporalmente la aventura marítima. Sucedió lo que se conoce como la Guerra del Miztón o Mixtón que consistió en una serie de enfrentamientos bélicos entre varias tribus indígenas, denominadas de forma genérica chichimecas, pertenecientes a la audiencia de Nueva Galicia, al poniente de la Nueva España. Poco antes de que iniciaran las hostilidades, el virrey Antonio de Mendoza había enviado al gobernador de Nueva Galicia Francisco Vázquez de Coronado por tierra, y a Hernando de Alarcón por mar hacia el norte, en expediciones simultáneas para buscar la mítica ciudad de Cíbola (o Siete Ciudades). quedando el control de Nueva Galicia, en manos del teniente de gobernador Cristóbal de Oñate1, padre del futuro fundador de Nuevo México, Juan de Oñate. |
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| Alvarado y sus hombres llegaron a Guadalajara el 12 de junio de 1541.
Se reunió con Cristóbal de Oñate, quien considero necesario esperar por más refuerzos a lo que Alvarado se opuso entrando rápidamente
en acción.
1 Descubridor
de las minas de plata de Zacatecas y fundador de esa La muerte de Pedro de Alvarado dejó en suspenso por algún tiempo la
travesía hacia las islas orientales. El virrey Pedro Antonio de Mendoza
encargó al experimentado marino malagueño Ruy López de Villalobos que continuase los avanzados planes de Alvarado y armase una flotilla |
asentamientos
en las tierras de poniente, así como trazar una ruta fiable de regreso desde las islas orientales a las costas del Pacífico de Nueva España. De
esta manera Ortiz de Retes quedaba de nuevo ligado al proyecto exploratorio de la Mar del
Sur. LA DESCONOCIDA EXPEDICIÓN DE VILLALOBOS La mayor parte de la singladura de esta expedición es conocida gracias a la crónica Relación del viaje que hizo desde Nueva España a las Islas de Poniente Ruy López de Villalobos por orden del virrey Antonio de Mendoza, escrita por uno de los marineros de la expedición, el cántabro García de Escalante Alvarado3. 2 náhuatl: sol. 3 Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, 1999. Este documento relata el regreso exitoso del navío y sirve de fuente original la crónica de Juan Gaitán, que nos ha llegado hasta nosotros en italiano, gracias al libro recopilatorio de Juan Bautista Ramusio. Villalobos era un reputado capitán de las flotas de Indias, quien por orden del virrey de Nueva España se hizo cargo de los planes, hombres y navíos de Alvarado que debían explorar las rutas marítimas del Pacífico. Con seis pequeñas naos y 370 marineros zarpó del puerto de Navidad, en el actual estado mejicano de Jalisco, el 1 de noviembre día de Todos los Santos de 1542 con rumbo oeste. Ocho días después alcanzaron el archipiélago que luego se llamaría de Revillagigedo, avistado ya con anterioridad por naves españolas. En la travesía se dieron nombres a diversas islas, como la Nublada, la de Roca Partida, el Placer y los Bajos de Villalobos, hasta que en el atolón nombrado como de los Corales decidieron pasar la Navidad y hacer allí aguada. El día de Reyes de 1543 levaron anclas y se hicieron a la mar camino del desconocido poniente. Pronto avistaron un rosario de pequeñas islas habitadas a las que llamaron los Jardines. |
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Asociación
Cultural Bernardo de Gálvez y Gallardo Conde de Gálvez |
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The purpose of this Association is to research, study and disseminate any historical events related to Bernardo De Galvez, with a focus on the significance and major world wide impact in the fields of military, political and social issues.
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The goal is to give national
and international visibility to the the memory of Bernardo de
Galvez. We hope to compile written materials which will be
readily available to current and future generations.
For more information, please go to: |
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Carta
del Presidente: Miguel Ángel Gálvez Toro. Presidente |
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Es
una gran satisfacción para mi, como presidente de la Asociación
Cultural “Bernardo de Gálvez y Gallardo. Conde de Gálvez” darle la
bienvenida a nuestra página web. |
Su
labor en la Luisiana, con las victorias sobre el ejército inglés, y la
ayuda material a los colonos americanos permitieron que los Estados
Unidos de America tuvieran la posibilidad de independizarse de la corona
británica.
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España
y Estados Unidos, en el mascarón de Bernardo de Gálvez
La recuperación de la figura del libertador de
Macharaviaya suscita entusiasmo entre congresistas y multinacionales
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Detalle del retrato del militar de Macharaviaya y héroe de la independencia americana. L. O. |
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Numerosas
instituciones oficiales y empresas se ofrecen a colaborar con el
proyecto de la malagueña Teresa Valcarce, que el pasado verano inició
las gestiones para cumplir con la resolución expresada por el gobierno
americano en 1783: la instalación Todos con Bernardo de Gálvez.
Más de doscientos años después de su hazaña en la bahía de |
Numerous official institutions and companies have offered to
collaborate with the efforts of
Teresa Valcarce from Málaga.
Last summer she began efforts to comply with a resolution passed by the U.S. government in
1783. It was for the
installation of a painting in the U.S. Capitol by a Spanish citizen from Málaga. The Bernardo de Gálvez
Association, has also asked that as part of the initiative, that Málaga be
the seat of the annual forum of both countries All with Bernardo de Gálvez. Over two hundred years after his feat in Panzacola Bay, Pensacola for the Americans, the soldier from Málaga remains without being able to sing “I only”, the motto that became his herald and badge of heroism. At least, in regard to support. The proposal that his portrait hang in the main area of the Capitol, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1783 and resumed this summer by the efforts of Teresa Valcarce Graziani, is about to achieve that the hero of independence emerges victorious from his last battle. And besides, in great style, with the enthusiastic support of American and Spanish institutions. If last December, like this newspaper already anticipated, the idea that Gálvez would be installed finally in Congress had the blessing of a group of American congressmen, now, the case has been extended to both sides of the Atlantic. The good work of the researcher Manuel Olmedo and the Bernardo Gálvez Association, who discovered the documents in which the will of the American representatives was reflected, and, above all, the courage and the tenacity of Valcarce Graciani has managed to gain the support for the project from a diverse assortment of institutions.
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Además
del Ayuntamiento y la Diputación de Málaga, los ministerios de
Exteriores, Defensa y Educación y Cultura están interesados en el
proyecto, al igual que la Real Academia de la Historia, MarcaEspaña, la
Fundación del Banco Santander, Fujitsu, Italcimenti y Unicaja. Un
destacamento pilotado por la determinación de Valcarce y las
investigaciones de Manuel Olmedo que parece En los próximos meses, si se continúa
con los plazos, Bernardo de Gálvez emprenderá su último viaje al país
que ayudó a liberar. Y, por si fuera poco, mucho más robustecido en
cuanto al recuerdo de su papel histórico, que curiosamente todavía es
más conocido en Estados unidos que en España. La asociación que pelea
por reivindicar su figura ha pedido que, aprovechando el eco del
libertador malagueño, Málaga se convierta este año en sede del foro
de la Fundación España-Estados Unidos. Un encuentro en el que el
colectivo espera poder hacer entrega del primer premio Bernardo de Gálvez,
que fue concedido al rey Juan Carlos en agradecimiento por haber
regalado una estatua del militar a la nación americana. El galardón de
la siguiente edición, según la organización, ya tiene dueño. Y no
podía ser otro que Teresa Valcarce, la obstinada malagueña que ha
guiado al héroe hacia el mar que le esperaba.
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Besides the City Hall and Deputation of Málaga, the Ministries of
Foreign Affairs, Defense and Education, and Culture are interested in
the project, as well as the Royal Academy of History, MarcaEspaña,
the Foundation of Bank Santander, Fujitsu, Italcimenti, and Unicaja. A
detachment driven by the determination of Valcarce and the research of
Manuel Olmedo that seems difficult to torpedo. Especially, learning of
the enthusiastic applause of the American senators and congressmen
themselves.
During the coming months, if they continue with the deadlines, Bernardo de Gálvez will undertake his last trip to the country that he helped set free. And, if that were not enough, much more strengthened in terms of the memory of his historical role, which curiously is still better known in the United States than in Spain. The association that fights to reclaim his figure has asked that, taking advantage of the echo of the liberator of Málaga, Málaga will this year become the seat of the forum Spain-United States Foundation. A meeting in which the group hopes to make a delivery of the first Bernardo Gálvez prize, which was granted to King Juan Carlos in gratitude for having given a statue of the soldier to the American nation. The award of the next edition, according the organization, already has an owner. And it could not be other than Teresa Valcarce, the stubborn woman from Málaga that has guided the hero towards the sea before him.
The new portrait of the hero, with objective laid in America The
efforts to fulfill the historical will of the American people and honor
the figure of Bernardo de Gálvez has accelerated following the
interview of Teresa Valcarce with Chris Van Hollen, Democrat congressman
from Maryland. Although the dates are subject to an official
confirmation, it is probably predicted that the new painting of the
soldier will depart at the end of this month to the United States, bound to
the Capitol. This is an exact replica of the original, attributed to
Maella, court painter to Carlos III. In this case, the signature is one
from Málaga, Carlos Monserrate, who
has offered, as everyone else who is participating in the project, to
work selflessly. The fact is given that the work of Bernardo de Gálvez
is noticeably glossed over in the United States, more than in Spain. In the land in
which his military prowess starred, the hero of Macharaviaya has four
commemorative statues, while his home country has still not erected
any statue to remember the deeds that facilitated the independence
the north American nation. This historical imbalance is precisely what
the project is trying to correct. Among others, the Bernardo de Gálvez Association and
the College of Technical Engineers of Málaga, have recovered much
of his biographical material. Among the documents is a letter written by
Oliver
Pollock to Gálvez requesting a portrait so that his name
will be known forever by the United States Congress. |
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Journals of the
Continental Congress, 1774-1789 Mr. J[ohn] Montgomery, a delegate from Pennsylvania, returned, and took his seat.
Dear concerned persons,
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Page 333 | Page
image The delegates for Virginia laid before
Congress a letter of the 3, from Thomas Walke; and the same being read, On motion of Mr. [Theodorick] Bland,
seconded by Mr. [Hugh] Williamson, Ordered, That a copy of the said letter
be transmitted to the Commander in Chief, for his information in
carrying into effect the resolution of the 15 of April last.1 [Note 1: 1
Walke's letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78,
XXIV, folio 367.] The Committee [Mr. Thomas Mifflin, Mr.
Samuel Holten, Mr. John Lewis Gervais] on the letter from Oliver Pollock
dated 8th May, 1783, report the following resolution-- Resolved, That the Secretary inform Mr.
Pollock that Congress accept his present of a portrait of Don
Bernardo de Galvez late Governor of Louisiana. Resolved, That the Secretary do cause
the same to be placed in the room in which Congress meet.2 [Note 2: 2 This
report, in the writing of Thomas Mifflin, is in the Papers of the
Continental Congress, No. 19, V, folio 195. The indorsement states that
it was acted on this day. According to the record in Committee Books No.
186 and No. 191, the committee was appointed May 8 and
the report delivered the same day, and "acted on by endorsing the
acceptance on the letter." The following, undated, in the writing
of Hugh Williamson, is on folio 197: [Motion
of Mr. Stephen Higginson, and Mr. Arthur Lee.] Resolved,
That the Superintendant of Finance be directed to lay before Congress a
particular account plan of the measures he has taken or intends to take
for paying the army in consequence of the resolutions of 28 day of last
month and the 2d day of this instant.3 [Note 3: 3 This
motion, in the writing of Stephen Higginson, is in the Papers of the
Continental Congress, No. 36, II, folio 107. The indorsement indicates
that the motion was made on this date.] Sent by Leroy Martinez leroymartinez@charter.net
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BRITO BEGINNINGS Britos In Mexico |
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Recommended by Marie Brito
Cortez brought NO Britos with him to the new world. There were seven
deLeon soldiers: Fr Juan deLeon, Gonzalo deLeon,
Juan deLeon, Juan Leon Cardona, Alonso deLeon (there is a book on his descendants), and two men who came to Santa Cruz with Narvaez' army: Alvaro deLeon and Diego deLeon.
Montejo brought no Britos or Leons with him on his explorations.
Guzman did not either. Neither did Coronado, even though he DID bring
200 Native American
Indians north with his settlers of 1540. Luna brought Garcia deLeon to Florida, but no Britos.
Nueva Gallicia, which was a western Mexico Spanish colonial
region, comprised of Jalisco, Nayarit, San Luis Potosi, southern Sinaloa, and part of Zacatecus, existed from 1529 to 1563 or later. There are no Britos in these records. Francisco deLeon, the son of Alonso deLeon and Catalina Rodriguez, lived there and married the daughter of Francisco Garcia Farfan. Farfan later brought a group of settlers from Zacatecas north with Onate, who was from Zacatecus. The Brito native american line was also from Zacatecus. See line #D p60 & line #S p 61.
[This history is a quote from an undocumented source:]
In 1540, Coronado journeyed through New Mexico on his way north from Mexico City. He brought 1500 people with him, including Spanish soldiers, Negros, and 200 Native Americans, many of whom had fought with Cortez against the Aztecs..
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The Tlaxcalean Indians of the 1600's in the Valley of Mexico were
representatives of "a powerful Nahuatl-speaking people who
allied with the Spanish to bring about the downfall of the Mexica
(Aztec) empire, and who assisted them with other military and
political endeavors as the Conquest was carried north"--from a
paper by Elizabeth Oster.]
The language of Nahuatle was spoken by the Tlaxcala, ToHeca, and the Mexica-Azteca peoples prior to Cortez, but there are less than 25,000 people now who still speak the language, mainly in the Mexican state or Federal district or Tlaxcal in the middle of the fishtail of Mexico. [There were NO Britos in Coronado's group.] of footpaths called El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which the native americans used as a trade route from Mexico to the Chaco Canyon in what is now New Mexico, USA. This Royal Road was also called the Rio Grande Pueblo Trail. It started in Mexico City and ended at the San Juan Pueblo, north of Espanola NM. San Juan was the village where Onate's settlers lived until the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when they fled south to El Paso down the Royal Road. Between Espanola and Las Cruces NM is a 90 mile long desert called the Jornado del Muerto because so much of it was marked by the graves of the travelers who died there. |
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Onate's caravan covered 4 to 12 miles a day and stretched out four
miles long. It took them until summer to get to San Juan, which was
the first Spanish settlement in New Mexico, and the farthest north
outpost of New Spain. They were 1800 miles from Mexico City, and had a
very difficult time getting needed supplies. Since the reason for the
settlement was to bring Christianity to the natives, the government of
Spain authorized mission supply--mule--pack trains, which became the
standard link between Mexico City (the capital city of Nueva Espana)
and San Juan (the capital city of the Kingdom of New Mexico).
Beginning in 1609, people, freight, animals, mail and Government papers, traders, businessmen, priests, new settlers, people going home, government officials, and others made the six month trip. News from the outside world came too. Every three years, a supply train left Mexico City; Other pack trains left Santa Fe going south, usually in August or September. Men took their families and food with them, and camped out along the way. By 1629, there were 25 missions in NM, all supplied and staffed via the El Camino Real. The Port of Veracruz, Mexico, held a Spanish government monopoly on things shipped into or out of Mexico. There was an import duty which was collected for Columbus and his descendants. Everything was taxed at the port and at the crossing of all Provinces. (New Mexico was exempt from Province taxes.) This, and because there was a barter economy instead of hard currency, caused all imported goods to be scarce and expensive. |
The deLeon immigrants came to Nuevo Mexico from Leon and other areas
of central Spain.
When Diego Jose DeVargas brought the recolonizers back to New Mexico in 1694, (via the Royal Road, of course), the capital city was established in SantaFe. (Albuquerque began in 1706.) Shortly thereafter, Chihuahua was founded in 1707 as the capital city of the Province of Nueva Vizcaya. There was a lot of trade between these two cities (which were connected by the El Camino Real) because Chihuahua was the site of a government mint since they had silver mines.
The large, wealthy landowners in the Rio Grand Valley south of
Albuquerque, [the Ricos from the Rio Abajo] shipped sheep to Mexico on
the Royal Road. These were the Armijo, Chaves, Otero, Sandoval, Perea,
and Yrizarri families. Later, in the 1800's, the names of the wealthy
merchants who took caravans down to Mexico were: Albo, Aragon,
Archuleta, Armijo, Baca, Chavez, Duran, Flores, Garcia, Gomez, Griego,
Gutierrez, Lopaz, Lucero, Mascarenas, Martinez, Miranda, Montano,
Ortiz, Perea, Romero, Sanchez, Sandoval, and Santillanes.
Most of these merchants traded in Chihuahua, Durango, or Sonora; some
went to El Paso or Zacetacus, and a few went as far south as Puebla or
Guadalajara or Mexico City. They had to get government permits.
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There were other trade routes; from Santa Fe to St. Louis
Missouri, from Santa Fe to Illinois, from Santa Fe to San Antonio Texas, and from Santa Fe thru Arizona to Utah. Eventually, Taos NM and Pecos NM became trade centers for the Spanish and Indians, while wealthy merchants ignored Spanish law and obtained their goods from the USA.
In 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain and became an
independent country. The USA annexed the northern part of Mexico after
the Spanish American War of 1846-1848 and named it the Territory of
New Mexico.
Nueva Gallisteo began in the 1500's and included Texas and more.Alonso
de Leon explored Texas in 1689.
A northeastern area of Nueva Espana which became part of the USA was called Nuevo Santander or Escandion. It was begun in 1700 and lasted til the mid 1700s. It included Southern Texas and some of Mexico. [The Olive Indians lived in Texas.] The best website for it is www.mcallen.lib.tx.us/historyr8histrp.htm The Padilla genealogy comes from here. [Connects to line #29] |
Juan Bautista de Anza went to California in 1775 and took no
Britos or deLeons with him, but in the records of 1790-1800, we find two Brito artillerymen: Mariano Brito and Miguel Brito. I have not found any more information about these soldiers. I do have a Mariano Brito in my database, who was born in Santa Fe in 1770 to Joseph Diego Brito and Manuela de la Cruz. There is a likely Miguel Brito there, also. The Brito family has long roots into Iberia. Portuguese people who married Britos before 1500 included Acosta, Arellano, Castro, Chavez, Enriquez Estavez, Gil, Mafaldo, Martin, Martinez, Mendoza, Meneses, Miranda, Moura, Ponce de Leon, Oliveyra, Rodriguez, Sotomayor, and de Sousa.
In the 1500's, Britos married these families in Spain: de Acuna, Aleman, de la Calle, Gomez, Gonzales, de Sangroniz, and de Sosa.
In the 1600's, Hernandez, de Paz, Rodrigues, Serrano, and
Suarre joined us in Spain, and ---, ---, and --- in Puerto Rico. Since Britos were sailing to the New World, we also added Baptista, Caro, and Peres in the Dominican Republic and Mendez in Brazil. See line #8 p62 |
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In Nueva Espana--which became Mexico and the southern USA, Britos in
the 1500's added Martin (in the Distrito Federal) and de Otalora (in
Puebla) to the family surname list.
During the 1600's there began
to be a population explosion and the Britos were included, but I have
found no records of marriages to Brito people in Coahuila, Durango,
Michocan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala,
or Veracruz.
There is a town called 'Santiago Brito' in Tlaxcala.
In the 1600's, Britos married deTorres in Aguascalentes; deBustos in
Guanajuato; de la Cruz in SanLuis Potosi; Franco and Renteria in
Sinaloa; Navarro and Salgado in Teloloapan; de la Cruz and Duran in
Zacatecus; Fernandez, Franco and Rodriguez in Jalisco; de la Cruz, de
Espinosa, and Rodrigues in Hidalgo; Amigon, Bernal, and Gonzales in
Oaxaca; Carasco, de la Cruz, de Dios, and Martin in Campeche; Aldana,
Bisente, Cutz, and Hernandez in Yucatan.
There were many many Britos in Guerrero, Puebla, and the Distrito
Federal of Nueva Espana from the 1600's on.
In Guerrero in the 1600's, Britos married Mendiola, Morales,
Quesada, Rodrigues, and Salgado.
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In Puebla, we added de Anaya, dela Cruz, Lomelin, Lopez,
de Ortega, Otalora, dela Pena, de Torres, de Torixa, de Villegas and de Villegas Y Godines.
In the Distrito Federal, we added Abarado, Calderon, Cortez,
dela Candelaria, de Arviso, Fernandez, Garcia, Gonzales, Hernandes, Milan, Peralta, Peres, Rodrigues, Sanchez, Senteno, de Sierra y Vargas, and de Villa.
El Paso del Norte in Chihuahua added people who married Britos in the
1600's: de la Concepcion, dela Cruz, de Dios, Gomez, and Madrid.
In Santa Fe, one of the furthest northern outposts, Britos in the
1600's married dela Concepcion, dela Cruz, Duran, Geronima, Gomez, and Granillo. In the 1700's, there are LONG lists of surnames to add to the Britos: Campeche gave us Carrasco, dela Cruz, and Morales.
Chihuahua added de Abalos, Begarano, Candelaria, Cardenas, Chanos,
Cortez, Duran, Evalos, Evaro, Luzero, Lujan, Madrid, Morales, Pantoja,
Pena, and Varela. [The Varellas were in Albuquerque in the 1600's]
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Also in Chihuahua, at El Paso del Norte, we added Lucero and
dela Rosa.
The Distrito Federal gave many new surnames to the Brito Family tree:
Abarado, Argate, Baldivia, de Cano, Castaneda, Cavallero, Cayetano, de
Contreras, Cubillo y Carranza, Duarte, de Errera, Fernandez, Flores y
Castillo, Gil, Godoy, Goicoechea, Gonzales, de Guerra, Gusman, Hurtazo,
Lazcano, de Lizama, Lucio, Martinez, Menesses, Origuela, Pena, de los
Reyes, Rosales, de Salazar, Salassar, Sanchez, de Sosia Alzate, Suarre,
Trinidad, Toro y Altamirano, de Torres, de Urtutia, Urtado, Xavierra,
and Zacatecas.
In Guanjuato, we added: dela Cruz, Moxica, and delos Rios.
Guerrero was full of Britos and they married with:
Agilar, de Areyano, Belasques, Benansia, Batalla, Casilda, de Castro, de Castrejon, dela Cruz, Enriques, Franca, Garcia de Ambos, Gomez, Gudarrama, Lagunas, de Landa, Lizalde, Martinez, de Medina, Mendiola, dela Mora, Nicholas, Ortiz, Osada, Pascuala, Quesada, Quetada, Roman, Rufina, Salgado, Salsedo, Salvado, Sanches, dela Trinidad Calderon, de Uriostequi, Uribe Ayala, Vasquez, Velasques, and Xaime, de Zelis, and Zoriana. |
Hidalgo was another
favorite place for the Britos and they added
Alfonza, Anaya, Arellanos, Argumedo, Avila, Aviles, de Ayala, Baptista,
Bargas, Bautista, Bernabe, Bernal, Billeda, Blasa, Bruno, Bueno,
Carmona, Cervantes, Cierra, Contreras, Cornejo, Corona, Enriques,
Encarnacion, Flores, Fuentes, Garcia, Garzia, Geronimo, Giron, Gomez,
Gonzales, de Gusman, Hernandes, de Jaso Ocorio, Lopes, Magallanes,
Maioral, Mayoral, Medina, Mexia, Montiel, Munos, Narsisa, de Ochoa, de
Ovielo, Palomares, Percaste, Peres, Perez, Ramires, Reyes, Rivera,
Robledo, Saavedra, Sanchez,
Santander, delos Santos, Serrano, Telles, Yslas, de Valencia, Vargas, Vernal, Villeda, Xaso, and Zerrano.
