MY NEW ROAD TRIP/MI NUEVO VIAJE
EXPLORING THE SOUTHEAST/EXPLORANDO EL SURESTE
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Three hidden
Hispanic role models Are you keeping track? In Mobile Alabama, we learned about the Hispanic-led battle that helped the Union win the Civil war in 1864. And just down the road in Pensacola Florida, we learned about another Hispanic-led battle, in 1781, that was key to winning the American Revolution. It was Admiral David Farragut, the son of a Spanish immigrant, who won the Battle of Mobile Bay for the Union Navy. And it was Spanish General Bernardo de Gálvez who won the Battle of Pensacola, 83 years earlier. We also learned that more than two centuries earlier, in 1559, another Spanish expedition, led by Tristan de Luna, settled in what is now Pensacola and could have changed the course of American history — had it not been for a hurricane! And yet, ask yourself: Why are Farragut, Gálvez and De Luna unknown to most Americans? Do you see what I mean by "Hidden Hispanic Heritage"? Do you understand me when I say that our role models have been hidden from our youth? — Miguel Pérez |
General Bernardo de Gálvez
Admiral David Farragut
Tristan de Luna
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Tres modelos
hispanos ocultos ™Estás contando? En Mobile, Alabama, aprendimos sobre la batalla liderada por hispanos que ayudó a la Unión a ganar la Guerra Civil en 1864. Y muy cerca, en Pensacola, Florida, aprendimos sobre otra batalla liderada por hispanos, en 1781, que fue clave para ganar la Revolución Americana. Fue el almirante David Farragut, hijo de un inmigrante español, quien ganó la Batalla de la Bahía de Mobile para la Armada de la Unión. Y fue el general español Bernardo de Gálvez quien ganó la Batalla de Pensacola, 83 años antes. También aprendimos que más de dos siglos antes, en 1559, otra expedición española, liderada por Tristán de Luna, se instaló en lo que hoy es Pensacola y podría haber cambiado el curso de la historia estadounidense, ´si no hubiera sido por un huracán! Y, sin embargo, pregúntate: ™por qué Farragut, Gálvez y De Luna son desconocidos para la mayoría de los estadounidenses? ™Entiendes lo que quiero decir con "Herencia Hispana Oculta"? ™Me entiendes cuando digo que nuestros modelos a seguir han sido ocultos de nuestra juventud? — Miguel Pérez |
De Soto stands tall
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De Soto se mantiene erguido en Mobile, ALHernando De Soto dirigió una expedición a través del centro y norte de Alabama, y luego se dirigió hacia el oeste hasta Mississippi, pero nunca llegaron tan al sur como Mobile, AL. Y, sin embargo, aquí es donde encontré una estatua estupenda del explorador español del siglo 16.
Su placa dice poco y lo dice todo: "Hernando de Soto 1500-1542. Aventurero, soldado, soñador. El primero en traer la influencia de España, sus leyes, su cultura a Alabama". Este "original concepto en piedra" fue creado por el escultor Vicinte Rodilla Zanón, de Valencia, en 1967. Pero este es el Spanish Plaza Park de Mobile, y hay varios otros monumentos españoles que debemos visitar aquí. Y ya que he terminado de trazar la ruta de De Soto (por ahora), quedémonos en este hermoso parque histórico para mi próximo informe, ™vale? ´Manténganse al tanto! "My New Road Trip" aún está lejos de terminar. (Vea mapa). No he llegado ni a la mitad. |
PLATERO Y YO
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Did you read the book "Platero y Yo" when you were a kid? Platero was a donkey, and I found a statue of Platero in Alabama. I could not believe it! But please stay tuned. This is the Spanish Plaza Park in Mobile, and I have much more to tell you about this wonderful place.
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Leíste el libro "Platero y Yo" cuando eras niño? Platero era un burrito y encontré una estatua de Platero en Alabama. ´No lo podía creer! Pero por favor, estad atentos. Este es el Spanish Plaza Park en Mobile, y tengo mucho más que contarles sobre este maravilloso lugar.
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I'm back in "Sweet Home Alabama." This time heading east toward a treasure trove of Hispanic history in Mobile. Are you coming? |
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Estoy de vuelta en "Sweet Home Alabama". Esta vez, rumbo al este, hacia un tesoro de historia hispana en Mobile. ™Vienes? |
New Orleans has
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New Orleans tiene un ‘Ne Sais Quoi’ EspañolEsta es una actualización de un artículo que escribí, y las fotos que tomé, en New Orleans hace 10 años. ™Sabes por qué el Barrio Francés parece tan hispano? ™Crees que más gente debería saberlo? Haz clic, lee y comparte: New Orleans tiene un ‘Ne Sais Quoi’ Español
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UN BREAKESITOHi folks! As I keep posting my short Hispanic history lessons from the road, I see that frequent postings get less reaction than articles posted sporadically. When I step on the gas and produce many articles, my readers seem to get car sick! lol But seriously, from the lackluster response I have received on social media lately, it is obvious that I’m writing faster than my readers read. So, I’m going to take “un breakesito,” okay? Not from writing, but from posting. If you have not seen my latest adventures, this might be a good time to catch up!
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UN DESCANSO´Hola amigos! A medida que sigo publicando mis breves lecciones de historia hispana mientras viajo, veo que las publicaciones frecuentes obtienen menos reacción que los artículos publicados esporádicamente. Cuando aprieto el acelerador y produzco muchos artículos, ¡parece que mis lectores se marean en el coche! jajaja Pero en serio, por la mediocre respuesta que he recibido en las redes sociales últimamente, es obvio que estoy escribiendo más rápido de lo que leen mis lectores. Entonces voy a tomar "un breakesito", ™vale? No escribiendo, sino publicando. Si no has visto mis últimas aventuras, ´este podría ser un buen momento para ponerte al día!
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Beautiful parkway
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Hermosa carretera
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Check out this Natchez Trace Parkway video by the National Park Service: |
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Road markers take you back to Hispanic timesTraveling in the 21st century with 16th century maps is not always easy. In fact, it