In Jalisco, Britos married Orejon, Ponze, Ribas, Salsedo, and
Velasco. In Michoacan, we added Errera and Herrera.
Morelos was full of Britos and they married Amado, Albiar,
Caraballo, del Carpio, Casilda, Coria, dela Cruz, Curiel, Diego, Duarte, Errera, Garsia, Gomez, Guadarrama, de Jesus, Mata, Mexia, Meza, Millan, de Miranda, Montiel, Nunes, Origuella, Orihuela, Pacheco, de Resa, Salcedo, Saldana, delos Santos, de Silva, Sirila, dela Trinida, Toledo, Torivia, Vasquez, and Ynojoza. In Nayarit, we added Rodrigues and Tresalbo. |
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In Oaxaca, we added Calixto, de Leon, Esteban, and Reyes.
Puebla was an especially favorite Brito homeland. In the 1700's there,
we married with: de Abalos, Aguilera, Alvares y Taboas, Baldepena,
Banegas, Barrientos, Bentura de Stamaria, Blanco, Bonifacia, Burgues,
Duran, Ensiso, Fernandez, Fernando, Flores, Francisco, Franco, Franco
Lechuga, Frias, Fuente, Garavito, Garbito, Garcia, Gernonia, Godines,
Gomes, Gomez, Gonsales, Gonzales, Guerrero, de Guerta, Hernandes,
Hipolito, de Huerta, de Jesus Nava, de Lemus, Lopes, Lopez, Lomelin,
Losano, Lozano, dela Luz, Martinez, Mendez, Mendoza, de Meza, de
Miranda, Munguia, Munos, Nicolasa, Nunes, Nunez, Olivares, Omelin,
Orgas, de Osorio,
Pasqual, Peres, Perez, de Prado, Ramires, Ramirez, dela Rosa, Rincon, Rivaneira, Rodriguez, Rosete, Rossa, Ruiz, SanDoval Y Reyes, Salsar, Salazar, Sanches, Santa Maria, Silveria, Soriana, Sorongo, Toledano, de Torres, Trujillo, Truxillo, Valero, Vanegas, Vaquero, Varello, Villegas, Vrossa y Barzena, Xabiera, Ximenes, and Zalasar. In Queretaro, we added Camacho and Herrera. In San Luis Potosi, we added Villasana.
In Sinaloa, we added Barron, Saballos, and Zeballos.
In Sonoro, we added Garcia and Galabis.
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In the 1700's in Tamaulipas, Britos married with: Alexandro,
Alamilla, Billasana, del Castillo, Catarino, Chatarina, Fructuoso, Galvan, de Leon, Maldonado, Martinez, Nicolasa, Rodrigues, Ruis, de Santiago, and Xacinto. RESEARCH FURTHER In Veracruz, we added de Avila, Beltran, Clemente, Corttes, Franca, Guzman, Hernandez, Lopez, de Mena, Neira, Neyra, de Pena Flor, Perez, Ramos, Trujillo, and Ybanes.
And finally, in the 1700's in Yucatan, we also added: Casilda,
Rosado, and Zalasar to our collateral surnames.
In the early 1800's, some of the surnames in Mexico that married into
the Brito family were Garcia, Granillo, Lara, Ochoa, and Olguin in
Chihuahua; dela Rea in the Distrito Federal; Miranda in Guerrero;
Millan in Morelos; Aguas, Barrientos, Gil, Lomelin, Rodrigues, Tessier,
and Vasques in Puebla, Osorio in Oaxaca, Lisarraga in Sinaloa and
Sonora, and Martinez in Veracruz.
[Because our Brito family was in Embudo, New Mexico, by the 1800's, I
did not track collateral surnames through the 1800's in old Mexico.]
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Now for the fun part! Since the easiest way of identifying family lines is to
look at the church records, here is a chart of Puebla: TOWN CHURCH DATES The
FAMILY OF:
Aljojucca San Geronimo 1778-1789
Domingo Alvares y Taboas & Maria Marta Brito Aljojucca San Geronimo 1779-1787 Josef Antonio Brito Somelin & Maria de los DoloresVanegas
Calpan San Andres 1770-1778
Diego Brito & Gabriella Maria Felipa Mendez
Calpan San Andres 1781-1782
Diego Brito & Maria Xabiera
Puebla de San Jose 1753-
Diego Brito & Zaragoza-The oldest town in Mexico; Maria Phelipa Frias originally the Puebla de Los Angeles, begun in 1531.
Puebla de San Jose 1757-1761
Diego Brito & Zaragoza Maria Nicolasa
Puebla de Sagrario 1758-
Anna Brito & ----- Zaragoza Metropolitano
Puebla de Sagrario 1768-
Anna Ramona Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano ----------
Puebla de Sagrario 1771-
Joseph Francisco Zaragoza Metropolitano dela Rosa Rosete & Cipriana Gertrudis Brito
Puebla de Sagrario 1789-1793 Estevan Brito &
Zaragoza Metropolitano Josepha Garcia Puebla de Sagrario 1771-1783 Francisco Antonio Zaragoza Metropolitano Brito & RESEARCH FURTHER Juana Ma. Gozales Ramires
Puebla de Sagrario 1785-1789
Francisco Antonio Zaragoza Metropolitano Brito & RESEARCH FURTHER Maria Petronia Lozano
Puebla de Sagrario 1796-1801
Jose de Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Ma. Ygnacia Brito y RESEARCH FURTHER Santamaria
Puebla de Sagrario 1792-1793
Jose Maria Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Maria de la Luz
Puebla de Sagrario 1794-1795
Jose Ramon Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Maria Antonia Ramires
Puebla de Sagrario 1762-
Joseph Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Maria Francisca
Puebla de Sagrario 1764-1779
Joseph Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Maria Josepha Franco Lechuga
Puebla de Sagrario 1776-1777
Joseph Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Antonia Martinez
Puebla de Sagrario 1777-1778
Joseph Antonio Brito Zaragoza Metropolitano Lusiana Martinez
Puebla de Sagrario 1752- 1759
Juan Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Esmerenciana Rincon
Puebla de Sagrario 1788-1789
Manuel Antonio Brito Zaragoza Metropolitano Maria de Jesus Gomes
Puebla de Sagrario 1796-1797
Manuel Francisco Zaragoza Metropolitano Brito & Mariana Munos
Puebla de Sagrario 1787-
Juan Evangelista Zaragoza Metropolitano Orgas & Marie Manuela de la Trinidad Brito
Puebla de Sagrario 1762-
Mariano Fernando & Zaragoza Metropolitano Michaela de Brito
Puebla de Sagrario 1767-
Joseph Antonio de Zaragoza Metropolitano Torres & Manuela de Brito
Puebla de Sagrario 1766-1768
Matheo de Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Rosalia de Meza
Puebla de Sagrario 1781-
Phelipe de Jesus Zaragoza Metropolitano Nava & Maria Gertrudes Brito Puebla de Sagrario 1754- Ramon Mariano Brito Zaragoza Metropolitano & Manuela Ensiso
Puebla de Sagrario 1773-1780
Ramon Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Maria Baenturan de Santa Maria
Puebla de Sagrario 1774-1775
Ramon Brito & Zaragoza Metropolitano Margarita Munguia
Puebla de Sagrario 1766-1771
Sebastian Brito Zaragoza Metropolitano Rivaeira & Francisca Nunes de Prado Huejotzingo San Miguel 1786-1787 Francisco Antonio Brito & (Geronima family) Antonia Bonifacia Santiago Zautla 1768-1778 Vicente Brito & Lucia Gertrudes Garavito Tehuacan El Sagrario 1774- Gordiano Rodrigues & Maria Gertrudes Brito Tehuacan El Sagrario 1776- Juan Francisco Lopez & Maria Gertrudes Brito ****Teziutlan El Sagrario 1772-1775 Miguel Brito**** line #39? RESEARCH FURTHER & Maria Antonia Teziutlan El Sagrario 1764- Joseph Elijio Brito & Josepha Peres de Lemus Tepeaca SanFrancisco 1776- Antonio Garcia & Antonia Brito Tepeaca SanFrancisco 1771- Pedro Josef Hernandez & Maria Gertrudis Brito There was a group of people in 1800 who came from Puebla, old Mexico, to Janos in Chihuahua, which is near El Paso. I need to find the list to see if it included any Brito families. There was one Brito family in Janos during the late 1700's, and one of the sons, Manuel, joined the military. This
may be the hole in my brick wall! |
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Blue-eyed, dark-skinned hunter-gatherer emerges from ancient European DNA
by Frank Jordans |
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Blue-eyed, dark-skinned
hunter-gatherer
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BERLIN - A hunter-gatherer who lived in Europe some 7,000 years ago probably had blue eyes and dark skin, a combination that has largely disappeared from the continent in the millennia since, scientists said Tuesday. The discovery, published in the journal Nature this week, was made by scientists from the United States, Europe and Australia who analyzed ancient DNA extracted from a male tooth found in a cave in northern Spain. "We have the stereotype that blue eyes are found only in light-skinned people but that's not necessarily the case," lead researcher Carles Lalueza-Fox said in a telephone interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Lalueza-Fox, who works at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, Spain, said the man's skin would have been darker than most modern Europeans, while his eyes may have resembled those of Scandinavians, his closest genetic relatives today. The combination of blue eyes and dark skin, which is sometimes seen in people with mixed European and African ancestry, may once have been common among ancient European hunter-gatherers, he said. The researchers also found the man had genes that indicated he was poor at digesting milk and starch, an ability which only spread among Europeans with the arrival of Neolithic farmers from the Middle East. The arrival of this group was also believed to have introduced several diseases associated with proximity to animals — and the genes that helped resist them. But the hunter-gatherer whose remains were found in the La Brana caves, near Spanish city of Leon, already had some genes that would have helped him fight diseases such as measles, flu and smallpox. This came as a surprise to researchers, indicating that the genetic transition was already under way 7,000 years ago, Lalueza-Fox said. The lack of such genes among pre-Columbian populations in the Americas was one of the reasons they were so susceptible to these diseases when the Europeans arrived. Researchers are hoping to make further discoveries from a second skeleton found at the site, said Lalueza-Fox. Beth Shapiro, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz, said the paper showed how old DNA could be used to learn more about the appearance and traits of ancient populations. "I anticipate that this is just the beginning and am excited to see these sorts of analyses taking place," said Shapiro, who wasn't involved in the study. "I look forward to what else we will learn once we have population samples of paleogenomes (ancient DNA)." Source: Winnipeg Free Press, January 29, 2014 |
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Deadly strain of bacteria DNA revived from 1,500 year old tooth |
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Scientists
have reconstructed the genetic code of a deadly strain of bacteria
that caused one of the most deadly pandemics in history nearly 1,500
years ago. They did it by finding the skeletons of people killed
by the plague and extracting DNA from traces of blood inside their
teeth. If you want to read more click on the link below.
Juan Marinez jmarinezmaya@gmail.com
Juan,
Thanks
for a very educational e-mail. Amazing how they found the relationship
between the Justanian and Boobonic Plague, which happened many years
apart. We are fortunate that we have anti-biotics now that can
"...stop these diseases on their tracks..." Once again,
thanks...Jose M.
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FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH |
| Global RootsTech Conference Announces Free Online Broadcast Schedule FamilySearch Adds More Than 145 Million Indexed Records and Images Graves Announcing the New FamilySearch Indexing Website |
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Global RootsTech Conference Announces Free Online Broadcast Schedule |
| SALT LAKE CITY-RootsTech, the world's largest family history and technology conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 6-8, 2014, announced today that 15 of its popular sessions will be broadcast live and complimentary over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend in-person worldwide a sample of this year's conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org. The fourth-year conference has attracted over 10,000 registered attendees in-person, and leaders expect over 20,000 additional viewers online. The streamed sessions include a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in mountain standard time (MST): Thursday, February 6 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Top 10 Things I Learned About My Family from My Couch by Tammy Hepps 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., FamilySearch Family Tree: What's New and What's Next by Ron Tanner 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Intro to DNA for Genealogists by James Rader 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Genealogy in the Cloud by Randy Hoffman 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sharing Your Family with Multimedia by Michael LeClerc Friday, February 7 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Storytelling Super Powers: How to Come Off as Your Family's Genealogy Hero by David Adelman 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Tweets, Links, Pins, and Posts: Break Down Genealogical Brick Walls with Social Media by Lisa Alzo 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.com by Crista Cowen 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Finding Family and Ancestors Outside the USA with New Technologies by Daniel Horowitz 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Do It Yourself Photo Restoration by Ancestry Insider Saturday, February 8 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Become an iPad Power User by Lisa Louise Cooke 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Information Overload: Managing Online Searches and Their Results by Josh Taylor 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., A Beginner's Guide to Going Paperless by Randy Whited 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., How to Interview Yourself for a Personal History by Tom Taylor 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Five Ways to Do Genealogy in Your Sleep by Deborah Gamble About RootsTech: RootsTech is a global family history event where people of all ages learn to discover and share their family stories and connections through technology. The first annual conference was held in 2011, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by leading genealogical organizations, the conference includes hands-on demonstrations and forums to provide a highly interactive environment and accelerate learning. Content is geared to young and old, beginner to advanced levels. Paul Nauta RootsTech Media Relations nautapg@familysearch.org 1-801-240-6498 |
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FamilySearch
Adds More Than 145 Million Indexed Records and Images |
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Searchable
historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org
through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These
volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of
handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More
volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign
languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being
published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about
volunteering to help provide free access to the world’s historic
genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org.
FamilySearch has more than 3.5 billion records available for free at FamilySearch.org.
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FamilySearch
is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a
nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch
records, resources, and services to learn more about their family
history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its
predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing
genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access
FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org
or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries,
including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
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BillionGraves
Index added another 292,519 to the existing collection. |
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Announcing the New FamilySearch Indexing Website
FamilySearch indexing is the volunteer program that has already generated more than a billion freely searchable names on FamilySearch.org. Changes to the indexing program over time have greatly increased the number of records that FamilySearch is able to publish. Projects that used to take years to index can now be completed in a matter of months, and as the indexing program improves, the availability of searchable records will only accelerate. Come and explore what's new:
The change in the indexing website is just the first step in a total redesign and improvement of the indexing experience. The coming year will see the all-new indexing program become more integrated with FamilySearch.org, bringing indexing to your Internet browser, enabling indexing on tablet devices, and much more. Join us at RootsTech in February to learn more about what's coming. Visit the FamilySearch indexing booth in the exhibit hall, which is free and open to the public, to get a hands-on experience with the new indexing program, or attend the session "Introducing the new FamilySearch indexing tool." Why you should get involved with FamilySearch indexing? Indexing is great for:
Come and see what everyone is talking about; visit the FamilySearch
indexing website today! About FamilySearch FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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| February 8th: Your DNA Results
can lead to far away places!
SHHAR Meeting The Saddleback Valley's Hispanic Past Cuento: My Family Yorba-Peralta-Farias and Talamantes by Eva Materna Booher, |
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Carlos Olvera, genealogist and
author of "Los Olvera" will discuss how his DNA test results
led him to Southern Spain where he visited the small town of Olvera
(less than 10,000 inhabitants) and met with the townspeople, including
some Olveras. His DNA had indicated that he descended from the Moors and
he wanted to verify his findings. During
his lecture Olvera will share his experiences in Spain and how he
expanded his knowledge of genealogy and research skills. In addition to his genealogy
research Carlos Olvera is also active in the community and is currently
serving as a member of the Dana Point City Council. |
Where:
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The Saddleback Valley's
Hispanic past |
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"Families like the Serranos and the Avilas introduced the rancho lifestyle to the valley while the Spanish and Mexicans occupied much of Orange County from about 1775 to the 1860s. They were some of the first families in the Saddleback Valley. They raised cattle and sheep. |
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| The Serrano
Adobe, built around the 1840s, is the
only Serrano family building that remains intact. Five adobes were built on the 11,000-acre rancho to accommodate the family. Where: Heritage Hill Historical Park, 25151 Serrano Road, Lake Forest. Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays. Admission: Free; groups of eight or more pay $2 per person and must have reservations. Information: 949-923-2230.
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CUENTO |
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| Both families would load up the wagons and all the kids and go to Playa del Rey beach for a picnic, with large cans full of hot tamales for lunch. When it was time to eat the children would race to the table to get there first, Aunt Phoebe said, the Machados always won! These children grew up together and remained friends until death. Felipa and Juan would also go by wagon to visit the Marquez family in the Santa Monica Canyon Rancho for barbecues and horse races. Grandpa had many horses, a riding group, as some pictures depict. They also loved baseball and would go to the games in Culver
City. There is only one child left in Felipa's family. She was named after her mother, that is Felipa F. Farias Scott, they call her Phoebe. She will soon be 90 years old, April 24th. She lives in Sacramento, California and has attended the Santa Ana Canyon reunion with us. She has told me some of the stories that I have related to you here. So many more to tell, but space is limited so I will stick to the ones I have experienced with my Grandma. Now, I am really getting to know them as I have started researching my family line after spending so many years on my husbands. I really need all of your help! |
Things I remember about Felipa Yorba Farias, when she was old. She had a mild temper, could laugh at her self. She always powdered her face right over her glasses. She would say, 'I can't see' and yet could see a needle on the floor and pick it up. She could hear, when she wanted to and when you did not want her to hear you. In her pocket she always carried a handkerchief that she could fold and roll up to make you a basket or a tamale out of it. Something Grandma learned as a child and showed to her 10 Grandchildren. She taught my brother Ron, he has never forgotten how to make a great tamale out of a 'hanky' and has taught his children! Grandma told all of us exciting stories about, 'One Eye, Two Eye, Three Eye' and 'Pomanandez, (spelling?) you haven't got the sense you were born with.' and 'Who is that walking over my bridge. Was it named 'Billy Goat Gruff?' These stories I wish I had written down and remembered for my great grandchildren. Felipa loved to gossip and could get a good fight going in the family. She would tell you, 'now don't tell' and she would be the first one to tell it! When the Priest came to visit, one day, he asked Felipa if she would like to confess, she looked at him and said' "Now what does an old lady 95 years old have to confess" He agreed! |
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| One day she fell out of bed and my husband John was called to help my Aunt get her up. He came in swooped her up off the floor and she put her arms around his neck and looked at him and said," Oh, you are so good looking!" Felipa never lost her humor! She loved the wrestling matches on TV and the Shirley Temple movies. Always drank green tea she bought from the Watkins man and glazed donuts she got from the Helms bakery man who delivered. Grandma lived long enough to see many modern conveniences. She never did quite understand the telephone, always thought the operator could hear what she was doing when it was on the hook. She excepted most of them well, going right along with the stream of things. She never flew in an airplane. I tried to get her to fly with me to Sacramento, I was the only one who could get her to go any where, she took after her Grandpa Bernardo Yorba Sr. who never left the Rancho. Felipa was never out of California but did go with me by train to Sacramento in 1945, we took my 2 year old daughter Sharon. I was very young and it was our first train ride too. We had lunch in the dining car and after the bill came I said to her 'Grandma you need to tip him1 she said 'I know I know!' She was a very proud Senora! I can still see her sitting there all dressed up in her hat! |
When Grandma was 59 years old she lost her husband Juan, he came in on a hot day from the field, drank a cold glass of water and died suddenly. She had already experienced sending, her oldest child, Edward, to World War One and back, and lost a daughter, Eva, in death at twenty six years old. Now to lose a husband in 1930. Felipa was strong and brave, but lost another child in 1934, one of her twin sons, shot accidentally, at nineteen years old. Then Inez in 1950. I was old enough to see her strength and wisdom when she lost Inez. That left Grandma with 8 children that out lived her. Some time later, Felipa had to leave Rancho
Ballona, being in the family, more than 150 years, with the Original Spanish Land Grant. Many years before they moved out of the AdobeTtnto a house Grandpa had built her, but still on Braddock Dr. & Inglewood
Bl. part of the ranch. The Rancho was subject to floods and when the girls were old enough, they had sailor boys come to visit and they called Juan, 'El Capitan' As they got off the street car they would see the Juan Farias house afar, like a boat surrounded by water, standing on the porch was Juan, the captain, who was very strict with his girls! |
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They would take off their shoes, roll up their pant legs and wade in water to visit them. Little Phoebe, remembers, cranking the old Victrola for music and dancing! She was young and loved watching them dance. I remember seeing the old Adobe standing in ruins until the 1940's. I have a picture of Grandma standing in front of it. I so often wish that I could have saved the building! The State wanted to put up a housing project, forcing her to sell, after she had lived there over 50 years. Felipa found a home in Culver City and with my old maid Aunt Elvera, who was called, 'Chapa' (she didn't like that nick-name) and by the nieces and nephews called 'Aunt Bicky.' they moved and lived there until they died. Aunt Bicky was our second mother, taking care of all of us when we were born. She made all the grandchildren and their children beautiful crocheted baby sweater sets. She could tat and make pretty doilies. Felipa would take a flour sack and make dish towels, decorating the edges by pulling out threads and then by sewing the threads that were left, together, into a pretty lace pattern. I have some she made for me. |
When Felipa was dying the doctor said, 'her heart has been beating so long it just can't stop!' She was twenty four days from being 97 years old. Felipa Yorba, respected until death, and will
never be forgotten! I hope now, in a small way, you know my Grandma, Felipa Yorba Farias. A Yorba-Peralta girl who left her Orange Co. Rancho to live her life on another Spanish Rancho in Los Angeles Co. How different was her life from your Orange Co. Grandma? I have enclosed some pictures of her in hopes some of you might know of her or her Mother's family. If you were familiar with the story of her parents or heard stories about them, please tell me. I have lineage to share and Peralta pictures of 1891 to identify, in Felipa's Blue Velvet with silver trim Album, over 100 years old. Someone out there know them? note: To Eileen McNerney, our family too, called it 'Sarsa' and not Salsa? |
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| Cuento:
Lopez
Family Heirlooms, 1920 City of
Los Angeles Commemorate
Medal and a Pocket Watch by Eduardo A. Lopez Cuento: 1930s Family Fun in the Los Angeles River by Mimi Lozano |
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CUENTO |
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Lopez Family Heirlooms My ancestors pioneered the founding of Los Angeles. Claudio López was born in the Province of Valladolid, Spain. He was the first ancestor who came to America in 1788. His remains now rest in the mission of San Gabriel. My grandparents had a ranch that produced oranges in Anaheim. In 1920, the City of Los Angeles census reached a population of one million (1,000,000). My grandfather Edmund C. Lopez (1899-1985) received the commemorate medal in 1922, as successor of the founders of Los Angeles.
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 My
grandfather Edmund C. Lopez
(1899-1985) was almost a child when
he enlisted
in the army and entered the the
First World War. He was recognized as a war hero.
He received a purple heart. Following the war, he stayed and lived in Paris and Spain. He married the Countess of Jerez de la Frontera. Sadly his wife died. Grandfather traveled to Mexico, and there he met my grandmother and married. They lived together for over fifty years. My father, Edmundo Lopez's watch, the Los Angeles commemorate Medal, and documents such as this received by my father from Ronald Regan have passed from generation to generation. Now the responsibility to preserve our history and our family heirlooms are mine. This
is just a very brief synthesis of what my ancestors have bequeathed
me ; stories with data, photographic and verbal files that are
available to enhance our culture of origin in Los Angeles. Mr. Lopez lives in Chiapas,
Mexico. He would
welcome contacts |
 American family classic my grandfather as a child with his parents and sisters, Malvina and Belen (Belen was recognized painter in California for her watercolor painting, which she signed as Dward) |
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CUENTO |
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1930s Family Fun in the Los
Angeles River |
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During the 1930s, most of the CHAPA clan,
whose roots were from Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, were children of
Alberto and Petra Chapa, and living in the city of Los Angeles. One of the favorite family outing was to spend a day at el rio, a reminder of their heritage in Mexico. Among the surnames that were included among the Chapa primos were Lozano, Cortez, Villarreal, and Valdez.
The river had low water levels and high water levels. Boulders of all sizes mixed with the sand, smooth sand and pebbles. In some spots the water rushed so hard you could hardly stand. If you lost your footing, you could be carried with the rush of the water, and be pushed against the large boulders. The strategy was to grab a hold of a boulder, and carefully use it to edge your way out of the current. In other parts, along the
edge, you could find a sandy shallow spot, heated by the sun and
it was almost like bath temperature. Where the water rushed, it was
cold, but, you could warm up and then go back into the cold. It
was an exciting. marvelous adventure, each time One favorite spot for the
family was close to a bridge. the water was particularly deep at that
spot and the current was very fast. Once a steel rope,
attached to the bridge on both sides, hung into the water.
The Tias made a game of crossing from one side to the other holding onto
the steel rope. The only way you could do it was by making sure that you
had a grip with both hands and slid them carefully along the steel
rope. It was scary but we kids tried it anyway.
First, side-by-side to one of them, and then by ourselves. The
Tias stood One time we had a grand adventure. We found what looked like a wood raft that someone had left. We pushed it into the water and it floated, just fine. Uncle Oscar in his 20s
and Uncle Albert in his teens were usually on duty to keep an eye on
us. Today it was Uncle Oscar. Uncle Oscar got near to
us and suggested that he tie a rope to the raft and instead of just
floating in the shallow water, we could get out into deeper water. He
would hold on and bring us in, and let us take turns. It was
large enough for a few of us to crawl on top of the raft,
and we did. It was really fun. The water was rushing by and
we were bouncing up and down. I looked at Uncle Oscar and noticed
that something was wrong. Suddenly Tio started, shouting, yelling for the sisters to come, "Ayudeme . . Vengan . . . Ayudeme. . . Vengan aprisa." All the Tias jumped up and rushed to Oscar's side. Grabbing on to the rope, pulling the rope with much effort to pull us back in. By that time, we realized that we were in trouble, because even our usually very relaxed Tias, were obviously very concerned. Fortunately, there were no mishaps. Pulling together they managed to pull us to the side, out of the center of the river. Uncle Oscar surely got scolded by all his older sisters. "Tonto, que estabas pensando?" Poor Tio, he just wanted to give us an extra adventure . . . which he did. I have never forgotten. I was probably about 7 years old.
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We usually came back from
one of our trips to el rio, with a few bumps
and very sunburned. By the end of the day, we would be shivering with
cold, but whining about having to leave, "why . . . porque?".
We might have complained during the day, but as it got dark, we kids
made it a point to play quietly away from las Tias, hoping we could stay at
el rio just a
little bit longer.
HISTORY: Source of information, Wikipedia. In 1769, Gaspar
de Portolà, during his 1769 expedition
of Alta California, named it El Río de Nuestra Señora La Reina de
Los Ángeles de Porciúncula, translated as, The
River of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula.
It was thus referred to as the Porciuncula River. The Los Angeles River (also known as the L.A. River) starts in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly 48 miles (77 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. Several tributaries join the once free-flowing and frequently flooding river, forming alluvial flood plains along its banks. It now flows through a concrete channel on a fixed course. Before the
opening of the Los
Angeles Aqueduct, the river was the primary source of fresh
water for the city. Although the Los Angeles region still gets some
of its water from the river and other local sources, most comes from
several aqueducts serving the area. Before the river's channelization the river supported a variety of
mammals which included the California
golden bear (removed 1897), Grey
wolf (removed 1890's), Coyote,
Mule
Deer, and North
American Beaver.
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Why Celebrate California's State Birthday? Mini-bios Women in Agua Mansa History 1838-1997 by R. Bruce Harley Dolores Archuleta Trujillo (1791 -1866) Barbara Aragon Slover ( ca. 1800-1857) Early Homesteading in San Diego County California Digital Newspaper Collection |
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Efforts to encourage celebration of the bilingual/bicultural observance of our State Birthday began at California State University, Irvine (UCI), November 13, 1999. A special California Commission appointed to conduct appropriate events had by then exhausted its budgeted millions. It was decommissioned. Its most attention-getting effort was to persuade several countries to sail their historic naval training sailing tall ships to reenact California's Gold Rush. A few showed up only to find the festivities cancelled. Los Amigos of Orange County and the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research (SHHAR) partnered with the UCI Chicano Latino and Latin American Studies and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese to create a Campus Community Forum. The resulting Symposium on California's 150th Birthday appears to have been the only such public program in the State. The learned papers delivered there were published. There were modest Orange County observance efforts made in following years. Some feel it important to remember and encourage others to remember what a remarkable bicultural achievement the birth of the State of California was.
Dear
readers, we would warmly and gratefully welcome your involvement to
promote the inclusion of November 13, 1849 on the annual
California State Calendar. We would like to identify November 13,
1849 as the real Birthday of the State of California. We are
not seeking that it be observed as a legal holiday. We are
simply requesting that the day be acknowledged as an important historic
event, in the history of California: the ratification of California's
original Constitution as a Bilingual Spanish/English document; uniquely
and distinctly . . . . . . . the first State of the Union to do
so. Galal
Kernahan 949-581-3625
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Dolores
Archuleta Trujillo (1791 -1866) |
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Maria Dolores Archuleta was born on October 4, 1791, the daughter of Manuel Archuleta and Maria Matilde Martin. On April 17, 1816, she married Lorenzo Trujillo (an adoptee of that family) at Santo Tomas Church in Abiquiu, New Mexico.1 This couple had their first child in 1818, followed by six more over the next two decades. The family migrated first as the forerunner of Agua Mansa located at Politana, California in 1841. On this trek from New Mexico with the Rowland-Workman Group, the Trujillo couple took their seven offspring of four boys and three girls which included Teodoro, 12; Esquipulas, 20; Matilde, 18; Doroteo, 15; Julian, 14; Maria Gertrudas, 10; and Maria Del Rosario, 2. When
the colonists left Lugo's Rancho San Bernardino and moved downstream to
free land on Juan Bandini's Rancho Jurupa, the Trujillo family chose to
settle on the southern bank of the Santa Ana River
across from the sister community of Agua Mansa. The Trujillo-led
colonists called their location |
While at the first location before the flood, Senor and Senora Trujillo consistently demonstrated their hospitality to all who paused to transact business or just to chat. Major Horace Bell, a ranger in the 1850s for the area east of Mission San Gabriel, wrote in his Reminiscences that on one occasion:3 We adjourned to old Trujillo's casa where the senora had by this time and by previous arrangement, prepared a most inviting breakfast, and I do say and ever will maintain that in getting up a substantial appetizing breakfast the Mexican women are superlative. The first era of Agua Mansa's history ended with the death of Lorenzo Trujillo on April 4, 1855 at the age of 60. His widow, Maria Dolores Archuleta, lived on until four years after the flood, dying on October 5, 1866 at age 75.4 The couple was survived by their seven children; by 1866, there were 24 grandchildren.5 The location of the burial plots in the Agua Mansa Cemetery for the elder Trujillos is not known due to the disappearance of early grave markers in the forepart of the twentieth century.6
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Endnotes 1. Sacramental Records, Santo Tomas Church, Abiquiu, NM. 2. Based on the author's "Lorenzo Trujillo," in "From New Mexico to California: San Bernardino Valleys First Settlers at Agua Mansa," SBCMA Quarterly, Vol. 47, Nos. 3, 4, 2000, pp. 5-12. 3. Major Horace Bell, Reminiscences of a Ranger (based on a series of articles for the Los Angeles Star, 1857-1877), 1927, p. 62. 4. Sacramental Records, San Salvador de Jurupa church, Agua Mansa, CA. 5. "The Descendants of Lorenzo Trujillo and Maria Dolores Archuleta," SBCGS Quarterly, Vol. XXIV, No. 3 (Sept. 1987), pp. 33-35. 6. Alfred and Ruth Rubidoux, "(Tombstone Census of) Agua Mansa, Cemetery," November 1, 1968. |
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| Not
much is known of Barbara Aragon's early life (or for rhat matter her
future husband, Isaac Slover). Slover was one of the "mountain
men" who participated in the fur trade in the 1820s and 1830s.
Sometime in the early 1830s widower Slover married Senorita Aragon. She
was about 30 years old at the time while he was in his 50s.1
Shortly after the marriage, the couple moved from Taos to Abiquiu but did not remain very long. In 1837, the next move occurred when the Slover-Pope party migrated from Taos to Southern California, apparently over the southern route of the Old Spanish Trail (which eventually became Route 66 and then Interstate 40). There is some evidence that the small group of twelve people traveled by wagon. Antoine Leroux, a noted trapper in the Southwest, wrote to Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri in 1853 that: "Wagons can now travel (after the Mexican War) this route to California, and have done it (previously). In the year 1837, two families named Sloover (sic) and Pope, with their wagons and two Mexicans, went from Taos that way."2 |
Barbara
Aragon Slover thus finally reached Los Angeles in early 1838. Her
husband might have met such individuals as Lorenzo Trujillo or Louis
Robidoux on their exploratory trips to Southern California in the late
1830s. From possible contacts such as these men, Slover may have decided
to move east to the Rancho San Bernardino area, especially after the
Pope family left Los Angeles in 1841. Mr. and Mrs. Slover are first
listed in the Agua Mansa area in the 1844 Mexican census. Presumably,
they had migrated there in 1843 but did not settle in the core village.
Apparently, they settled at the foot of what became known as Slover
Mountain, on the east slope, and did not participate in subsequent moves
of the Agua Mansa colonists. /
After settling down, the couple's generosity and neighborliness soon made them well known in the growing community which stretched from San Timoteo Canyon to the Robidoux rancho and on west to Chino. Judge Benjamin Hayes, another periodic business visitor along with Major Horace Bell, wrote in his |
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| Pioneer Notes that Isaac and
Barbara Slover were "two old people who lived very independently
and were most happy...." The judge frequently stopped at the Slover
residence while making necessary court trips into Los Angeles County's
hinterland. Once he wrote in his diary that "Dona Barbara, whose
house one comes to first and never leaves without regret, who makes the
lightest tortillas, wheat or corn, ever cheerful Dona Barbara, from year
to year unchanged! How different from many I have known!"3 Even so, Isaac Slover had a growing disenchantment with San Bernardino Valley, although he presumably made no plans to move once again. Nevertheless, an episode as early as 1847 revealed the trend of his thinking. Manuel Espinosa lived with the Slover couple and later testified in a land lawsuit case in 1874 that the family's certificate of ownership was lost in 1847 at the time some members of the Mormon Battalion journeyed from San Luis Rey to the Bandini Donation to buy wheat and beans to feed their troops stationed in Southern California during the American-Mexican War. Barbara Slover, in the absence of Isaac at the time, fled in terror from her home. While she was absent, some Indians looted the house and in the process the ownership papers were lost.4 Despite his age and Barbara's concern, her husband continued to hunt bears. He was killed in a bear encounter on October 14, 1854. Initially, he was buried by his friends, some who were Mormons. Senora Barbara, unhappy about the funeral and burial arrangements, and as a devout Catholic, about ten days after her husband's death went to the pastor of Agua Mansa's San Salvador church to obtain permission to bury Isaac, a convert, |
in the newly-established Agua Mansa Cemetery on the bluff overlooking the church. The priest agreed only to say a funeral mass the next day.5 One account concludes: "So they buried him on an elevation near their home." He was probably re-buried later in the 1800s at the Agua Mansa Cem-etery according to a. later trustee who saw the Slover markers on two graves in the first row to the right of the cemetery entrance.6 |
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EARLY HOMESTEADING IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY |
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All Fallbrook District land outside the
boundaries of the Mexican land grants of Monserate and Santa Margarita
was owned by the government of the United States. Settlers could obtain
this land in only one way - by homesteading it. Each settler had to
locate his half section (160 acres) and fill out and file papers
properly describing the location. Then he had to build a house and farm
the land for five years. If he met all these conditions, he was granted ownership of the land. Later the time requirement was reduced to six months if the settler paid $1.25 per acre (all other conditions remained the same). |
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Sequence of information: Name of homesteader General location of homestead (using today's names) The first date is when the homesteader first came to the area; the second date is when he filed his final homestead paper The number on the homestead paper. |
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B.F.Jones Jesus Moreno Joaquin Verdugo S.P.Larsen C.P.Ely C.V.Reche F.E.Fox B.W.Neff H.Magee |
Bonsall North of S.Mission and 76 Near S.Mission and 76 Vallecitos (Rainbow) Santa Margarita River Live Oak Park Live Oak Park Near Old Stage & Pepper Tree Near Morro Rd and Golden Dr |
1869-1871 #275 1869-1873 #468 1869-1873 #469 1872 -1879 #1806 1872-1879 #1807 1875-1880 #1823 1875-1880 #1825 1875-1880 #1834 1875-1880 #1839 |
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Much information can be found among the Homestead Records
of the National Archive.. Fallbrook's common
history is that it's first settler (Reche)
came from New York. However, Homestead records show the names of five
earlier homesteaders, including two who were born in Mexican California. |
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California Digital Newspaper Collection |
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This
collection contains 61,412 issues comprising 545,955 pages and 6,364,529
articles. The California Digital Newspaper Collection is a project of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California, Riverside. The CDNC is supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
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The CBSR has received three grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize California newspapers for the National Digital Newspaper Program. Titles digitized as part of the NDNP are available both here and at the Library of Congress Chronicling America website. We are eager to know what users think of this site. Please email your comments to cbsrinfo@ucr.edu Editor: You insert a surname and will give you links to
the article published in California with that surname. I searched |
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http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=p&p=home&e=-------en--20--101--txt-txIN-farias
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NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES |
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Editor: I
came across this article which was written seven years ago in
"The San Diego
Seagull," page 5, January 20O7
Universidad Hispana
expands into Mexico and South America |
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| Universidad
-Hispana, organized in Prbvo, Utah, five years ago, now with
headquarters in Salt Lake City, is expanding its program to Mexico and
to all Latin America, according to Dr. Arturo De Hoyos, a retired
BYU professor who is the founder of this new educational system.
Four campuses are now teaching a full curriculum in Mexico, including campuses in the cities of Tijuana, Cuidad Juarez, Casas Grandes and Chihuahua City. In January 2007, four more campuses in Mexico will open in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla and Merida. In the cities of Santa Cruz and Montero in Bo- : livia, two more campuses plan to open also in January. "We are taking the university to the students, not the students to the unversity," Dr. De Hoyos said. He plans to establish small centers in every city in the U.S. and Latin America where at least 100 students are academically ready and eager to pursue a college degree. Universidad Hispana was originally organized to meet the needs of Hispanic students in the United States who, for several reasons, are not admitted to regular American universities. There are about 41 million Hispanics in the U.S. and about 300,000 in Utah. Among them are thousands who are college material. Many of them may have started their college education in their respective countries in Latin America but have never finished. Now living in the U.S., married and having to work for a living and without the level of English required, it is practically impossible for them to continue. Now comes Universidad Hispana with bilingual professors, flexible schedules, a friendly academic environment and a very intensive program to teach English. All students who have graduated from Universidad Hispana are now bilingual.
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"With
the real possibility of achieving a college degree, these Latin students
seem to triple their energy and dedication in their effort to learn
English," Dr. De Hoyos said. Universidad Hispana grants an
associate and a bachelor's degree in business administration,
international business, computer science, general studies and liberal
arts. Several groups have graduated already, and with a track record
now, the university is in the process of completing formal
accreditation.
In 2005 Dr. De Hoyos was invited to present his educational program in. Tijuana, where he had served as mission president from 1990 to 1993. After his mission, in 1994, he organized a high school program where in six years over 3000 students, including many re- , turned missionaries, received their diplomas. After his visit to Tijuana and the organization of a center there, other cities in Mexico requested a visit, and more centers were organized. Contacts have also been made with Colombia, El Salvador and Venezuela. Hundreds of centers are contemplated for Latin America as funds become available. Mastery of English is required for graduation at all the centers. Universidad Hispana is strictly a secular institution, but 90 percent of the students are LDS, and the majority of them are returned missionaries. The university accepts anyone who meets the academic requirements and is willing to accept and keep the code of conduct as stated in the catalog. Dr. De Hoyos said his vision is to take this opportunity for higher education to anyone in Latin America who is ready , and eager to receive it, no matter where > the person lives. Small centers can be organized in remote areas so students can keep a job, live with their families and avoid the high expense of going to the big cities in order to get an education. Even within a large city, small centers can be organized to avoid transportation problems and expense. |
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| Dr.
De Hoyos said his vision is to take this opportunity for higher
education to anyone in Latin America who is ready , and eager to receive
it, no matter where the person lives. Small centers can be organized in
remote areas so students can keep a job, live with their families and
avoid the high expense of going to the big cities in order to get an
education. Even within a large city, small centers can be organized to
avoid transportation problems and expense. The curriculum has been approved by the highest educational authorities, Dr. De Hoyos said, thus it can grant Mexican degrees. Centers employ local professors and can also accept visiting professors from abroad. For more information, call 801/501-9349 or 801-633-8546 |
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Cuento:
Mi Tia Deyanira Chapa de Amparan by Mimi Lozano |
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Mi Tia Deyanira Chapa de Amparan |
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My mother had six sisters and each one’s personality was totally different. In some ways, however, they were all the same, each was beautiful and each had a joy of life, an enthusiasm and playfulness that all us primos, I think inherited. Each one of my tias influenced me in a different way. I learned from them, sometimes directly, sometimes by observing, and sometimes by imitating. All the sisters were born in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. They all immigrated to San Antonio, within a year of each other, between 1924-1925. Grandfather Alberto Chapa brought the family to San Antonio in three different trips. The three older daughters, Deyanira, Adelpha, and Estella were the first to come to San Antonio. Adelpha and Estella, were in their late teens, Deyanira was in her early 20s. Grandpa
opened a small grocery store in a barrio section of San Antonio.
He then returned to Mexico two more times to bring the rest of the
family. He left the older daughters, (my Tias) with the responsibility
to run and maintain the grocery store.
Viewing the map, it appears that the Antonio Union Stockyards, at 1716 S San Marcos were walking distance to Gebhardt. Mom shared two stories about these two facilities. When Grandpa brought the third group of family members, the youngest Albert, Jr. was a baby in arms. Grandpa took the responsibility for the grocery store and the three older sisters got a job with Gephardt. It was quite a change for the family. In Mexico, Grandpa was the Superintendent of schools in Sabinas Hidalgo. In addition he had served as mayor. Abuelito owned a store in Sabinas Hidalgo, and they had household help. They were comfortable. The Mexican revolution changed all that. Deyanira was the oldest daughter, and the tallest. She, like Abuelito, had the voice of authority, probably something acquired as the oldest daughter of a large family of twelve. Unfortunately the first two sons, died, one as an infant and the other as a youth. Nine children survived to adulthood. Tia Deya was not only a support within the family, but my mom said Tia Deya was always doing something within the community, putting on events, dances, shows and festivals. For a few years, she traveled with Abuelito when he went out as a traveling teacher to serve children living on ranches too isolated for a regular full-time teacher. Tia seemed to always be looking out for my
Mom. She suggested to Abuelito that my Mom be allowed to start
school a year early. confident that Mom could handle it. Grandpa
interceded and mom started elementary school early. Tia Deya was Mom's
first teacher, and Mom loved it. Tia
even spoke up for mom in the household.
Mom remembers that usually after one of Abuelito’s frequent
trips he would return with gifts, alternating, gifts for the older
children one trip, and gifts for the younger children, the next
time. Unfortunately My Mom
was in the middle. She was not among the older children, nor among the younger.
It was Tia Deya that noticed that my Mom was in between the division of both groups, not
receiving anything. She saw
that the oversight be corrected. |
| "In
his nearly 40 years of administration, Juan Bautista Chapa served
nine Spanish Governors. He was probably next to Zavala in creating a
stable policy for ruling the realm. The life and work of Juan
Bautista Chapa were integral to the forming of Nuevo Leon, it’s
government under Martin De he
I he Zavala, and those of succeeding governors." With All Arms, by Carl Laurence Duaine, pg. 234 |
When the family moved to San Antonio, it was
quite a change for the whole family. The town of Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo
Leon, was founded July 25, 1693.
The original name was Real de Las Sabinas. The Chapas were among the first settlers in the state of Nuevo Leon. Sabinas Hidalgo was a small town and the Chapa family was well respected, considered “gente de razon”. The family had survived the Mexican revolution, but Abuelito did not want to stay and experience what he expected President Calles would bring in. |
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The next morning to the surprise of the whole family, the plant owner came to their home, apologizing and pleading with grandpa for my aunts to return. Grandpa made it clear that the decision was theirs, not his. Tia Deya told the owner, “No somos perros, que nos hablen asi.” Whether he fully understood her words, I don’t know. But surely her attitude of indignation was clear, they would not return unless they were treated with respect. Promises were made and they did go back. The plant manager stayed away from then totally, making a wide circle of their work area, and so did the other men. ============================================================================================== Another story that mom shared with me about Tia
Deyanita took place in Los Angeles.
Mom took Tia to open a bank account. The bank teller pointing to
the signature line, told her to put her X on the line. Tia in limited
English, but in a clear, very loud voice, with a heavy accent asked,
“Do you speak English?” The startled teller, said, aid, “Yes, of
course.” Tia asked, “Do
you write your name?” Mom
said, there was total silence. No one moved. Everyone in the bank
had heard Tia’s comment. Many were trying not to laugh. The bank
teller said nothing. The
point had been made. Tia Deya had a youthful spirit. She knew how to
play. One of my favorite game
My sister Tania and I in front of our
house
I visited Tia and Rudy, numerous times when I was going to high school in Manteca. Since there were just the two of them, I wondered why they such as assortment of big cooking pots. Tia Deya explained that she assisted Tio Rudy by preparing hot noontime meals for the field workers in the San Joaquin. Rudy was a facilitator/translator with field workers, rounding up day workers in a truck. One special memory, Tia invited me and some high school friends to a dinner. Years later at my high school 50th anniversary, the young man that was my date, recalled the experience, commenting on the size of the house and how the old three-story house was was a little scary. Upon retirement, Rudy and Deya, who were childless, traveled for quite a few years. After enjoying the beauty of this continent, they began their world traveling throughout Europe, Asia, and the Latin America countries. They were among the first group of tourists to go into Communist Russia. Eventually they returned back to Los Angeles, settling in the city of Monterey. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to help them in their latter days. Being the remaining niece in southern California area, it fell on me to look over their needs, and ultimately make the funeral arrangements for both of them, first Tia and then Tio. I am so happy that Tia Deyanita had such an adventurous life with Rudy. She was a marvelous woman, who accepted all the changes in her life, with great openness, enthusiasm and strength of character. I enjoyed being caressed in her warm bosomed. I felt safe and loved. |
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Mi Tia Adelfa Chapa Cortez |
| Tia Adelfa, second daughter was small, perky, and
feisty. She did not let her size keep her from doing
anything. I really admired her spunk. As Aunt Deya had done,
Adelfa and Estella also left San Antonio for Los Angeles.
She met and married her husband Manuel Cortez in Los Angeles. Four healthy sons quickly followed, Raul, Robert, Richard, and Rudy. Raul, the oldest son was born in 1933, the same year that I was born. The family lived close to us, In East Los Angeles, above a store on Brooklyn Ave, a Jewish neighborhood, mostly of Russian heritage. Their apartment had windows that looked down on the busy Brooklyn Ave. In 1994, part of Brooklyn Ave. was renamed Cesar Chavez Ave.
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Many Mexican families rented rooms in the Bunker Hill area of Los
Angeles. When Abuelito and Abuelita first moved from San Antonio
to Los Angeles, they rented rooms in a large Victorian house.
Below, an example of a Bunker Hill house. 
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| Cesar Chavez Avenue (Spanish: Avenida César Chávez) is a major east-west thoroughfare in Downtown Los Angeles, the Eastside and East Los Angeles, measuring 6.19 miles (9.96 km) in length. Named in honor of union leader César Chávez, the street was formed in 1994 from Sunset Boulevard between Figueroa and Spring streets, a new portion of roadway, Macy Street between Main Street and Mission Road, and Brooklyn Avenue through Brooklyn Heights, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles into Monterey Park. | "George Mann just might be the most interesting Los Angeles photographer you’ve never heard of," says the Los Angeles Visionaries Association. "His color scenes of the lost Victorian neighborhood of Bunker Hill, taken just before it was demolished fifty years ago in a misguided urban renewal project, have transformed our understanding of downtown." http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2012/11/ |
In 1867, a wealthy developer, Prudent
Beaudry, purchased a majority of the hill's land. Because of the
hill's excellent views of the Los
Angeles Basin and the Los
Angeles River, he knew that it would make for an opulent
subdivision. He developed the peak of Bunker Hill with lavish two-story Victorian
houses that became famous as homes for the upper-class residents of Los
Angeles. Angels
Flight, now dubbed "The World's Shortest Railway", took
residents homeward from the bottom of the 33% grade and down again. Initially
a residential suburb, Bunker Hill retained its exclusive character
through the end of World
War I, but in the face of increased urban growth fed by an extensive
streetcar system, its wealthy residents began leaving for enclaves on
the west side and Pasadena.
Bunker Hill's houses were increasingly sub-divided to accommodate
renters. Still, Bunker Hill was at this time "Los Angeles's most
crowded and urban neighborhood."[2]
By World
War II the Pasadena
Freeway, built to bring shoppers downtown, was taking more residents
out. Additional post-war freeway construction left downtown
comparatively empty of both people and services. The once-grand
Victorian mansions of Bunker Hill became the home of impoverished pensioners.[3] A view of Bunker Hill, 1900, with Pershing Square in the foreground |
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the start of World War II, Adelpha's husband, Manuel moved his growing
family to Sierra Madre, a quiet little
town, located in Los Angeles County, California, situated
at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. Manuel was a welder, working at a defense plant. His skill was needed and he was sent to different locations, making it some times difficult to return home nightly. Manuel decided to move the family close to grandma Abulelita who had moved to Sierra Madre. In 1944, Manuel was sent to northern California to
work at the Richmond Shipyards. The family decided to make a major
move to northern California. Robert was in the 5th grade when they moved to
Pleasanton. Primo Robert explained that
the third oldest of the sisters, Tia Estella, was running a Mexican
restaurant/bar in Pleasanton. Above the restaurant were the living
facilities. The family soon moved into a house behind the
cafe/bar.
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mountain
roads. I was so proud, as a grown woman, when Tia visiting in Los
Angeles, commented that I was a good driver. Coming from Tia
Adelpha that was a real compliment. Tia had varied interests, especially in her garden. Her cactus garden was well known and visited by many in the community. One year, to save the entrance price to the Pleasanton Fair Grounds, Tia cut a single rose, stuck it in a container with water, and entered the rose in the Fair garden competition. . . to her surprise, Tia's rose won First Place. I don't know if she was grafting or experimenting with her roses, but she definitely had a special gardening gift. Tia liked to watch the fights, especially live wrestling. She was
also a very good card player. My husband remembered Tia Adelfa, when she
was in her 80s. She was wearing a green sweat outfit and my
husband called her "cute." She was . . . a fearless, undaunted
spirit, with a great sense of humor, a fun lady to be
around. |
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Robert Cortez, second son |
I remember one of those card playing sessions, I was really misbehaving outside, fighting with my brothers and cousins. Mom brought in and my punishment was to just stand by the table quietly and just watch as the sisters played their card game ... I guess, after awhile I became impatient and restless as most three and four-year old's would. Of course, my standing there and fidgeting was impacting their game. The sisters usually played with a Spanish deck of cards. One of the sisters called out tres de ores and I shouted out, with a vengeance, tres de mierda. Immediately, my Mom was on her feet. Before
anyone knew what was happening, she flew around the table and really
surprised me with
slap, slap, slap, until I keeled over on my back.... No harm done, the Tias went on with their game. I got up slowly and quietly went back outside ...I'm sure...at least for awhile, played cooperatively. I think the sisters, mis tias were stifling their laughter, as I was slinking out the door. They used to think everything was funny.===
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The Baraja (literally deck/pack of cards) is a deck of playing
cards associated with Spain. It is usually called Baraja Española
(literally Spanish Deck). It has four suits and is usually made
up of 40 cards. It has a quite high resemblance to the Latin
deck, and somewhat less to the Anglo-American-French
deck. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baraja_(playing_cards)
Robt received his bachelor's degree from San Jose State College and
his Master's degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M
University. |
 Lessons learned: Something about Mom, which I have told many times, whenever in a group talking
of old times and discussing how we were raised and what our parents taught
us. I carry many of the lessons and have often used them in
life. Mom was extremely fair in dealing with the concept of sharing and introducing the sense of fairness among the four of us. Many was the time when she would bring out something for us to share, an example would be a small cake or some other goodie. She would ask for someone to cut and lay the four pieces out. We all knew, whoever did the cutting, was also regulated to br the last one to pick-up his share. You know whoever agreed to be the cutter, measured and eyed everything very carefully in order to make the shares were as identical, as possible. No one ever complained about not getting their share of the spoils. Editor: Bobby as a 3 or 4 year old, between my sister Tania in the front and me in the back. |
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Richard Cortez, third son |
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I REALLY LOVED THAT GOAT. And still miss him to this day. ~ Ricardo Cortez
holasoyelguapo@comcast.net
Ricardo had six sons and two daughters. After 8 yrs. at Sandia
Laboratory and 15 yrs. at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Ricardo started his own
business, Major Appliance Repair, which he ran for 34 years. |
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The first house we lived in, in Pleasanton was on Main St. in a house behind the Mexico
Lindo Cafe, which also served liquor.
Mom, Adelfa, and her friend, Adulfa, who helped at the cafe/bar were never given a bad time by any customers. Adulfa had a friend, a sailor, Jimmy; he was a big guy. He would make sure that everyone paid their bill.
We had a large fenced in
chicken yard
some distance behind the house where we raised chickens along with
an incubator
shack inside the fenced area for eggs and raising little chicks.
Billy lived in the chicken
yard except when we would let him out to play. Billy was like one of the family.
Billy was white with the typical goatee on his chin, which we also
yanked on to make him mad. This is a perfect
look-a-like. Sometimes we would put a tie on him.
. |
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Love is the Secret of the Great Mystery |
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I love the fact that on the
night I was born, a wolf howled. To
obtain this knowledge is to walk many paths, encounter dead ends,
retrace one’s experiences, start over, and move forward. Some say
those with Wolf Medicine become writers and will attain great heights.
Wolves have a great sense of family and are social animals, but they
possess strong individualistic tendencies. They seek out lonely places,
power places that allow them to think. In the isolation of their power
place, they enjoy their true selves. The spirit of the wolf, its beauty
and knowledge, are found in the essence of existing, and the power of
place. For me this place is where and when I entered Mother Earth in
1946, in |
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The
wolf’s keen sense recognizes the moon as its powerful ally. The moon
is symbolic of psychic energy. In its space, where it exists, are the
secrets of wisdom. Baying at the moon indicates a desire to connect with
understanding, new ideas, or return home. The wolf’s keen sense of
knowing includes the recognizing the voice within, the voice of a
person, a leaf, the rain, a stone, the wind, a tree, or an animal. The
voice is that of the Great Spirit. This voice and the wolf will not
approach unless one is willing to expand their world view and this takes
courage. It takes courage to write, to expose one’s self to critique.
I am not afraid to write, but there was a time when I was fearful. I
spent too many days reacting, via the written word, to what others had
written about my culture in In 1980 I knew two things: I love my people, and I was tired of reacting to life. I had a Ph. D. in Sociology and was a university professor teaching Chicano Studies. I thought about the racism and sexism I so often experienced and found in the accounts of the place and people I knew. Then, it hit me: Why don’t I write my own truth? I realized I was in a defense mode, in a mode of struggle to refute stereotypes about my people. However, in reacting to what others were writing I was legitimizing their negative depictions. I needed to say what I wanted to write and let others critique, or defend my work. What was the matter with me? I had forgotten that I had Wolf Medicine. I wrote Toward A Chicano Social Science, seven university classroom textbooks, well over academic and popular articles, much poetry, one play, one novel titled Suzanna, with two books due to be released in 2014. I love that I over-came my fear. I love teaching. Love and courage characterizes teachers and most Spanish-Indian families. |
My family was indigenous to the
land before we were citizens of Nueva España in the late 1500s, Mexican
citizens in 1820, before the I love my mama, who named me Irene because she liked the
song "Good Night Irene," and she liked a little rich girl
named Irene. This little girl’s family lived further down the
mountain. I love my name, and that every one knew I would be a girl
because mama carried me small, high, and pointed in her belly. My full
name is Irené Isabél Bléa y Mondragón but, it was changed by the
American school system to Irene Blea, it made me smaller. Nevertheless,
names are important in northern |
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Just as important as our family name is our attachment to
the spirituality and medicine of the land. My indigenous ancestors
taught my Spanish family how to interact with the land, how to respect
and love it. Land, especially mountain land, is life itself. It is sad
when mountain spirits are wounded by humans who build condominiums,
operate ski slope and, drive overland vehicles. My family used the earth
much more carefully, taking up as little space as necessary, asking
permission to consume only what we needed, thanking it for what it gave
us. In 1680, When I was born, women still rendered fat and made lye soap outdoors in large black kettles. They drew water from a clear stream, and everyone prayed throughout the day. My extended family numbered about twenty-four people sustained mostly on venison and Rocky Mountain Rainbow trout. We got milk from a few cows, ate wild turkey, and berries that grew on the ground or on bushes. The Choke Cherries the women and children gathered from Capulín bushes was made into jelly. Grandpa made Choke Cherry wine. We also collected the precious piñon nut in October, roasted it, stored it, and ate it all winter. Our planting season was short and the women dried or canned fruits and vegetables in mason jars.
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I love spring. In spring the women birthed children. Some babies like the sister who followed me, Juanita, died within a few hours. My papa said my grandmother prayed over the new born because Mama was too distraught to think of anything other than her loss. It was difficult to accept. I haven’t accepted it and still write poems to her. Juanita was born blue. My sister and I have a congenital heart murmurs, and I suspect Juanita had a heart abnormality. I shall see her in the spirit world, where she will tell me what caused her death. “You were an easy birth,” says my mother. “I prayed you would be a girl. Your birth was the happiest moment of my life. I couldn’t believe you were mine.” In summary, I was born in love a
few minutes after
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I smile now, for
I love my life. I love to write about my life. This is not an ego trip.
It is my truth. I was fortunate enough to have wonderful people waiting
for me to be born, family that smiled when I received the medicine of
the Mexican Gray wolf. Mama birthed seven children after me. I love them
equally. Over the years, Mama has repeated how she changed my diapers in
the frigidity of our mountain den. She did it lit by the flame of a
kerosene lamp while she was still in bed. “The steam and scent of your
infant urine dispersed into the darkness as I lifted the blankets and
undid the wrappings around your tiny bottom,” she says in Spanish.
“You lay on my lap kicking and cooing, smiling into the night.” Her
soft smile appears at this spot of the story, “I bundled you up and
warmed you under my arm until you fell asleep.” The smile disappears
when she adds in English, “For several months I lay still, listening
for the wolves. I never heard them.” In fact, the Mexican Gray Wolf
did not howl again in
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By the 1940’s, wolf hunters could not, would not, recognize the wolf’s contribution to the ecosystem, the balance necessary for a healthy environment. Out of fear, and a greedy need for trophies and profit, hunters shot, trapped, and poisoned the wolf. Hunters skinned the brown, black, and silver creatures then marketed its hide. Huntsman justified their actions by telling ugly stories about the ruthlessness of the wolf as mean and dangerous. It was no threat to us. Other than horses and a few sheep we possessed little livestock and the wolves did not bother it. There have been
occasions when I felt hunted or trapped but, the spirit of the wolf kept
me alive, even when it seemed necessary to gnaw off my own limb, crawl,
or hobble to get away, but I love that I have been able to share
knowledge. I strive for wisdom. When I die, I want be wise, to be buried
where I was born. I and the wolf will howl at the moon because both of
us will know that I have learned why I came to walk this earth: to learn
love, to be loved, to give love. It is the secret of the Great Mystery. |
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What’s in a Name: |
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| Hispanic? Latino? Mexican American?
Mexicano? Latin? Cuban American? Puerto Rican American? Borinquen? Dominican American? Latin American? Hispano?
Hispanoamericano? How do Americans of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Domincan, etc., identify themselves and why? How are they labeled by others and why? What stereotypes are applied the U.S.’s fastest growing ethnic minority and why? Are there political differences between these groups and why? Are ethnicity and class factors? Are all Latinos Catholic? Do all Latinos speak Spanish? Latinos and the immigrant experience? Mountain Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation Sanctuary 3601 W.Cromwell Drive |
Confused? Come and explore these and other questions in six two-hour sessions with Chuck Tatum who has taught and written extensively about Latino literature and other forms of Latino expressive culture for over forty years. We will devote our two-hour meetings to an historical overview of Latinos followed by discussions of literature, film, art, music, and food as expressions of identity, ethnicity, and history. You need not attend all six sessions. I promise not to overwhelm you with information but to give you a sabor, a taste of Latino identity and culture. Please contact me at 742-4007 or at ctatum@email.arizona.edu if you have any questions. |
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An explosion shatters the morning calm in downtown Tucson. It’s the sort of savage thunderclap that should invoke panic but instead earns a round of applause. Re-enactors fire the cannon at Presidio San Agustin del Tucson and the crowd claps appreciatively — as soon as the spectators regain their composure. Because even when you’re steeled for it, fingers shoved in ears, the window-rattling blast startles. A gunpowder haze fills the courtyard; a white smoke ring rises above the walls and wafts over the power lines, an exclamation point pinned against an azure sky. Every second Saturday of the month from October through April, living-history demonstrations turn the clock back at the presidio. Volunteers re-create a glimpse of life when Tucson was part of the frontier of New Spain, a land built on the twin foundations of missions and forts. “Starting with Coronado, Spain’s empire-building policy relied on the cross and the sword,” Tucson historian Jim Turner said. “They would try to convert the heathens and then use power if they didn’t comply.” Father Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived in 1687 and began |
working among Indians the Spaniards called Pimas. In their language, they were O’odham, “the people.” Kino traveled from upper Sonora to southern Arizona, a region he dubbed Pimeria Alta, establishing missions and introducing the natives to cattle and wheat. By the time he died in 1711, he had established more than 20 missions and visitas (country chapels visited regularly by a priest). Many of those missions have been swept away over the centuries. Others, such as Tumacacori and San Xavier del Bac, still stand near the banks of the Santa Cruz River. Spain began to rely more on the sword after a 1751 revolt. The O’odham people, angry over increasing Spanish controls and punishments, attacked several settlements, killing more than 100 people. As a result of the rebellion, a 50-man presidio was founded at Tubac, the first non-mission European settlement in Arizona. For political reasons, the Jesuits were expelled from New Spain in 1767. Soon after, Franciscans were assigned to former Jesuit missions. Franciscans built the churches we see today at San Xavier del Bac and Tumacacori. |
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To better defend the settlements against growing threats from Apaches angry about European incursions, Spain created a line of presidios that stretched from Sonora to Texas. Presidio San Agustin, the northernmost outpost, was established in 1775 by Spanish Army Col. Hugo O’Conor. “Every St. Patrick’s Day, Tucson newscasters like to remind viewers that Tucson was founded by an Irishman,” Turner said. “O’Conor was a young nobleman who left Ireland to join the Spanish army. “And while it’s true O’Conor signed the proclamation establishing the Tucson presidio, he was here one day. It was Father Francisco Garces who was already here and who brought him to this spot, a place that stood at a higher elevation so they could see the Apaches coming. There was a natural spring nearby, and the Santa Cruz River with good farmland. |
“Father Garces is the founder of Tucson to me,” Turner said. Garces was a Franciscan assigned to San Xavier del Bac. He established a visita in a Pima village at the base of Sentinel Peak in the early 1770s, which he named San Agustin del Tucson. As part of the realignment of presidios, the Tubac garrison was moved to Tucson. The fort was enclosed first with a wood palisade and later with an 8- to 12-foot-high adobe wall that was about 700 feet long on each side. When the 11-acre fort was completed in the 1780s, it consisted of adobe walls and two corner towers, each 20 feet high. The presidio remained in use until the Americans entered Tucson in March 1856 and much of the old structure was dismantled. The last standing segment was torn down in 1918. A reconstruction of the northeastern corner of the fort was completed in 2007. |
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Today, Presidio San Agustin del Tucson might be the best-kept secret in town. In the shadow of skyscrapers, reconstructed adobe walls surround a courtyard and act as an interpretive center and time capsule. Worth a visit anytime, the place really springs to life during the living-history events. The cannon, a bronze howitzer like those that once defended the presidio, is fired every hour. Spanish colonial soldiers practice military drills and demonstrate other guns. A blacksmith forges horseshoes as kids swarm around to watch. Food is prepared in an adobe horno (outdoor oven) and people line up to sample tortillas and posole. Other volunteers offer demonstrations on spinning, weaving, woodworking and leathermaking. Storytellers and musicians perform throughout the day. |
There are two groups of re-enactors: members of the Garrison, who portray soldiers of the Spanish colonial frontier, and La Gente, who depict the life skills required of civilians and the hardships they faced daily. “We have an educational program where fourth-graders experience what life was like through hands-on experience,” said Rick Collins, board president of Presidio San Agustin. “When they’re here they do chores like hauling water, planting seeds and roping cows. We’re able to do all this because of our amazing volunteers. They’re committed to keeping this knowledge alive.” It’s good to know that Arizona’s past is in good hands. Reach the reporter at www.rogernaylor.com. |
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Vanishing Arizona There are places where you can glimpse vestiges of the past, of Arizona’s history and prehistory. Some, like the missions and presidios in this story, are protected. A few are still in use. Others are faded and crumbling, their stories at risk of being lost. Each month this year, Explore Arizona will show you such a place and share its significance in the fabric of our state. Places to learn about presidios Expert
talk: Historian Jim Turner will give a presentation on
“Arizona’s Spanish Colonial presidios” with details of daily life
from original memoirs at Joyner-Green Valley Library. Details: 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28. 601 N. La Cañada Drive, Green Valley. Free. 520-594-5295, www.library.pima.gov. Presidio San Agustin del Tucson: The northeastern corner of the presidio has been reconstructed on its original site at the intersection of Church and Washington streets downtown. The open-air museum provides a striking look into the past. Features include a munitions room, tower, commissary, soldiers quarters, a representative mural and gift shop. Living History Days are on the second Saturday of the month from October through April. Details: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays from October through April. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays from June through September. 187 N. Court St., Tucson. Free. 520-837-8119, www.tucsonpresidiotrust.org. Mission San Xavier del Bac: This dramatic structure is noted for its elegant architecture and colorful art. The “White Dove of the Desert” on the Tohono O’odham Reservation is an active parish. Free guided tours are available. The 45-minute tours are led by docents trained in the history, architecture and culture of the mission. A museum and gift shop are also there. See the website for a schedule of tours and Masses. Details: 1950 W. San Xavier Road, 9 miles southwest of Tucson off Interstate 19. Free; donations accepted. 520-294-2624, www.patronatosanxavier.org. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park: It seems appropriate that this was Arizona’s first state park. It preserves the heritage and ruins of the first European settlement in what would become Arizona. The ruins of the original 1752 presidio are still visible in an underground exhibit. Visitors also can explore an impressive museum that houses Arizona’s first printing press (demonstrations are given), a furnished 1885 schoolhouse and living-history exhibits. Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. One Burruel St., Tubac. $2-$5. 520-398-2252, azstateparks.com/Parks/TUPR. Tumacacori National Historical Park: Father Eusebio Kino established a mission at this site in 1691. The Tumacacori Mission Church, which is the structure often thought of as the mission, was begun around 1800. Construction proceeded in fits and starts for the next two decades and was never completed. Yet it is a moving experience to enter the sunlit church and stand in this quiet place. Behind the church are a mortuary chapel and cemetery. The visitor center contains a fascinating museum that puts hundreds of years of history in perspective. During winter months, guided tours are offered to the ruins of two other Kino missions, Calabazas and Guevavi. Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 50 miles south of Tucson on Interstate 19 at Exit 29. $3. 520-398-2341, www.nps.gov/tuma. Sent by Monica Smith tortelita@aol.com |
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CUENTO |
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Sinceramente, |
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I,
Refugio was a fifth grader at Sacred Heart School, Corpus Christi, Texas. 99% of
the students were Mexican American. The year before, I had attended a
Public School, Elizabeth Street Elementary School in Corpus Christi,
where 99% of the students were Anglo. At the public school, it was a
custom to give valentines to everyone in class, boys and girls. So, my
parents bought my sister and I, packages of valentines, which said,
“Be My Valentine,” “You are my Valentine,” etc. We didn’t care
what the cards said, just so that everybody in the room got one, and we
got one from everybody.
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The
top guy in the 8th grade was considered real macho, who fought against
other guys from other schools with belts, fists and knives. So, this
guy, immediately screamed, “I don’t want that!!” “Don’t give
me that!” To top it off, the Valentine said, |
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CUENTO |
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Chapter 3: The Bachelor Father |
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Victor Moncivais, my grandfather on my father's side, was born in Monterrey, Mexico, December 23, 1886. Like many men of his age, he was a beer drinker. He worked as a plumber's helper but did not have permanent work. It appears that drinking was a major problem among the elder Moncivais men. Some, but not all, of those in future generations followed their example. 'My father's mother was Juanita Escobar. I don't remember much about her. They lived in a very small house in Austin, but I don't remember where the house was located. Grandfather Victor died of tuberculosis in a San Antonio hospital; his date of death is unknown although he is buried at Santa Rosa Cemetery in Austin's Montopolis area. Some of my cousins had visited him but were not allowed in his room; they could only wave to him from the sidewalk. My father was Guadalupe Escobar Moncivais, born in Austin, Texas, on August 9, 1908. Not many facts are known about him among my brothers and sisters. As this story progresses, the reasons will become obvious. His brother Alex was born July 27, 1911. One sister named Carmen was born December 12, 1912. In 1930, my mother was the first of her brothers and sisters to marry, to my father, a man she barely knew. My mother was taught to obey the men in her family. This was the Mexican way, the way she was brought up, and the way she would die. I don't think my mother was ever happy with my father. I know she did not want as many children as she had. My father was a dish washer at the Driskill Hotel when he and my mother married. He became an assistant to the hotel's cook, which is how he became a cook for the rest of his life. He could not read or write and showed no interest in learning. He also did not like the idea that my mother, in spite of going only through the third grade, took every opportunity to learn to read and write English. |
Even though he lived in the same house with us and all the other family members, he never fit in. I cannot remember having too many meals with him present. He drank more than he should and spent more on beer than on food for his family. One evening, my mother and I went to East Avenue and Eighth Street and sat on a blanket she had brought along; this was the same year I started school. We sat there for a long time. All of a sudden, she stood up and told me, "Stay where you are." Then, she ran in the direction of four people who were crossing East Avenue and Eighth Street. When I heard a lot of yelling and shouting, I ran all the way to where my mother was, to help her. One man was my father; the other was Uncle Alex. Mother had heard my father was seeing other women and had finally caught him with one of them. After awhile, she and I went back for the blanket and went on home. My father did not come home that night. My uncle Alex married my aunt Frances, and they had four children: Alex Junior, Juanita, Earline, and Victor. My uncle was also a beer drinker, and my aunt divorced him. As is often the case where there is a divorce, there was dysfunction and dissension within families. As children, we were told to stay away and not associate with our own cousins. We were not told why and did not understand; we just followed orders. But we still communicated with each other while at school. Eventually, my aunt Frances moved to California, taking the children with her. Across the street from where we lived was a very small gas station. When it closed down, Uncle Alex and his new wife rented it and opened a small restaurant. I remember him most for wearing a different Hawaiian shirt every day. I was always under the impression that he had developed a liking for the shirts when he was in the Hawaiian Islands. It was years later before I found out that his daughter Juanita was the one who bought the shirts for him. Uncle Alex was in a hospital with tuberculosis for two years but recovered. He died in September 1982 from liver problems. |
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Stories from the Barrio and Other 'Hoods, Margarita B. Velez |
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Millie la Negra,
pgs.45-46
I was fourteen and talked the neighborhood grocer into letting me work in his store. Every morning for the first week of summer vacation I volunteered to push the broom and dust the food cans on the shelves.Then he began paying me a dollar a week for doing the chores. The spending cash was an incentive that helped me get up early, gobble down breakfast, and walk across the street to my "job." Amor's Grocery was named after the owner's romantic surname; Love, and I thoroughly enjoyed the work that summer. The boys in the hood congregated on the store steps. They talked, laughed and heckled people passing by. The rambunctious crowd varied in age from twelve-year old wanna-bes to older teenagers. They constantly combed their ducktail hairdos and walked with a chip on their shoulders. "El Wino" was the leader and notorious for his obnoxious ways. One day, after sweeping out the store I went outside to continue on the steps. The wild bunch moved aside to let me work. I was intent on the chore when their cackling made me stop. |
 Looking up I spotted Millie La
Negra, a neighbor walking saucily towards the store. Thin white material covered her ample breasts jiggling with every step. A wide black belt accented her small waist and the white sandal straps wrapped around her ankles were sexy. But the gang seemed to be focused only on her breasts.Millie was the beautiful seventeen-year old child of an interracial marriage. She was tall and her graceful walk drew stares wherever she went. Her bronzed tan was natural and the shimmer of her skin enviable. The street gang eyed her as the mulatta approached. Their mouths gaped as their eyes bounced with every step that she took. Millie was in front of them when El Wino uttered, "Con esas me acababa de crear..." My hand gripped the broom frozen in mid-air and I swallowed hard upon hearing a nervous giggle erupt from the crowd. Editor: Photos from Google web search. |
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Millie stopped in her tracks and her eyes narrowed when she heard the odious remark about suckling on her breasts. In a blur I saw one sandal-clad foot move back and her arm swing around as she landed a hefty blow that knocked El Wino on his ass. "Cabron," she hissed looking down on her flattened foe. Then as calmly as you please Millie walked up the steps and into the store. El Wino picked himself up slowly rubbing his cheek where Millie's fingers left their mark. He was speechless despite the raucous laughter and ridicule from his buddies. I quickly busied myself with the broom again. |
When
Millie exited I expected more trouble. Her eyes swept over the quiet
crowd and she held her head high as she sauntered past. El Wino's
tattooed fingers hid his eyes and his cohorts glanced away without
uttering a word. Her bold action had made quite an impression. Millie's handling of the situation made me proud. In the past she had endured lecherous looks and snide remarks but not on that summer day. With an instantaneous response she silenced the hooligan and left the memory etched in rny mind. I often wonder what happened to Millie and envision her leading the charge of some world crusade. I see her beguiling and beautiful yet strong and sensitive, remembering a lesson she taught the punk with one mighty blow. June 1995 |
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 Bus Ride to Lifetime Friendship, pgs. 29-30 by Margarita Velez The other day when the thermometer climbed to 90 degrees I was walking across the street to the Norwest Bank. Suddenly the heel of my shoe sank into the asphalt. The hot sun had softened the pavement into a quicksand consistency that momentarily halted my stride. That reminded me of Anita, a longtime friend who wore bareback high-heeled shoes with a lot of style. I met the young dark haired beauty on the bus when I was sixteen. Every day when I traveled home from Burges High School, she rode home from her job downtown. Anita was twenty and her stature was commanding. The popcorn machine at Kress always lured me in and I boarded the bus with a large bag of white puffs ready to share with my friend. She listened as I rambled about school activities and sometimes she offered advice. The young woman embodied all that I wanted to be. Her long, dark hair glimmered with auburn highlights and the big dark  eyes flashed with excitement. Her perfume was so intoxicating that I saved enough lunch money to buy a bottle of "White Shoulders." But it made me sneeze and disappointment stung when the perfume didn't elicit excitement with me. |
Anita bought classy hats, chic dresses and shoes that I could never afford. One day I splurged on a wide-brimmed white straw hat with black trim at the White House Millinery Department while trying to imitate her style. She helped me select my graduation dress and gave
instructions on how to show off my hair under the mortarboard. Her input gave me confidence as our friendship thrived. She also helped me recognize my own assets and gave me polish. "You're lucky to be tall, just pull back your shoulders and walk proud," she said when I fretted about my height. Her reassurances helped me overcome an awkward stage. When I fell in love she recognized the signs and approved of my choice. Anita recommended the Juarez woman who created my wedding dress and counseled me on the details that befuddle young brides. The vision of her dancing at my wedding with the radiant smile of a proud sister is locked in my mind. Yes, Anita was sophistication in motion but it was her high heels that impressed me. She preferred slings, those high fashioned barebacked shoes that accented sexy ankles and reminded me of Marilyn Monroe. 
One day I slipped my size eight tootsies into patent leather slings and headed for the bus stop. As I crossed Mills Street, the hot softened asphalt entrapped my heels and sent me scampering in stocking feet to retrieve my shoes from the middle of the street. The embarrassment made me give up the sexy things and settle for practical footwear.
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Anita and I have shared good and bad times and made many wonderful memories along the way. She was my "Big sister" and always will be my very dear friend. I thank God for putting her beside me on the El Paso City Lines bus so long ago.
June 1997 |
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Poetry
of Yesterday and Today by Raul Garza |
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Clemente, El Zapatero |
Clemente, El Zapatero |
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He was short and stout, Beary forearms and blacksmith hands, He was funny all about. With tacks on his strong white teeth, He lined them up on each sole and heel, In rhythm he hammered each with a beat. With a twinkle in his eye, Smile as colorful as a tie, He would greet people going by. He would hum an old lullaby, Beautiful as the bluest sky, Swaying on his stool like a butterfly. A shoemaker was he by trade, To his customers always great, Many a sandal for them he made. For the Ranch Cowboy's foot, There was always his special boot, Never his horn did he toot. He was a simple cobbler, His tools and shop always in order, To everyone he was like a brother. I can still picture him today, As if he would forever stay, But suddenly he passed away, On a sunny day in May. |
I lived in a small town, Kingsvile, the headquarters for the famous King Ranch. I lived in a Hispanic called Mexican then), neighborhood. Our area was self sufficient. We had our own grocery ''ores, bakeries, corn tortilla factories, barbershop, cleaners, shoe shops, churches and •curanderos," (Healers). I spent a lot of time at Don Clemente's shoe shop. I was always fascinated with this work with other. He made shoes, boots, sandals, saddles, purses, and you name it from scratch. He had a very unique way of taking measurements of people's feet including the whole foot. He did these measurements on grocery brown bags, made his own special instructions on each one, then nailed or tacked them on the wall. He never forgot a face, never forgot where he tacked the measurements, and never forgot what kind of sandals or boots he had made for them. An amazing filing system; an amazing memory. He always had a twinkle in his eye, a smile that showed white straight teeth behind his salt and pepper mustache which he would stroke from time to time. He liked to hum an array of lullabies or songs from the Revolution in Mexico. Occasionally he would let me tack a nail or two, let me sand soles and heels or dye the side of the soles and heels. He also had a system of placing the shoes, boots or sandals according to when they would be picked up. He used no tickets until later years when his sons started running the shop more Still, he did not use names but his special marking on each tickets. He was also very philosophical. One of his sayings has stayed with me forever. Even though I am w 72,1 remember it as if he told it to me yesterday when I was nine. "No aijado, cada chango a su mecate, y cada maestro a su oficio." ( No my godson, every monkey to his limb, and every master to his task.) By this he meant the either you can not serve two masters or that if you were a shoemaker, you had no business messing with the plumbing. Simply, "Let the shoemaker make his shoes, and let the plumber do the plumbing." Many a time when I hear someone say "Jack of all trades; master of none," |
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Mrs. Lambright The Story |
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| Her clothes never fit right, Either too loose or too tight, As if she had been in a fight. Her classroom was a scream, The custodian shook his head and grinned, He tried his best to keep it clean, So...she and her kids made a great team. Her children never lacked a thing, She was a very Christian being, Sharing and providing like a mother queen, For her little subjects within. The Principal could not comprehend, How a classroom as squirmy and loud, Completed the task of learning first hand, With so many noisy children about. Oh, but amazingly Classroom 203, Aways tested in the upper three, How, the staff could not agree, What elements let this be. Mrs. Lambright like the lady in the shoe, Loved her children dearly and true, Had the rare quality called TLC, Ugly? No, a beautiful Teacher is all she could ever be. |
Have you ever met a person who is devastatingly ugly? In 1956 I returned to my hometown. I applied for a teaching job and was hired. I went to teach for the very first Hispanic Principal, a former member of the staff in the elementary school I attended as a youngster. The first teacher I met on the campus was Mrs. Lambright. I thought, "Is she a teacher? How could they hire someone so ugly to work with children?" Mrs. Lambright extended her hand to greet me. She shook my hand firmly and broke into the warmest smile. You could feel the warmth coming straight from her heart and soul. At that moment I saw that beautiful person from within. I forgot what she looked like physically. I watched her teaching performance through the years. She gave 100% plus of herself to her charges seeing that no one, but no one abused them or treated them badly. She bought school supplies out of her pocket so that each of her children would not want for working tools. Her room was messy, not dirty, but messy because of all the activities and interpersonal relations with each and everyone of her children. decorations for holidays were hand made in her classroom. Goodies were baked and cooked for her children by Mrs. Lambright. She bought enough goodies for each child to take home for their siblings. Mrs. Lambright was the only teacher in the school who never took money for holiday supplies donated to each classroom by the PTA. She took care of her custodian, Mr. Tijerina. Holidays and his birthday he would receive personal ' gifts from her. As if she did not have enough to do with kids, she would very often bring enough goodies to the teachers' lounge to last for days. And her annual performance? Her kids always tested higher than the other classrooms. Everyone on the staff tried to figure out how? Today we have a/of of acronyms for all situations and infra¬structure. •• The best I can come up with is TLC. She loved everyone. She cared for everyone as a person, not a name or ethnic background. Describe her in one word: BEAUTIFUL I |
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File photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)
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 Mission San Antonio de Valero was founded by Father Antonio Olivares. Actually, the church’s beginnings are much older. Its roots originate in Mission San Francisco Solano established in 1700 south of the Rio Grande near today’s Eagle Pass, Texas. It was moved to San Antonio to improve native American Christianization. Bexareños are the first pioneer settlers to make their home around the new Presidio San Antonio de Béxar. Then, in 1731, with the arrival of 15 Isleño families (about 50 people), the village was formally established as Villa San Fernando de Béxar. Thus, young San Antonio quickly acquired three of the founding Spanish Mexican institutions of early Texas; mission, presidio, and villa. Although the small hamlet proved to be viable as a start-up community, the safety and security of its inhabitants was a constant problem. By the late 1730s |
and 1740s, Apache attacks made any trip outside the unstable fortifications a life-and-death situation. Thoughts of survival occupied most of the settlers’ minds night and day. Some wished to flee, but the risks were too great to plan an escape. Every day life was grim. The question was would San Antonio survive? The Crown kept operating costs to a minimum and so the Spanish Army’s ranks were thin. Military help was out of the question. Then, Father Benito Fernández de Santa Ana arrived on the scene.
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Beside the clergy and the Mission Indios, there were three other distinct groupings of people: (l) the military stationed at the presidio, (2) the “locals”
(Bexareños), and (3) recently arrived Isleños. Instead of pulling as a team, each faction pulled against each other. First, the military. Extremely undermanned and underpaid, military leaders treated all indigenous people as enemies. Armed soldiers scared friendly natives from entering mission grounds and Father Santa Ana greatly disapproved of the heavy handedness. So, he went directly to the viceroy. Father Santa Ana was able to convince the viceroy that once native Americans were part of mission Christian life, they could contribute to the mission’s production of cattle, horses, and crops. The viceroy agreed and slowly, mission population increased. As for Los Bexareños, they were a hardy cluster of families who had endured and suffered much eking out a living in their unfriendly surroundings. Having been informed they would soon be augmented with Isleño families, the Bexareños were at first cautiously optimistic. They assumed that they could now share their heavy load of clearing land, building their town, and tending vast herds of cattle and horses. That expectation quickly evaporated. |
The few Isleños reporting to San Antonio were totally unprepared for life in New Spain’s northern frontier. Having been given the authority to officially organize the town by setting up its first Cabildo (town council), the Isleños faced trouble from the start. They had no idea they were expected to till land or plant their own crops, and they wrongly assumed that mission indigenous families would provide the labor in their newly awarded private lands. They were totally unprepared to tend to the needs of work animals, since they were fishermen, not ranchers. Worse, having been awarded gentry titles; they also treated local Bexareños as socially inferior. Their attitude didn’t sit too well with Los Bexareños, or with Father Santa Ana. To be sure, the situation seemed hopeless as to the future of San Antonio. Nonetheless, Father Santa Ana was able to tie all the strings together and saved the young community. Step 1: He cleverly achieved a truce with the military commander. Step 2: He and the viceroy solved the dispute with the Isleños. Step 3: He used all his persuasive talents to force Isleño and Bexareño inhabitants to co-exist; and Step 4: Through Catholic Church rituals, he united Bexareños, Isleños, and native Americans as comadres and compadres by way of marriage and baptisms. |
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In summary, much has been written about the bravery of New Spain military commanders and famous explorers. They have earned their recognition. However, Texas was truly blessed to have Fathers Santa Ana, Francisco Hidalgo, Antonio
Olivares, Antonio Margil, Juan Morfi, Alonzo Terreros, and many more as first administrators. Using what can only be described as an early version of the Army Corps of Engineers, they built the many historical structures still standing today that give Texas and the Southwest its world renowned Spanish Mexican flavor. Acting as their own management consultants, the padres presented their projects to the viceroy. Once approved, they provided their own planners, engineers, architects, masons, carpenters, and painters. Practicing what they preached in humility, they hauled rocks and dug ditches alongside native American laborers. |
Mission padres were the first true Texas ranchers and their native American recruits, the first Texas cowboys. Readers must note that in addition to those extraordinary endeavors; the priests had to maintain their religious obligations -- conduct daily masses, minister to the sick, tend to their fields and herds of animals, and assure proper feed and care for mission residents (with little or no pay). What CEO of today would be up to the task? Finally, the next time you visit the “Alamo”, honor it with its true name, Mission San Antonio (just like Missions San José and San Juan.) Equally, honor its true saviors -- the builders themselves. When you see, touch, and feel the magnificent structure’s thick walls, be aware that the blood, sweat, and tears of the padres and their native American apprentices are mixed in with the mortar. The Presidio is long gone, but Mission San Antonio still endures. |
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¡Que vivan las
misiones; que vivan los padres; que viva Padre Benito Fernández de Santa Ana! José Antonio (Joe) López was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and is a USAF Veteran. He now lives in Universal City, Texas. He is the author of three previous books: “The Last Knight (Don Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara Uribe, A Texas Hero),”; “Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain (Life in 1920s South Texas)”, and “The First Texas Independence, 1813”. Lopez is also the founder of the Tejano Learning Center, LLC, and www.tejanosunidos.org , a Web site dedicated to Spanish Mexican people and events in U.S. history that are mostly overlooked in mainstream history books.
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| The Francis William Seabury Papers, as owned by the Barker Texas History Center, contain a large amount of documents spanning the years from. 1714 through 1946. This collection is comprised of manuscript, typescript and printed materials. Included within this collection are letters, abstracts of title, contracts, deeds, receipt of taxes, and other items. Of particular interest to genealogists are the genealogies, wills, funeral notices, and marriage licenses contained within this material. Of particular interest is a ledger book containing genealogies pertaining to land on the north side of the Rio Grande River. It is presumed that the genealogical information contained within this volume was collected from local informants living in Northeast Mexico and South Texas during the last part of the Nineteenth Century and the first part of the Twentieth Century. Because the source of this information was from the memory of these informants, this information is subject to error. However,
Mr. Seabury supplemented this collected information with additional data obtained from primary records including census material and church records. The source of this supplementary material, when used, is usually indicated. Seabury also |
provides cross references from one family to another when families are known to be interrelated. This genealogical information was collected to help delineate who had rights to land in Zapata, Jim
Hogg, Duval and Starr Counties in Texas. Only the ledger book in this collection has been microfilmed by the University of Texas at Austin. Information on how this reel of microfilm (35mm) may be purchased is available by writing the Eugene C.-Barker Texas History Center / SRH 2.102 / The General Libraries / The University of Texas at Austin / Austin, Texas 78712-7330. Francis William Seabury (1868-1946) was an attorney and legislator from Brownsville, Texas. Papers concern information gathered for use in litigation and for personal use. Places associated with the papers include Camargo, Mier and Reynosa, Mexico; and Camaron County, Brownsville, Starr County, Rio Grande City, Duval County, and Zapata County and the overall Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. |
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February 11, 2014, Tuesday |
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| Dr. Crimm, a retired Associate Professor of History from Sam Houston State University, has written several books and articles detailing Petra Vela Kenedy, the De León family, and historical novels about eighteenth century Spanish and Mexican Texas. She is renowned as a unique and entertaining speaker in high demand by educational, historical and community groups in Texas and across the nation. Known for her writings in "creative history" and dialogue, Dr. Crimm is passionate about sharing the history of Tejano Texas. Her travels have inspired her to write novels that provide insight into life in early Texas and the Hispanic history that has made the United States what it is today. Dr. Crimm has earned teaching awards including: Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation Award (2004), Mary Jon and J.P. Bryan Texas History Teacher Award (2003), and Excellence in Teaching Sam Houston State University (1999) Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum 1510 Cambridge St. Houston, TX 77030 Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments served. RSVP 713-237-8997 sjbc-texas@usa.net |
The San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy is a Section
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to
preserve, reclaim, and restore the San Jacinto Battleground and
build greater public awareness of the battle of San Jacinto, the
culminating military event of the Texas Revolution.
No other nonprofit organization is devoted entirely to these goals. In 2010, the San Jacinto Battleground was included on Preservation Texas' Most Endangered Places list. Preservation Texas is the statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. To find out what you can do to help, visit us on our website www.sanjacintoconservancy.org. We are so appreciative of your gifts and donations. If you would like to make a secure donation online, click here or go to the "Donations" tab on our website.
San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy | | sjbc-texas@usa.net
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808 Travis, Suite 1429
P. O. Box 940536
Houston, TX 77094-7536
713-237-8997
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Love Note by Paul Grachan, Lockport, Illinois, Source: Guidepost, His Mysterious Ways |
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Love Note
He thought it odd that he'd found a dollar bill with
his new girlfriend's name on it. But little did he know...
As appeared in Guidepost magazine
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| How do you know when you’ve met the love of your life? I couldn’t stop thinking about Esther. I laughed whenever we were together. My spirit soared at the sight of her. But we’d only been on a few dates! Was I really going to take her to dinner that weekend and ask her to be my girlfriend? I knew she liked me but I was still nervous. On my lunch break, I ran into a deli for a sandwich, pulling some bills that I had received as change earlier in the day from my wallet to pay for it. I glanced at them as I handed them to the cashier. Something was written on one of the dollars. I snatched it back and took a closer look. In pencil, right next to George Washington, was the word Esther. What were the chances? No way would I let go of that dollar. Heading back to the office, I had a funny idea. I ducked into a drugstore, bought a small frame and put the buck inside. I’ll give it to Esther on Friday night, I thought, chuckling to myself. She’ll get a kick out of this. At dinner Esther told me she’d love to be my girlfriend. While we basked in the glow of our new relationship status, I pushed a box wrapped in pretty paper across the table. “I have a present for you.” “Aw, how sweet!” Esther said. She tore off the paper and opened the box, held up the frame and stared at it. “It was the craziest thing,” I said, telling her how I discovered it. She just kept staring at the dollar bill. Finally she looked up at me–but not with a smile. She appeared shocked, confused, disturbed maybe. I couldn’t tell. It definitely wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for. |
I thought you’d laugh,” I said. “Isn’t it
wild?” Esther wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Remind me to
tell you something later,” she said, slipping the framed bill
into her purse. She seemed so out of sorts, I didn’t want to
press her about it.
It was a rare awkward moment between us. A year later, I was ready for the next step. I hired a mariachi band to serenade Esther outside her window and asked her to marry me. She looked stunned for a moment, then shouted, “Yes!”
About two years after I had given her the dollar, we
moved into a new apartment together. While unpacking, I came across
the framed bill. I didn’t even know she’d kept it.
“Hey, you never told me about this dollar,” I
said, bringing it over to Esther. “You acted so strange when I
gave it to you!”
This time as Esther took the frame she smiled. “I
thought if I told you the story behind it you would feel too
pressured. After all, we’d only been on a few dates when you gave
it to me.”
“What do you mean, the story behind it?” I asked.
“A few years before we met, I was working as a
cashier at a copy shop downtown, dating someone who just didn’t
feel right. I started thinking, How do you know when you’ve
met the love of your life?
I got this nutty idea. I wrote my name on some dollar
bills and gave them out when I had to make change. I said a prayer
that somehow, one would end up with the man I’d marry.”
As it turns out, I’d hit the one-dollar jackpot!
Now we have three great kids and are approaching our sixteenth
anniversary. And I still consider myself lucky to be married to the
love of my life.
Sent by Odell Harwell odell.harwell74@att.net |
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Photo: 1919, "Walter Reed Hospital flu ward." |
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Washington, D.C., circa 1919. "Walter Reed Hospital flu ward." One of the very few images in Washington-area photo archives documenting the influenza contagion of 1918-1919, which killed over 500,000 Americans and tens of millions around the globe. Most victims succumbed to bacterial pneumonia following influenza virus infection. Sent by Val Valdez Gibbons
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The
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In 1989 through 1991 while working as a
corrections officer at Sing Sing and Coxsackie Correctional Facilities,
I came across many of the inmates I had arrested in Washington Heights.
Some were doing time for selling drugs, others for robberies, murder,
you name it. Here is one story of an inmate I met at Sing Sing, whom I
had arrested while working with my partner Herman Velez during a
midnight tour and patrolling the mean streets of Washington Heights: I
was a "New Jack" { rookie corrections officer at age 42 }.
During an 8 to 4 tour I was assigned to the medium security-wing, which
is linked by an above-ground tunnel known as Tappan the living quarters
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As I walked down the stairs I heard a Hispanic inmates loudly telling the other inmates that I was son of a bitch and that I had been fired from the NYPD for being a corrupt cop. That I had been the cop who had arrested him and that when I arrested him I slapped him in the face. As I
continued to walk down the stairs and proceeded to the office, I knew I
would have to find out who this inmate was as soon as I got back to the
dormitory. I finished my business at the office and proceeded up the
stairs and enter the I called the inmate to approach my desk, while the other inmates were now looking at both me and the one inmate who was talking trash about me. It was show time. How was former NYPD police officer going to handle this incident without making a fool out of himself. and causing a problem. The inmates knew I knew how to write a ticket when it came to writing up an inmate who got out of hand be it with another inmate or a corrections officer. The pen is mightier than trying to get into an argument with an inmate. |
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After sizing up the inmates, I recognized him from the night Herman and
I arrested him. I asked the other inmates if they wanted to hear the
whole story. They all shouted, "Yeah!" as I began to tell them
how this poor inmates was claiming to be the victim, and I the bad bully
cop. I told him that I did remember him. That I was working a midnight
tour with my partner Herman Velez and assigned to Sector Adam which was at the lower part of the precinct, when around 12:15 a.m. as I drove south on Broadway and Herman was the recorder, I spotted him and two other Hispanic young men flagging down a Gypsy cab going north. I immediately brought it to Herman's attention and told him that those were the tree Hispanic men I was tipped off, who were the bad guys who would follow other Hispanic men coming out of bars a bit drunk, and while on their way home would rob and beat them to the point where the victims would require medical treatment. As the three bandidos got into the Gypsy cab and headed north on Broadway, Herman and I continued south on patrol. Three hours later, Herman and I decided to head up north on Broadway for some good coffee and donuts. At around 162 Street and Ft Washington Avenue we heard what sounded like gunshots. Herman notified Central and told the dispatcher that we would investigate. As we cruised slowly and turned east on 164th Street toward Broadway, we noticed a male Hispanic by a tenement building waving at us. |
We cautiously approached him, guns ready, when he told us he was the
super of the building and that there were some men hiding down in the
basement. Herman notified Central that we had a pick-up and that we were
doing a 10-10 investigate. We took the elevator down to the basement.
With our guns ready, we heard a noise coming from a storage room. We
pointed our guns toward the storage room and in a polite way told who
ever was hiding there to come out with their hands up in the air. I'm
lying. What we said was, " You guys better come out with your hands
up in the air, or were are going to blow your asses up!" Lo and
behold, who do you think came out from hiding? You got it. The tree
bandidos we saw flagging down the Gypsy cab. As I'm telling my story, I
can see the inmate sweating bullets, and the other inmates chuckling. Herman
and I made it our business to carry two pairs of handcuffs. I covered
Herman as he cuffed the three men and searched them for weapons. None
found. Herman then notified Central telling the dispatcher what we had.
He then asked if we had missed a job where a robbery had been committed.
Central said that Sector Eddie was at Presbyterian Hospital writing up a
#61 complaint of a Hispanic man who was robbed and beaten. |
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I asked Charlie what they had stolen
from him. He told me they stole his money and his wrist watch. Just then
I heard something drop behind one of the bandidos. It was my inmate
friend, who was now sweating more bullets, as the other inmates began to
laugh. I picked up
the watch and showed it to him. "Is this your reloj?" {
wristwatch } I asked with a smile. "No es mi reloj", he nervously said. "Well, then, whose watch is it? I said. "Maybe it's yours", he said. "Oh, so not only do you like to rob men that are too drunk to defend themselves, but you're also a comedian, eh?" I told him. Well, here we are now at Sing Sing years later, and he was complaining that I was a corrupt cop, and for no reason slapped him when Herman and I arrested him and his two amigos for numerous robberies and beating up their victims. If anyone wants to believe that I gave him a well deserved slap for being a wise guy and seeing how it felt to be treated the way he treated innocent people he robbed and beat, be my guess. Now we have this situation I told the inmate. He is in the same prison I am working at, plus making accusations that when I arrested him I treated him badly. I told him that he was a threat to me. We could not be in the same prison. Someone had to be transferred out, and it was not going to be me. I know he loved being in Tappan, where he had more freedom than up the hill in A & B Block. His family could come and visit him every day if they wanted since Washington Heights where they lived was less than an hour drive. But being he was now a threat to me, I was going to write him up and and report that I was the arresting officer that sent him to Sing Sing, and was requesting he be put on the draft and be shipped out to another facility near the Canadian border. Let's see how many times his family and friends would go up to see him. Besides my wife would have to sue if I were ever hurt by him or anyone he gave the job to. |
I told him to get
back to his cube. I then began to write the report, when I heard the
inmate ask me if he could approach. The dorm was so quiet, you could
actually hear one or two cockroaches crawling about. The inmates approached me and said, " Officer Sanchez, please do not have be transferred. I promise you I will never disrespect you again, nor talk behind your back. Please, do nor have me transferred. I looked at the other 39 inmates and asked them if I should give him a break. "Yeah, CO, give him a break", one inmates said. "You got him good", as I saw and heard other inmates laughing. I gave him a break. And every time this inmates saw me as he passed by, he would say hello and smile. But let me tell you... I'm not a big, strong man, who can kick ass, especially when it came to inmates who were big, strong, and lifted weights every day, and if they wanted could have hurt me or killed me. But God Almighty gave me a brain to use common sense in defending myself and others when the enemy was around and looking for trouble. These are my stories from the mean streets and while working in the Belly of the Beast at Sing Sing and Coxsackie State Prison after being unjustly fired from the NYPD for locking up some lying, treacherous drug dealers. Wishing you all the very best in this new year 2014. God bless, -Joe Sanchez www.bluewallnypd.com |
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Sacajawea
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Sacajawea. Stolen, held captive, sold , eventually reunited the Shoshone Indians. She was an interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark in 1805-1806 with her husband Toussaint Charbonneau. She navigated carrying her son, Jean Baptiste, on her back. She traveled thousands of miles from the Dakotas to the Pacific Ocean. The explorers, said she was cheerful, never complained, and proved to be invaluable. She served as an advisor, caretaker, and is legendary for her perseverance and resourcefulness. Sent by Val Valdez Gibbons
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China’s
Hidden Jews
by Tiffanie
Wen January 3,
2014 The
Daily Beast |
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China’s
Hidden Jews
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“Are
you Jewish?” my Israeli boyfriend likes to ask me every time I do
something like mumble oy va voy
when I spill a bag of oranges outside of the grocery store. It’s a
running joke, albeit not a very good one, since I’m ethnically
Chinese. But the premise of our joke—that the notion of a Chinese Jew is oxymoronic — is not technically true. Lately, Chinese Jews have been coming out of the woodwork, and, because of the obvious novelty factor, are getting a decent amount of media attention. In November, Tablet covered the return of a 28-year-old Chinese Jew, Jin Jin, to Israel, where he now lives. Haaretz has been following the conversion of several Chinese Jews in Israel, including Yaakov Wong, who is studying to become the first Chinese Rabbi in over 200 years. |
And
Israeli friends like to remind me that Eli
Marom, who is a quarter Chinese, was the first Chinese Jew to hold a
top military post in Israel, as the head of the Israeli Navy from 2007
to 2011. Marom’s brother, Moshe
Marom, served as the first representative to China for the IDF. As it turns out, scholars estimate that there are nearly 1,000 Chinese people of Jewish descent alive today—most of whom originate from Kaifeng, an area of the Henan Province in Eastern Central China. According to Irene Eber, a Professor of Asian Studies at The Hebrew University who has written extensively on the topic, the first Jews arrived in China along the Silk Road in the early 12th century and built their first synagogue around 1160, with the help of Han labor. |
“Since
the Jews in China were Sephardic, they were polygamists, and depending
on how wealthy they were, some took several Chinese wives and the
children became Chinese,” she said. “Jews became a part of Chinese
society, but they also took what fit their religious belief from the
Chinese environment and were considered part of the syncretic
sectarianism, characteristic of large portions of Chinese society in
parts of North China. They prayed, had dietary restrictions and
religious writings that only they read.” |
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By 1866, there was no longer
a synagogue in Kaifeng, a problem that persists to the present day, and
religious scrolls were dispersed. “Despite this, they never forgot their identity,” said Eber. “They were Han Chinese and also Jewish. This Jewish identity is again being affirmed today with the help of Jews that travel to China and guide them into a Jewish direction.” But whether or not the descendants of this ancient Jewish community—which is referred to as qi xing ba jia in Mandarin and consists of eight lineages and seven Chinese surnames, adapted from original biblical names like Levy (now Li) and Adam (now Ai) —are actually Jewish, is cause for controversy. |
Yiyi Chen, the Director of the Institute for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Peking University, is not convinced. “Regardless of how you define Jewishness—either in conservative or liberal terms—I don’t think there are any Jews currently living in Kaifeng,” he said. “Some claim that they are Jewish with historical ties, but nothing has been preserved other than the newly learned Jewishness following the opening of China in the late 1980s and 1990s. The only tangible heritage they have is that since the 1980s— some of them are called the ‘blue kippas’ for example, and are being mixed together with the Muslim community in terms of their dietary restrictions. But other than that, there’s nothing that they observe.” |
Chen describes the current phenomenon of rediscovering a long-lost Jewish heritage as a small but prominent trend among young Kaifeng residents, born in the 1970s to 1990s, who are attempting to reclaim a forgotten culture. “But it consists of no more than a few dozen people,” he said. “I don’t think they can safely claim that there is a Jewish community there. There is not.” Instead, Chen points to financial motivators behind those promoting the notion of Chinese Jews, including academic, entrepreneurial and local governmental efforts to attract foreign tourists to Kaifeng and expand local revenues.
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Officially, the Chinese government
does not recognized Judaism as a minority religion, a status that would
allow Jewish citizens to frequent synagogues and potentially have more
than one child. A recent Chinese documentary on the ancient Jewish
community in China interviewed families in Kaifeng with Jewish ties and
concluded that Chinese Jews simply no longer exist. Nor do Kaifeng Jews meet the
criteria for Israel’s Law of Return, in which at least one grandparent
must be Jewish. So those that consider themselves to be “Chinese
Jews” still have to complete a lengthy conversion process in order to
become an Israeli citizen. Even Yecholiya Jin, the Kaifeng Jew profiled by Tablet, concedes that Kaifeng Jews did not abide by religious laws throughout much of their history.
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“It’s only in the last 10
years that we began to pick up more of our condition and understand the
traditions. Before then, [critics] are right in that we didn’t really
keep kosher or know Hebrew or much of the beliefs— we only knew we
were Jewish and we didn’t eat pork.” Though Kaifeng citizens of Jewish
descent are not recognized as Jewish by the Chinese government, Jin says
that on a local level, members of her family and other members of the
communities are able to pray together and meet regularly for Shabbat and
holiday meals in Kaifeng. Her father even wears a tzitzit. Sent by John Inclan |
26-year-old Yuguang Shi is one of
a handful of Kaifeng Jews that arrived in Israel in 2009 with the help
of Shavei Israel, an organization that assists “Hidden Jews” seeking
to return to the Jewish community. He is one of just over a dozen
Kaifeng Jews to convert in Israel after several years of studying. He
became an Israeli citizen earlier this year. Perhaps Shi and others like him
have a reason to feel special. Being from Kaifeng and of ancient Jewish
descent—whether or not Beijing or Israel recognize him—still makes
him, at least statistically, one in a million. |
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Peru:
Archaeologists investigate ancient cranial surgery by Rachel Chase |
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1,500-Year-Old Ceremonial
Site is Explored in Mexico
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Most
of the structures at Teocaltitan are buried and offer great research
potential, the INAH said. “We are talking about a site with high potential, both from a tourism standpoint and research,” Teocaltitan project director Marisol Montejano said. The ceremonial center could become a destination for the 6 million pilgrims who visit the Cathedral of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos, located 18 kilometers (11.1 miles) away, each year. “The interesting thing about Teocaltitan, aside from the fact that it has Teotihuacanian influence in its architecture, such as the use of sloped tops, is that it has many elements common to the region, characterized by square architecture, sunken patios and in a ‘U’ form, pyramids with enclosed patios, ball courts,” Montejano said. The digs at Teocaltitan will continue in 2014 and “it is possible that archaeologists will find a burial zone for the site’s elites,” the archaeologist said.
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Archaeologists
are exploring Teocaltitan, a 1,500-year-old ceremonial site located in
the western Mexican
state of Jalisco near the San Juan de los Lagos Church, the National
Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said. The Teocaltitan archaeological zone covers 20 hectares (49 acres) and has at least 23 structures built between 450 and 900, the INAH said in a statement.
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Peru:
Archaeologists investigate ancient cranial surgery |
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of Peru’s ancient peoples were skilled surgeons who used trepanation
to cure a host of illnesses.
Do you have a head injury? Was your heart recently broken? Are you suffering from a spiritual ailment? If you were a member of the Wari people in ancient Peru, you might have sought the same solution for all of those problems. Because as everyone knows, the cure for heartbreak, head injuries, and / or divine sicknesses is to drill a hole in your skull. It sounds a little crazy, but archaeologists working in Andahuaylas have found significant evidence indicating that the ancient doctors of the region did a lot of trepanation (which is the fancy word for “drilling holes in skulls”). |
And
the Wari doctors were pretty good at their jobs— there’s evidence
that many patients survived the procedure and lived for years after
their successful surgery.
Science20.com spoke to University of California at Santa Barbara anthropologist Danielle Kurin, who traveled to Andahuaylas to investigate Wari trepanation. “When you get a knock on the head that causes your brain to swell dangerously, or you have some kind of neurological, spiritual or psychosomatic illness, drilling a hole in the head becomes a reasonable thing to do,” explained Kurin.
Sent by Dorinda Moreno pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com |
Kurin
also told Science20 that trepanation techniques seem to have become
widespread during the decline of the Wari empire, in the midst of
conflict and collapse. Kurin believes that the new pressures on Wari
society led them to advance in impressive ways.
“These ancient people can’t speak to us directly, but they do
give us information that allows us to reconstruct some aspect of their
lives and their deaths and even what happened after they died,” said
Kurin, adding “Importantly, we shouldn’t look at a state of collapse
as the beginning of a ‘dark age,’ but rather view it as an era that
breeds resilience and foments stunning innovation within the
population.”
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Feb 20-25:
Tenth International Organ and Early Music Festival, Oaxaca Dos sepulcros de la familia Muzquenze Galán Benavides Stakeholder 2013 Genealogy Year End Report by Crispin Rendon Documentos de la Dir. Gral. de Arch. e Hist.- S.D.N. MASCOG: Tte. Corl. Intdte. Ret. Ricardo Raúl Palmerín Cordero Bautismo de José, Antonio, Andrés, Angel Andrade y Crivelli Bautismo Poeta y Actor Don Agustín Lara y Aguirre Q.E.P.D. |
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One
of the highlights of the upcoming Historic Organ Festival in Oaxaca,
will be the evening concert on FridayCin the Basilica de La Soledad of
Oaxacan folk music, presented and played by Festival Director Cicely
Winter. Those
of you who wish to attend the festival are encouraged to register as
soon as possible since places are filling up fast. You may do so through
the web site: http://iohio.org.mx/eng/festx.htm
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TENTH
INTERNATIONAL
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Richard
Perry If you have never been to Oaxaca before, we invite you to read a
description of the Ninth Festival on our web page: |
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Restored organs to be presented in concerts during the Festival: Cathedral, Tamazulapan, Tlacolula, Soledad, Zautla, Yanhuitlan, Tlaxiaco, Tlachochahuaya.
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Once
again, the IOHIO is offering another fantastic organ adventure! Besides
the usual varied and exciting fare offered by our festivals, this time
we will officially inaugurate the organ in Tlacolula, recently restored
by the Gerhard Grenzing Company (el Papiol, Spain) and the first
restoration project organized by the IOHIO. In addition the festival
will feature concerts on the other seven restored Oaxacan organs; visits
to twelve unrestored organs with guided tours of their churches, many of
which are usually inaccessible to the public; a guided tour of the
archeological sites of San Martín Huamelulpan and Sta. María Atzompa;
the presentation of a series of postage stamps depicting Oaxacan organs;
an exhibit of manuscripts related to music in Oaxaca from local
archives; the opportunity for organists to play some of the organs; and
a chance to sample the local cuisine and revel in the fiesta traditions
in the villages. |
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Unrestored organs
to be visited during the Festival: Jalatlaco, Tlalixtac, Huayapam,
Tamazulapan (G), Teotongo, Tlacolula (P), Ixtaltepec, Yucucuí,
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Organists
Rafael Cárdenas, Jesús López Moreno, José Francisco Álvarez and
Cecilia Winter; soprano Lourdes Ambriz, baroque violinist Vladislav
Badiarov, trumpet player Juan Luis García, the Terceto Cuicacalli
classical guitar ensemble and an early music choral ensemble; and
percussionists Valentín Hernández and Gabriela Edith Pérez Díaz. Art
historian Richard Perry, author of various books on Mexican colonial
art, will join us once again to guide the church tours, and archeologist
Marcus Winter (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, INAH)
will lead the tours of the archeological sites. NOTE: Most concerts are free, but some will have an admission fee
of $100 pesos. If you would prefer only to attend the concerts and not
participate in the programmed activities, you may buy your ticket at the
door of the church just before the concert.
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Hola
Sam y Mimí. |
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Investigó. |
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Stakeholder 2013 Genealogy Year End Report by Crispin Rendon |
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I
am happy with 2013. It was a good year. The database has grown to over
303,000 records, up 32,000 records from the year 2012. Over 600 records,
on average, were added weekly. Most of these new records come from the
research required to produce the upcoming 12 volume series on the
Families of Saltillo, Coahuila. Additional records came from the
research required to publish 9 volumes of Families of Salinas Victoria,
Nuevo Leon and volumes 4 and 5 of Families of Santiago, Nuevo Leon. The
plan is to publish a Saltillo volume every month this year. Some
database records came from family trees submitted in return for ancestor
reports. I very much enjoy creating them. Thanks all of you that
referred your friends. Anyway, those reports ranged in size from a three
page 5 generation report to a 669 page 52 generation book. The number of
ancestor reports dropped from 80 in 2012 to 78 in 2013. Some ancestor
books were converted from English into Spanish. |
The
image numbers found in the 16 volume series Families of General Teran
are no longer accurate. When the books were published the General Teran
images were found in 4 separate familysearch ---------- Forwarded
message ---------- Crispin Rendon crispin.rendon@gmail.com |
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Documentos de la Dir. Gral. de Arch. e Hist.- S.D.N. |
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El
19 de Enero de 1827 el Sr. Juan José Espinoza de los Monteros de la
Secretaría de Estado Departamento del Interior, firmó el documento que
consta de 4 páginas y que en la primera dice " Acaba de
aprehenderse al Religioso Dieguino español Fray Joaquín Arenas que se
ocupaba de propagar audazmente un plan de conspiración dirigida a
reestablecer el Gobierno Español y que la República volviese al estado
de Colonia, apoyaba la seducción asegurando que en este plan se hallan
comprometidos varias personas de los estados, que dentro de la República
existe un comisionado Regio de Fernando 7°. etc. etc.", |
Así mismo el General Don Ygnacio de Mora
Comandante General de Mexico firma un documento de fecha 31 de Mayo de
1827 que dice: " Corridos sus tramites la causa seguida contra Fr.
Joaquín Arenas por el delito de conspirador contra la Yndependencia y
Libertad de la Patria, fué sentenciado al último suplicio, y al efecto
ha sido oy puesto en capilla, cuya execucion se verificará el inmediato
sabado 2 de Junio entrante " |
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SAGRARIO METROPOLITANO DE LA CD. DE MÉXICO |
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Investigó
y paleografió Para
publicar una entrada en este grupo, envía un correo electrónico a
genealogia-mexico@googlegroups.com.
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MASCOG |
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Estimados
amigos y amigas, Genealogistas e Historiadores. |
Fuentes.
Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los últimos Días. |
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“ En
San Pedro de Villaldama el 16 de Enero de 1866, se presentó ante el
infrascrito, Parroco Propo. de esta, un hombre, como de 22 años de la
Parcialidad Mascog ( encarte de Seminole y Africano ) é hizo presente,
que habiéndole faltado sus padres naturales, desde su infancia, los que
lo auxiliaron hasta que llegó a la edad de poder subsistir por si
mismo, no le enseñaron ningunas reglas de religión; pero que hallándose
en estos pueblos católicos de Santa Rosa, San Fernando y Lampazos, hace
cosa de catorce años, advertido en su interior de un placer muy
agradable, quando vé a los fieles que se reúnen en los templos á
adorar a Dios Todopoderoso que para dar mas estension á esas mociones
de su corazón y esperar con algún fundamento participar de las gracias
que Dios concede al que lo busca de todo corazón há deseado siempre
recibir el Santo Sacramento del Bautismo, preparándose con aprender
algunas oraciones, y comprender los misterios mas esenciales de la
religión cristiana; que su interez se aumenta desde que la autoridad lo
destinó de Soldado, por el peligro en que anda de perder la vida; que
por tanto, pide con todo su corazón le ministre el Santo Sacramento del
Bautismo. Le hize
ver los embarazos que se presentaban, para dar cuenta al Prelado de su
solicitud, pero insistiéndome, segunda vez, con espresiones, que parecía
emanaban de lo mas profundo de su corazón, y la tercera aun vertiendo
algunas lagrimas, pasé a examinarlo en todo lo que debe saber y
entender un hombre que se quiere adscribir en la familia de Jesucristo,
y haviendole encontrado medianamente instruido: investigué si en su
pueblo havia alguna costumbre de practicar algunas ceremonias religiosas
con los que nacían, dijo que ninguna, absolutamente, havía visto el,
todo el tiempo que vivió entre los
de su parcialidad; Recordando además que S.S.Y. ; El Señor Verea me
dirigió una comunicación, para que por si, o por el Vicario de Sabinas
pasara a la Escondida de los Cárdenas ( hará 5 o 6 años ) a bautizar
a todos los de la parcialidad, que
acaudillaba Juan Caballo ( a donde pertenecía este ) que pidieron estos
Santos Sacramentos, accedí a su petición, y en testimonio de verdad
está la partida siguiente. En San
Pedro de Villaldama, el 18 de Enero de 1866, el infrascrito, Parroco
propio de esta: en función solemne y dando el nombre de Mariano de
Jesus, bautizé y puse el Sagrado oleo y Chrisma á un hombre de cosa de
22 años de la tribu Mascog; creado entre los de aquel pueblo hasta la
edad de 8 años y de ahí en los lugares de Santa Rosa, San Fernando de
Agua Verde, Nava y Lampazos: ignora los nombres de sus padres, y el
punto donde nació, fue su padrino Don José Antonio Ayala, vecino de
Monterrey, á quien advertí sus obligaciones y parentesco, para con su
ahijado. Para que así conste lo firmo “. José
Trinidad García. |
Fuentes. Libro de Bautismos de la Iglesia Parroquial de San Pedro de Villaldama, N.L. Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los últimos Días. árgen izquierdo. 1702. Je. Mariano de Jesus N. de la parcialidad Mascog.
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| Hola
estimados amigos y amigas Historiadores y Genealogistas. Envío la imágen del registro del bautismo de José, Antonio, Andrés, Angel Andrade y Crivelli; de distinguida familia cuya profesión fué la carrera de las armas, quienes combatieron desde la lucha de la Independencia de nuestro país y la mayor parte de las acciones de guerra del Siglo XIX. Sagrario Metropolitano de la Cd. de México Márgen izq. 1258. José, Antonio, Andrés, Angel, Andrade y Crivelli. " En treinta de Noviembre de mil ochocientos treinta, con licencia del D.D. Manuel Pozada Cura mas antiguo de esta Santa Yglesia, Yó el B.D. José Antonio Fuentes, bautizé á un niño que nació hoy, pusele por nombres José Antonio, Andrés, Angel, hijo legitimo y de legitimo matrimonio del Teniente Coronel Ciudadano Manuel Andrade y de D. Merced Crivelli; nieto por linea paterna del S. General de Division Ciudadano José Antonio de Andrade y de D. Angela Paez; y por la materna del Ciudadano José Crivelli y de D. María Rosa Grageda. fueron padrinos dicho su abuelo materno y Doña Maria Josefa de Andrade ". |
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| Fuentes. Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los
Santos de los últimos Días. Investigó y paleografió. Tte. Corl. Intdte. Ret. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero. Miembro de Genealogía de México y de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo León. |
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Bautismo Poeta y Actor Don Agustín Lara y Aguirre Q.E.P.D. |
| Amigos Genealogistas e Historiadores. Envío la imágen del registro del bautismo efectuado en el Sagrario Metropolitano de la Cd. de México del Músico, Poeta y Actor Don Agustín Lara y Aguirre Q.E.P.D. |
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Márgen izq. Num°. 306. Angel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano
Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Lara y Aguirre. No.14 de 1897 " En la Parroquia del Sagrario Metropolitano de México, a catorce de Noviembre de mil ochocientos noventa y siete. Yo el Doctor Don Ambrosio Lara Provisor del Arzobispado y Canónigo de la Santa Yglesia Catedral bautizé subconditione á un niño a quien puse por nombres Angel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, que nació el día treinta de Octubre del presente año, hijo legítimo de Joaquín Manuel Lara y de María Aguirre: nieto por linea paterna de Mariano Lara y Guerra y de Luz Aparicio de Lara y por los maternos de Francisco Aguirre y de Lucia del Pino de Aguirre; fueron sus padrinos el Licenciado Don Agustín María Lazo y Refugio Aguirre del Pino, advertidos de su obligación y parentesco espiritual ". |
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Fuentes. Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los últimos
Dias. Investigó y localizó. Tte. Corl. Intdte. Ret. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero. Miembro de Genealogía de México y de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo León. |
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Extract
from "Las Comais" by Esmeralda Santiago |
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from "Las Comais" by Esmeralda Santiago, pgs. 9-12 Location: Puerto Rico Mami often complained that she was trapped in a jungle, struggling alone with her children in a shack with no lights, no run¬ning water, no money or any way to earn it. Everything that was wrong with her life, she said to the comais, was due to my father. Papi, like the other men in Macun, worked in towns far from the barrio or in the endless sugarcane fields. The fathers were like apparitions. They were around on Sundays and on holidays, but the rest of the time, left home before the sun rose and returned after the children went to bed. There were a few old men and women in Macun, but the barrio was mostly popu¬lated by mothers with young children, and I'd overheard that every one of their husbands was as feckless as Papi. Although the comadres often complained to each other about their men, they treated the compadres like princes. On Saturday after work, the compais got together at the colmado on the main road, to drink beer, play dominoes, listen to the jukebox. They wore white starched shirts, and pants with sharp creases down the front that their wives had pressed with heavy black irons. When they were home, their meals were served before anyone ! else's and their wives and children tiptoed near them until they were noticed. The fathers, who were never there, were more [powerful than our mothers, who never went anywhere. "Wait tuntil your father comes home," kept us in line, aware that his leather belt raised red welts on legs and buttocks for infractions our mothers had already punished with hands or a switch. |
Decades later, I have strong memories of the
comadres, but can't conjure a single one of their husbands. They were mys¬terious, and we children were afraid of them. Their absence made the bond between the comais stronger. The women were co-mothers to the passel of children who came in and out of each other's yards and homes to play, to relay messages, to ask to borrow a bit of sugar, to stay out of the rain, to have a cut or scrape treated. We children knew that there were many eyes on us, each comadre looking out for her children and those of her
comais. That's not to say that this community of women and children was idyllic or in any way Utopian. The comadres were strong-willed women who'd come together by circumstance, not choice. They were considerate and obliging, but also bick¬ered and gossiped, criticized one another, sometimes taking the opposing side from what I expected. After she 'd had seven children, and the youngest, Raymond, was four, Mami found a job in a garment factory in the next town. The comadres didn't approve of her working outside her home. They ridiculed her for wearing a girdle, straight skirts, and high heels. They made nasty comments about how she curled her hair, powdered and colored her cheeks, and wore lipstick. They claimed she abandoned her children, and com¬plained that we were running wild around the barrio. It was true that with Mami at work we were freer of her strict rules, but we weren't alone. Mami hired dona Ana's daughter to watch and feed us until she came home from work. |
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| They could be spiteful, but the comadres couldn't hold grudges for long because they might need each other at any moment. When comai Zena's father fell ill, the comadres took turns nursing him, washing the linens, offering meals from their kitchens. It was the comadres who prepared the body and the house for the wake, and led the novenas after the funeral. One year, the comadres and their families, including the husbands, hunkered behind the reinforced doors and windows of comai Ana's cement house. The hurricane that raced through Puerto Rico that summer devastated the vegetable plots and gardens, destroyed homes, killed cattle, pigs, and horses, and felled fruit trees in every direction. Over the next weeks, the comadres shared what was in their pantries. Their husbands and sons formed work brigades to rebuild one another's houses. The comadres organized the children to pick branches for kindling, ,nd to clear the detritus the hurricane had deposited in our yards nd on the road. Near the mango tree, I found a strange metal object with four wheels. Papi said it was a roller skate and guessed this one had Iflown in the hurricane's winds all the way from San Juan, where there were sidewalks. He gave me a cord so that I could tie it to piy foot. Because there was no pavement until we reached the main road, the only place where I could ride my roller skate was on dona Ana's cement porch. Mami held me as I balanced on jone leg, and soon I was able to ride back and forth without fall-ing. When tired of riding on the right leg, I switched to the left foot. The other kids lined up to take rides on the skate, and we spent hours rolling from here to there and back on dona Ana's porch. We tried to outdo one another with |
tricks. We squatted
over the skate with the free leg in front, or in our version of a ballet arabesque, balancing while the other leg stretched behind. The comadres watched and applauded, but just as often, had to pick us up from the hard floor when a particular maroma didn't quite work as we had hoped. "Sana, sana, colita de rana, si no sana hoy, se sanará mañana." Somehow a comadre's voice singing a silly rhyme made us feel better, especially when accompanied by a tight hug and a kiss. Fifteen years after we left Puerto Rico I went back to Barrio Macun. Dona Zena still lived in the same house surrounded by flowers, her porch decorated with colorful geraniums and morning glories. Her wooly hair was streaked with white, and her hands were scarred and work worn, with prominent knuck-les. She blessed me, thanking saints and virgins whose efforts, she said, had helped me to survive the rigors of New York, and would continue to guide and protect me when I return. I was surprised at the raspy sound of her voice, and a bit annoyed by her chiding me for being still single and childless at twenty-eight. Dona Ana didn't have the house with the cement porch where I'd honed my skills as a one-skate skater. A highway now crossed her pasture, and her house, dona Lola's, and ours had been demolished. Dona Ana now lived right next to the school and sold candy, drinks, school supplies, and trinkets wrapped in cellophane from a shack in the yard. As I sipped on a cold soda, she told me a couple of ribald jokes that I could now understand, and laughed with her, feeling as if I had joined a club that had been closed to me as a child. |
| Editor: Some times we are not consciously
aware of what is embedded in our store of memories. I was
touched by Esmeralda's inclusion of "Sana, sana, colita de
rana, si no sana hoy, se sanará mañana." Reminding me
of a somewhat recent incident. A few months ago one of my great-grandsons
fell and skinned his knee. I leaned over,
lightly rubbed over the scrape and recited the poem. I did not
even know that I knew it . . . until it came out of my
mouth. What touched me was the prevalence of a Spanish
language rhyme, which was recited by women in both Mexico and
Puerto Rico. |
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Que es un Argentino por Julián Marías |
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| Una vez alguien le pidió a un filósofo español, Julián Marías, muy conocedor del pueblo argentino y de sus costumbres y, con un gran cariño por nosotros, que hablara de los argentinos, pero con visión desde fuera del bosque y de toda pasión... ...Esto fue lo que dijo: 'Los argentinos están entre vosotros, pero no son como Nosotros. No intentéis conocerlos, porque su alma vive en el mundo impenetrable de la dualidad. Los argentinos beben en una misma copa la alegría y la amargura. Hacen música de su llanto -el tango- y se ríen de la música de otro; toman en serio los chistes y de todo lo serio hacen bromas. Ellos mismos no se conocen. Creen en la interpretación de los sueños, en Freud y el horóscopo chino, visitan al médico y también al curandero todo al mismo tiempo. Tratan a Dios como \'El Barba\' y se mofan de los ritos religiosos, aunque los presidentes no se pierden un Tedeum en la Catedral. No renuncian a sus ilusiones ni aprenden de sus desilusiones. No discutáis con ellos jamás!!! Los argentinos nacen con sabiduría !!! Saben y opinan de todo!!! En una mesa de café y en programas de periodistas / políticos arreglan todo. Cuando los argentinos viajan, todo lo comparan con Buenos Aires. Hermanos, ellos son \'El Pueblo Elegido\' ...por ellos mismos. Individualmente, se caracterizan por su simpatía y su inteligencia. En grupo son insoportables por su griterío y apasionamiento. Cada uno es un genio y los genios no se llevan bien entre ellos; por eso es fácil reunirlos, pero unirlos... imposible. Un argentino es capaz de lograr todo en el mundo, menos el aplauso de otro argentino. No le habléis de lógica. La lógica implica razonamiento y mesura. Los argentinos son hiperbólicos y desmesurados, van de un extremo a otro con sus opiniones y sus acciones. Cuando discuten no dicen: no estoy de acuerdo, sino: Usted esta absolutamente equivocado. Aman tanto la contradicción que llaman \'Bárbara\' a una mujer linda; a un erudito lo bautizan \'Bestia\', a un mero futbolista \'Genio\' y cuando manifiestan extrema amistad te califican de \'Boludo\'. Y si el afecto y confianza es mucho más grande, \'Eres un Hijo de Puta\'. Cuando alguien les pide un favor no dicen simplemente \'Si\', sino \'Como No\'. Son el único pueblo del mundo que comienza sus frases con la palabra NO. Cuando alguien les agradece, dicen: \'NO, de nada\' o \'NO\'... con una sonrisa. Los argentinos tienen dos problemas para cada solución. Pero intuyen las soluciones a todo problema. Cualquier argentino dirá que sabe como se debe pagar la deuda externa, enderezar a los militares, aconsejar al resto de América latina, disminuir el hambre de Africa y enseñar economía en USA. |
Los argentinos tienen metáforas para referirse a lo común con palabras extrañas. Por
ejemplo, a un aumento de sueldos le llaman... \'Rebalanceo de Ingresos\', a un incremento de impuestos... \'Modificación de la Base Imponible\' y a una simple devaluación...\'Una Variación Brusca del Tipo de Cambio\'. Un Plan Económico es siempre... \'Un Plan de Ajuste\' y a una Operación Financiera de Especulación la denominan...\'Bicicleta\'. ES MUY VIEJO, ACTUAL Y ETERNO, POR ESO LO VUELVO A ENVIAR, A VER SI ALGUNA VEZ " PRENDE " ! ! Viven, como dijo Ortega y Gasset, una permanente disociación entre la imagen que tienen de si mismos y la realidad. Tienen un altísimo numero de psicólogos y psiquiatras y se ufanan de estar siempre al tanto de la Ultima terapia. Tienen un tremendo súper ego, pero no se lo mencionen porque se desestabilizan y entran en crisis. Tienen un espantoso temor al ridículo, pero se describen a si mismo como liberados. Son prejuiciosos, pero creen ser amplios, generosos y tolerantes. Son racistas al punto de hablar de... 'cabecitas Negras\'. LOS ARGENTINOS SON ITALIANOS QUE HABLAN EN ESPAÑOL. PRETENDEN SUELDOS NORTEAMERICANOS Y VIVIR COMO INGLESES. DICEN DISCURSOS FRANCESES Y VOTAN COMO SENEGALESES. PIENSAN COMO ZURDOS Y VIVEN COMO BURGUESES. ALABAN EL EMPRENDIMIENTO CANADIENSE Y TIENEN UNA ORGANIZACIÓN BOLIVIANA. ADMIRAN EL ORDEN SUIZO Y PRACTICAN UN DESORDEN TUNECINO. Son Un Misterio'. The problem with this narrative is that you may not understand it. You not only have to read and understand Spanish... you also have to understand Argentine Spanish which is a language onto itself.. If you are not un Argentino... in order to comprehend this, you have not only have lived in Buenos Aires but to have had direct daily contact with all levels of Porteño culture. I was fortunate to have live in Buenos Aires for four years and that my job in the US Embassy involved dealing daily with the Argentine media from newspaper and television station owners to the columnists, reporters, TV camera crews, etc. I also dealt with the cultural elite that ran the famous Teatro Colon, the art galleries and the artists themselves. But my greatest pleasure was my being able to go out onto the pampa and meet with land owners and discuss cattle breeding and horses. And my greatest satisfaction was to share a mate in a gourd that was passed around a camp fire, or share a bottle of cheap tinto wine with gauchos grabbing the bottle with their calloused hands. There is a lot of truth in what Julián Marías says in the narrative. Cheers, Ernesto Uribe Euribe000@aol.com |
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The Filipina World Beauties, Part 2 by Eddie AAA
Calderón, Ph.D. |
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The Filipina World Beauties, Part 2 Eddie AAA Calderón, Ph.D.
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This
is a sequel to my Januiary, 2014 article entitled: The year 2013
was good for our Philippine Beauties. Another international
beauty contest, the Miss Tourism International, was
held on New Year's eve in 2013 in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Miss
Angeli Dione Gomez, from the province of Cebu in the
Philippines, was crowned Miss Tourism International on
New Year’s Eve in 2013. She won the Miss Philippine Tourism crown in
July, 2013. Miss Gomez was also crowned 2012 Reyna
ng Aliwan (Queen of Entertainment) in a competition
showcasing the country’s different festivals. She placed fifth in the
2012 Miss Resorts World Manila contest and joined the 2013 Binibining
Pilipinas pageant in April. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/556859/second-cebuana-wins-miss-tourism-international |
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Shown
above are the following: the Miss 2013 Tourism International ,Angeli
Dione Gomez, at the center; |
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It was a very astonishing victory for the
Philippines as the Miss Tourism International in 2012 was also from the
Philippines and her name was Miss Rizzini Alexis Gomez.
The reigning 2013 beauty queen then inherited her country mate's
2012 beauty queen title. It is very interesting to note that both beauty
queens in 2012 and 2013 share the same last names but they are not
related to each other. They also come from the same province which is
Cebu in the Philippines. |
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Good News for the Filipinos and the Philippines starting in January, 2014 |
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| This is an article which includes three good news that I as a Filipino am very proud to tell the world. The year 2014 is a very good year for the Philippines as January has given us superb news about Filipino accomplishments and good deeds. The first article is a very good one as the first Filipino and Asian lawyer was appointed Attorney-General in the state of Utah. The second article speaks of the superb work ethics of Filipinos in Australia. This reminds me of my days in California as a graduate student at Occidental College. A temporary employment agency by the name of Peakload sent me to work for a brokerage in downtown Los Angeles whose name was Mitchum, Jones, and Templeton as a temporary part time clerk. I did work in that brokerage for about three weeks and at the end of my work there, the manager of the department asked me if I wanted to work with the company permanently. He told me that he liked and commended the work ethics of Filipinos. I of course was elated but thanked him and told him that I could not as the permit granted by the US Immigration office as a student was only for temporary and part time employment. |
A year ago Somos Primos had an article that I submitted containing the letter written by an Arab in the Middle Eastwhose name is Abdullah
Al-Maghlooth. The name of his letter article was: Imagine a World Without Filipinos. See: http://somosprimos.com/sp2013/spmay13/spmay13.htm #THE PHILIPPINES The British newspaper in an article a year ago also showed the picture of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, saying something good to a Filipino nurse and telling her that hardly would an Englishman find a hospital without Filipino nurses. He did thank our nurses for their good work. The third article regarding the honesty of a Filipino taxi cab driver when he returned a bag containing $300,000.00 left on his taxi cab. Two years ago, a Filipino had to drive at least 40 miles to return a bag containing a large sum of money to the home of a passenger in the East Coast after he inadvertently left the money in the Filipino's taxi cab.
The fourth article is a story of a Filipina
domestic worker for six years who is caring for an ailing woman in
her 50's. Her name is Rose Fontanez, now a singing sensation in
Israel, has her fortune has changed for the better. Let me attach
the article of her story in the newspaper below.
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1. A Filipino-American is Utah's first Asian-American attorney general |
MANILA, Philippines - A Melbourne-based online company prefers Filipino employees for their "superb work ethic" and "high skill levels." "From our experience, Filipinos offer a superb work ethic, excellent communication skills, a great command of English, high skill levels and great value!" David Jenyns, Melbourne SEO Service chief executive, said in a post on the firm's website. Jenyns said Filipinos start as outsourced personnel for the business and when they perform well, are eventually asked to become full-time employees. "[Insourcing] is where you bring the best outsourced contractors in-house as part of your permanent team. Melbourne SEO Services, for example, has a team of Filipinos that are featured on our website and add huge value to our business," the Australian businessman said. Jenyns added that his company tries to hire only "A Players" who are high-performers. He also admitted that hiring Filipinos are cheaper than hiring fellow Australians. |
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3. Praise from US Senator Harry Reid and Governor Brian Sandoval both from Nevada regarding the honesty and good deed of Filipino Gerardo
Gamboa. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/96301/praises-keep-coming -for-honest-filipino-cabbie#ixzz2q8GmOgqH LAS VEGAS – Accolades continue to pour in for Gerardo Gamboa, the Filipino-American cab driver who found and returned $300,000 in cash left behind by a passenger in his taxi. The latest praises came from Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Sen. Harry Reid, the U.S. Majority leader, who both hailed the Filipino-American for his honesty and as example to the community. Sandoval praised Gamboa in a personal letter to the taxi driver, saying his honesty should be emulated. Reid, who is particularly close to the burgeoning Filipino-American in Nevada, said in returning the money, which he could easily keep for himself, Gamboa showed a “positive example in the community.” “Your action was a wonderful demonstration of citizenship and integrity, and the impact of your story in our community is |
admired and appreciated,” Sen. Reid said in a Dec. 27 letter to Gamboa. Gamboa became an Internet sensation when his story went public on Dec. 25, and was readily picked up by the international press, particularly in the Phlippines. The 54-year old Gamboa, a 13-year cab driver in Las Vegas, chose to return the $300,000 cash left behind by a professional poker player, who had asked to remain anonymous, even though he provided Gamboa a $10,000 reward. Gamboa, who is from Mabalacat, Pampanga and Silay City, said the money was tempting, for a split second, “but returning it was the right thing to do.” In addition to the $10,000 reward, Gamboa received $1,000 and a steak dinner for two from his cab company, Yellow Checker Star. “I’m happy that we can show to the world (that) the Filipino is a good person, and can not be easily dazzled by money,” Gamboa said. See also: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/12/27/ 1272337/fil-am-driver-returns-300k-left-his-taxi |
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4. Filipino singer
captures Israeli hearts in TV show. Her voice can be heard in the
UTube by downloading the website and pressing on her picture.
JERUSALEM—A 47-year-old Filipino caregiver, by the name of Rose Fostanez has emerged as the newest star of Israeli reality television, putting a human face on the thousands of foreign workers who toil away in menial, back-breaking jobs in this country. |
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| Israeli viewers of the country’s myriad of reality shows have grown accustomed to successful candidates from various backgrounds, including black-clad ultra-Orthodox Jews, Ethiopian immigrants and a German convert to Judaism who became a celebrity chef. But they’ve never seen someone like Rose Fostanes before. The diminutive woman with a booming voice has taken “X-Factor Israel” by storm and emerged as a national phenomenon. Known simply as “Rose,” she is mobbed by fans wherever she goes. “It’s a big change in my life because before nobody recognized me, nobody knew me. But now everybody, I think everybody in Israel knows my name. And it is very funny,” she said. Fostanes arrived six years ago to work as a caregiver so, like millions of other Filipino workers around the world, she could send money back home to her family and her girlfriend. She spends her days caring and cleaning for an ailing woman in her 50s. To save money, Fostanes lives in a crowded apartment in south Tel Aviv, a downtrodden area inhabited by foreign laborers, with seven others. Until recently, Fostanes was among the thousands of Filipinos who work in similar positions in Israel. The sight of Filipino workers wheeling elderly Israelis in public places is so common that the word “Filipini” has become synonymous with “caregiver.” Several months ago, a friend encouraged her to enter the “X-Factor” competition, a popular show hosted by Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli. Standing just 1.50 meters-tall (4-foot-11), Fostanes has captured her audiences’ hearts with a surprisingly strong and soulful voice, belting out such hits as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Lady Gaga’s “You and I.” She is among the final five contestants and widely seen as a favorite. |
Israeli singer Shiri
Maimon, a judge on the show and former reality TV contestant herself, has served as
Fontanes’ “mentor” throughout the season. After a recent rendition of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” Maimon could barely contain her excitement. “It was so moving. I am so proud of you. We will have an amazing journey together,” she said. “I’m speechless. It was more than perfect.” Fostanes said she has dreamed of singing since she was a child, but suffered discrimination because of her appearance. She said she still can’t believe how far she has come. Late bloomer “Sometimes I am telling myself, ‘Is it true that it happened to me?” she said. “At least I can express and show the people that I have also talents and it’s not too late for me to shine.” Fostanes said she has been a caregiver since the age of 23, working in Egypt and Lebanon before coming to Israel. She is among the roughly 10 million Filipinos, or 10 percent of the overall population, who work abroad. Israel’s estimated 40,000 Filipinos enjoy relative freedom, as long as they have work permits. Most remain for an agreed-upon period of time before returning home. Fostanes said Filipinos around the world have heard about her and frequently send her text messages of support. But her success has been tempered by the distance from her loved ones. She last visited the Philippines two years ago. “Really I miss them, my family especially, and of course my girlfriend because this is the time I really need them beside me,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “I need their support not only because they are in the Philippines, I want them to be by my side.” |
| Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/95891/filipino-singer-captures-israeli-hearts-in-tv-show#ixzz2qa7hsqk8 Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook |
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| Juan, Pedro Y Gonzalo De Umbría por Angel Custodio Rebollo,
Díbujo Jose Bacedoní La Real Expedición Filentrópica D Ela Vacuna por José Antonio Crespo |
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JUAN, PEDRO
Y GONZALO DE UMBRÍA |
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Hace unos días leyendo un texto antiguo
sobre los primeros que fueron a América
en la gran aventura de Cristóbal Colón, me he encontrado con
tres personas que llevan el apellido “Umbría”, y este es el
resultado de mis primeras pesquisas. Hay dos hermanos, Juan y Pedro de Umbría,
que todos los historiadores los detallan como primos hermanos de los
Pinzón y residentes en Moguer, y el otro, Gonzalo de Umbría, que fue
con Hernán Cortés, como Piloto, y que tuvo cierto protagonismo, y
Peter Boyd-Bowman en su “Índice geobiografico de más de 56 mil
pobladores de la América hispánica”, dice que procede de Umbría
en la provincia de Huelva. Todos los datos que anteceden, me han
movido a indagar más sobre el origen del apellido Umbría, y en
primer lugar he descartado que venga de la comarca italiana de la Umbría,
donde al parecer hubo en su momento cierto movimiento para
adjudicarse el origen de estos hombres, pero con resultado negativo. En la provincia de Huelva
existe una aldea con muy pocos habitantes, que se llama Umbría,
pero está situada en la
serranía,en la parte norte de la provincia y a muchos kilómetros de
la costa y es una población
agrícola, sin tradición marinera. Sin embargo, en la zona costera y
a escasos kilómetros de Moguer, existió un poblado de pescadores que
se llamó Humbría, y en el que se construyó, entre finales del siglo
XVI y principios del XVII, una
“torre de vigía” para defender el litoral de los
ataques de piratería, que dada la proximidad con las costas africanas,
eran muy frecuentes. Alrededor y por la protección que
proporcionaba la Torre de Vigía, fue creciendo un pequeño poblado y
que sirvió de base para que, cuando a finales del siglo XiX y o
principios del XX, los
ingleses de las Minas de Riotinto crearon una zona para que los
directivos de las minas tuvieran un lugar de descanso, se decidieran
por la zona de la Humbría, que por formar una península entre una ría
y el Océano Atlántico, se llamó “Punta Umbría” Hoy Punta Umbría, es una población de más
de 15.000 habitantes, cuyo ingresos proceden del turimo y de la pesca,
y que en la época estival ve incrementada su población, alcanzado fácilmente
los 100.000 habitantes. Pero volvamos a los tres personajes que
han dado origen a mi investigación. El primero Juan de Umbría, fue
con Colón en el primer viajes como marinero y ya fue como Piloto con
Vicente Yañez Pinzón Intervino
en los famosos Pleitos Colombinos, aunque la historiadora Alice B.
Gould, en su libro “Nueva lista documentada de los tripulantes de
Colós en 1492” dice que las declaraciones de Juan de Umbría son
falsas e incluso pone en duda que fuera con Colón. Hay documentos de que fue como Piloto de
la carabela “Lázaro”, del vecino de Bermeo Juan de Ajanguis. De Pedro o Pero de Umbría, solo he
podido averiguar que fue como Maestre a Santo Domingo. Y de Gonzalo de Umbría, que fue como
Piloto a Cuba en 1518 y a las ordenes de Hernán Cortés en 1519 a México.
Cortés que estaba enemistado con el
Teniente del Virrey de Cuba Diego Velazquez, pretendía enviar
directamente a España el oro y piedras preciosas que tenia
almacenadas y enterados algunos de la milicia de ello, eran unos
quince, decidieron con un barco de poco porte huir a Cuba para
informar a Diego Velazquez. Entre los que planearon esta conjura se
encontraban, Pedro Escudero, Juan Cermeño, de Palos y los Peñate,
marineros de Gibraleón, que convencieron
a Gonzalo de Umbría para que se uniera al grupo y pilotase el barco. Cometieron un error, que incluyeron entre
los conjurados a un tal Bernardino, que era conocido como “El tonto
de Coria”, y este se fue de la lengua y Cortés los hizo prisioneros. Al dia siguiente, en presencia de la
autoridades de Veracruz, se celebró un juicio sumarísimo y tanto
Pedro escudero como Juan Cermeño, fueron ahorcados, pero como no querían
prescindir de los que en cualquier momento les pudiesen ser de
utilidad, a Gonzalo de Umbría, solo le cortaron los dedos del pié
derecho y a los marineros de Gibraleón les condenaron a doscientos
azotes cada uno. También he encontrado a un soldado
llamado Salvador de Umbría, que fue a América con la expedición de
Quesada y se quedó a vivir en Tunja. Aunque
por los datos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística, hay actualmente
en España 302 personas que llevan el Umbría como primer apellido y
332 como segundo, cariosamente en la provincia de Huelva, este
apellido se ha extinguido totalmente.. Acompañamos a este escrito un dibujo de
José Bacedoni sobre la Torre Almenara de Punta Umbría, que
actualmente se conserva visitable como atracción turística y que está
ubicada en el centro de la población de Punta Umbría.
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| Editor: Below is an abstract of
information from a fascinating article by José Antonio Crespo
concerning Spain's medical leadership with vaccinations. The
maps show the world's water pathways. I strongly suggest going to the www.elespiadigital.com
for the supporting sources and compiled graphs. http://www.elespiadigital.com/index.php/informes/3222-210-anos-de-la-partida-real-expedicion-filantropica-de-lavacuna |
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Estimados amigos, compañeros de armas y familia, Como continuación a mi intervención en radio de agosto de 2012 dedicada a la Real Expedición Filantrópica de la Vacuna acompaño este sencillo artículo dedicado al equipo médico sanitario que llevó a cabo tal proeza, dirigido por médicos militares, en un momento de gran dificultad económica y en el que el Imperio Español se desmoronaba, lo cual no fue impedimento para hacer todos los esfuerzos en llevar a cabo esta hazaña que salvaría tantas miles de vidas en todo el mundo, en la que podría y debería ser considerada como la primera acción intercontinental humanitaria de la historia. Espero sea de vuestro agrado, José Antonio Crespo-Francés
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· En la sección Informes del diario digital www.elespiadigital.com publica el artículo “210 años de la partida Real Expedición Filantrópica de la Vacuna” el martes 8 de octubre de 2013. En el mes de mayo de 1980 la Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró erradicada la viruela, una enfermedad contagiosa que mató a cientos de millones de personas. El primer paso en esta feliz aventura se dio en 1796, con el descubrimiento de la vacuna. El segundo paso de gigante fue la Real Expedición Filantrópica promovida por el rey Carlos IV, una proeza científica y un acto de puro amor que difundió el remedio por América y Asia. Fonoteca de Es.Radio: José Antonio Crespo-Francés nos habla de la primera misión humanitaria de la historia, protagonizada por dos médicos militares españoles que viajaron a América y Asia, dando la vuelta al mundo, para vacunar a miles de personas contra la viruela. > |
· Intervención radiofónica en la emisora Es.Radio, el domingo 12 de agosto de 2012, en el programa “Sin Complejos”, dentro de la sección denominada “Españoles Olvidados”, en esta ocasión dedicado a “La Real Expedición Filantrópica de la Vacuna” protagonizada por Francisco Javier Balmis, José Salvany e Isabel López de Gandalia, expedición de la que el propio descubridor de la vacuna, el inglés Edward Jenner, escribió: “No puedo imaginar que en los anales de la Historia se proporcione un ejemplo de filantropía más noble y más amplio que este”, y Humboldt afirmó en 1825: “Este viaje permanecerá como el más memorable en los anales de la historia.” El objetivo de todos estos artículos e intervenciones no es otro que hacer presente y actual nuestra memoria histórica en la idea de abonar el camino para recuperar la verdad histórica y cohesionar España.
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La primera escala fue la española e isleña ciudad canaria de Santa Cruz de
Tenerife, adonde la corbeta arribó el 10 de diciembre. Los expedicionarios
permanecieron un mes en la ciudad, para vacunar a la población y establecer
un puesto desde el cual difundir la vacuna al resto de las Islas Canarias.
El 6 de enero la María Pita zarpó rumbo a Puerto Rico, adonde arribó el 10 de
ebrero. Un mes más tarde los expedicionarios desembarcaron en Venezuela. La expedición se dividió en La Guaira en dos grupos, uno, encabezado por Balmis se dirigió a la Nueva España, y el otro, mandado por Salvany, se dirigió a América del Sur. José Salvany, segundo cirujano, se adentró en Colombia y Virreinato del Perú (desde Panamá, hasta Chile y Bolivia). Les tomo siete años recorrer el territorio y los esfuerzos del viaje se llevaron la vida del propio Salvany, que murió en Cochabamba en 1810. Balmis volvió a Caracas y más tarde a La Habana. Balmis recorrió en total
Cuba, la capitanía general de Guatemala y Veracruz; pasó por Mexico y desde
Acapulco zarpó a las Filipinas, archipiélago bajo la dependencia del virrey de
la Nueva España y en el que recaló en abril de 1805. De allí partiría a la
portuguesa ciudad de Macao, donde pasó grandes peligros: tormentas,
piratas, envidias... El médico español arriesgó su vida y su salud para llevar la
vacuna al inmenso y desconocido imperio chino, con el que España apenas
tenía intereses. |
portugués Bon Jesús de Alem con destino Lisboa. En una escala en junio de 1806 en la isla inglesa
de Santa Elena, en el Atlántico, Balmis, que todavía conservaba una reserva
de vacuna, logró convencer al gobernador de su conveniencia, empresa que
le facilitó el hecho de que éste guardara sin abrir un paquete recibido años
atrás con una cantidad de linfa vacunal y un escrito de puño y letra de
Edward Jenner con instrucciones para su aplicación. Por fin, el 14 de agosto de 1806 el barco tocó tierra en Lisboa. El 7 de septiembre de 1806 Balmis fue recibido por el rey Carlos IV, al que rindió cuentas.* Mientras tanto, Salvany siguió difundiendo la vacuna de la viruela en los
virreinatos españoles hasta que la muerte le alcanzó, en Cochabamba y en
1810, poco antes de que comenzaran las sublevaciones independentistas. Filantrópica de la Vacuna se desvaneció. Ni siquiera en España hubo interés
por recordar y conmemorar una gesta científica y humana prodigiosa. * [A su llegada “recomienda encarecidamente que se proteja a los dos hijos huérfanos de su colaborador D. Pedro
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(http://www.almudenaarteaga.com/ficha.php?id=ángelescustodios). |
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| Se ha acusado a los españoles de haber acabado con miles de indígenas a
causa de las enfermedades como la viruela, pero se ignora este hecho capital. Recordemos que la vacuna ya se había extendido por el ajado
imperio español, entre 1803 y 1806, desde América a Filipinas y que sirvió
para salvar miles de vidas, algo que todavía en 1870 y casi en el siglo XX no ocurría en los territorios de América del Norte donde la viruela acabó con miles y miles de indios. La enfermedad fue el factor más importante del declive poblacional indio en Norteamérica, además de la guerra, el genocidio premeditado, los traslados forzosos y el hambre consecuente de estas situaciones. Es lamentable pero hay que recordar que en 1763, el jefe militar británico de Pennsylvania ordenó que se entregaran a los nativos, de manera deliberada, mantas infectadas con viruela. En el mismo siglo XIX, la aristocracia inglesa asistió impasible a las hambrunas que diezmaron a las poblaciones de los dominios de Irlanda y la India, así como de la América anglosajona. Todo un contraste entre dos maneras de gobernar. Creo que la comparación no tiene comentarios. |
En nuestro caso recordemos que el propio descubridor de la vacuna Edward
Jenner escribió sobre la expedición: No puedo imaginar que en los anales de la Historia se proporcione un ejemplo de filantropía más noble y más amplio que este. Sobre el mismo hecho, Humboldt escribía en 1825: Este viaje permanecerá como el más memorable en los anales de la historia. Como siempre me pregunto por qué Balmis, Isabel Cendalla y los miembros de la expedición no tienen un monumento alusivo a esta heroica expedición en la capital de España que guarde y difunda su memoria, en vez de crear glorietas y rotondas vacías o con informes e indescriptibles “esculturas” que el gracejo popular rebautiza con sorna que debería sonrojar la torpeza de esos “creadores”… quizá la alcaldesa de Madrid debería meditar sobre ello. *José Antonio Crespo-Francés es Coronel de Infantería en situación de Reserva. |
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The Concept of "La Querencia" A Personal And Societal Comfort Zone By José M. Peña and J. Gilberto Quezada |
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| Just a few days ago, I got an e-mail from my friend, Juan Gilberto Quezada, an award-winning author of a political biography and a novel to his credit, asking me if I had ever encountered the concept of "La Querencia" in my personal or professional lives. Naively, I responded that I had first ran across "La Querencia" while in Lima, Peru. It was the name of a fabulous Argentine Restaurant where one would be made at home and in a real friendly environment. The restaurant served some beautiful pieces of Argentine steaks and cuts of meat: Churasco, Marucha, etc. My wife and I used to eat there just about every week; I particularly liked the Marucha with Chimichuri. The "Maruchas" were pieces of steak that were so huge and so well marinated that I was never able to finish them. Yes, those were the good old days. So, I told Gilberto that I knew the word, but asked him to explain what he meant by "The Concept of La Querencia." He sent me the following explanation of what he meant: "Have you ever been to a party or a social gathering and when you walk in you immediately start looking around the crowded room for that one person whom you feel utterly comfortable and you knew would be there. You have lots of news to tell that person, and in turn, that person also has an enormous amount of news to tell you. All of it of mutual interest. You ask yourself, Is he or she here? You continue to look around the packed room. Which raises the question of finding one's own querencia, or a place where you feel the most comfortable and completely at ease. I came across this word in several of my readings. The etymology of the word is Spanish and it means a tiny area in the bullring, about fifty square feet, where the bull feels entirely safe. And if you ever attended a bullfight at the historic Plaza de Toros in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, each bull has his own querencia and it is up to the bullfighter to discern its location by studying the bull's movement. The bullfighter's life depends on finding it and staying away from it. I believe we all have, in any social circumstance, an undefined querencia and we try to find it instinctively upon entering a crowded room. And, if you are married, being next to one's spouse does not count. In any event, the querencia in a social setting can be quite elastic. For example, if the one person you are looking for has not yet arrived, you can develop a consuming interest in the furnishings of the room. You can look at the paintings hanging from the walls, or you can amuse yourself by studying the decorations. Maybe by then, you will find that familiar face. And, if not, is there a suitable substitute? If worse comes to worse and you do not find your querencia, and instead, you are besieged by a tedious person, then maybe, this would be the perfect time to rediscover God and utter a silent prayer. Enjoy your next social outing." Of course, the observation on the concept of our own "Querencia" is beautiful and well taken. And, naturally, who, in the world, does not have that "Querencia" or comfort zone as Gilberto describes it. He is absolutely right. But, in my mind, I wonder if La Querencia extends further than an individual -- to a community or even to a society. In my personal case, I do have a Querencia. During the many diplomatic and personal parties I attended, I frequently looked (and look) for that comfort (Querencia) zone -- when I did not find the person, I wound up talking nonsense with some boring person, and then turning to gazing (and killing time) at walls and some of the valuable and/or unremarkable pictures on the walls.| Extending the concept to a community, I wonder if past and present communities handle their own Querencia a different way. This is what I mean. When the first settlers established -- at the instruction of José de Escandón -- the 23 villages along the Río Salado and the Río Grande, the people depended on each other to fight the Indians, elements, etc. Once they settled, the men folks worked from sunrise to sunset and protected each other. The women cleaned their homes, shopped, and cooked and talked to all neighbors. As was their custom, at night, they would sit outside and chat with all the neighbors until it was time to go to bed. At the beginning, then, La Querencia for the community existed for safety reasons only. My guess is that, in the U.S. and many other western countries, as the villages grew into towns, then cities, then metropolitan centers, La Querencia, for all of us became more noticeable -- because people did not know each other. Yet, when one travels throughout the world, like some of us have, the different societies show multi-levels of La Querencia. The countries that observe the Islamic Religion are excellent examples. In the more conservative countries or areas, women wear a veil or burka. This is one form or level of La Querencia. Marriages are very frequently arranged, according to the comfort zone of the male parents (another form of La Querencia). Families live together and some live a very hermetic life. People, especially women, stay away from strangers. In some countries, Foreign Women who are not fully covered have at times been spit upon and sometimes attacked. Rules of conduct are jealously guarded. One time, when I went to Afghanistan for 30 days, I saw two young couples talking on one street. The obvious wives wore a nice dress but thick covering veils that covered their faces. As I approached to pass them, the ladies took off their veils and kissed each other goodbye; then put them back on and each couple went their way. I still remember the ladies' beautiful Aryan faces and beautiful green eyes. Neither couple acknowledged me as I passed -- and observing their Querencia -- without understanding the concept, as Gilberto explains now -- neither did I. And, yes, I have attended Islamic parties where "La Querencia" among the groups, male and female were never in doubt. Let me explain. During the time that the Russians were in Afghanistan, I served in Peshwar, Pakistan, in a "Project" that was basically designed to provide assistance to the "Mujadin" in their effort to get the Russians out of the neighboring country. Just as it is now, Peshwar was a tinder box; killings were common place; and, bullets flew all over. My house was hit a few times by "stray bullets." I served there 6 months and was "...asked to leave..." when some co-workers were shot and my life was no longer guaranteed. In any event, during the time I was there, four members and I were invited to a wedding and its related party. The wedding was totally unlike a U.S. ceremony. The young bride was just beautiful. She was beautifully dressed; her pretty face was so beautifully made up; and, she sat in an upstairs "cocoon type" of setting. The husband-to-be was downstairs. This was not an arranged wedding; with permission of both sides of the parents, the couple had met, courted, fell in love, and were now marrying. The "judge or Mullah" came; he brought the marriage documents; the documents were signed by the husband, his father, and "father-in-law." That was it. The girl never signed anything. The girl -- like all brides, especially in arranged weddings, had (have) nothing to say. The wedding ceremony was over. The bride had become the property of the husband. It was late afternoon by then and we proceeded to the party. There was a three or four person band with weird types of instruments. They started playing. All of us men were on one side of the small yard and all the women, including the bride (in a more practical dress), were on the other side. The men (Pakistani, Afghani, etc) started to drink; Americans to sip; and me -- by then, I no longer drank -- so I drank a coke. Pretty soon the men started to get zonked. The music was nice and the people started to dance. Men danced with men. Women danced with women. The husband danced with the men; the bride with the women. Pretty soon, the Pakistani men began to invite one of us (the Americans) to dance. First to be asked was the "American Chief of Party." Then, it was my turn. When I saw the guy coming for me, my thoughts at the time were: "Oh, sh...., here he comes..." He took my hand; I got up and we got out to the so called "dance floor." Following his lead, I did a half cha-cha-cha, a mambo, half samba, a couple of twists, a polka, and other fabulous missteps, and sat down as fast as I could. I see you are laughing. Oh, what the hell, this is just one of those crazy things that I did as part of the work. In fact, I have done all kinds of things -- hugs aplenty, held hands, been kissed (on the cheek), kissed other men on the cheek in Egypt, etc. However, there has never been any infringement or question on my masculinity. Although by now you have been laughing at my dilemmas at the time, the above examples clearly shows "La Querencia" at the multi-level and at the societal level. Just like in the bullfights -- and I have been to many -- and just like Gilberto has put it, there is a certain radius where a bull has his "Querencia" (his comfort level) and the bullfighters must quickly determine it and stay away from it to survive. In such societies, such as where there is strict Islamic religions, the Querencias are most obvious and observing them will certainly be instrumental to good relations. Yes, absolutely, there is "La Querencia" that is always with us -- at all levels -- everywhere. As a great Mexican President (Don Benito Juarez) said it many years back: "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz." (Respect for other people's rights, is peace.) |
02/03/2014 11:12 AM
TABLE OF CONTENTS
02/03/2014 11:12 AM
Rosie Carbo is
the Lifestyles Editor for Wandering Educators, and is a former newspaper
reporter whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines nationwide.
Some of those publications include People magazine, The Dallas Morning
News, The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. Some of her
features were redistributed by The Associated Press early in her career
as an award-winning Texas journalist. 
This
clinic was conducted by Drummer Gerard Cortese and Fifer Kate Bolcar who
have over 20 years experience drumming and fifing and have performed all
over the world.
My
mother, Aurora, was with the second group. She said the family lived
close to a railroad track where cattle were unloaded, and close to a
slaughterhouse and canning facility owned by Gebhardt. With thanks to
Google, I was able to find the address for the Gebhardt Mexican Food
Plant, 1810 S. Laredo Street, and a photo of the plant, showing
the proximity of the railroad tracks to the plant, as Mom had
remembered.
Tio Rudy was a busy book-keeper in Los Angeles, with
lots of clients.
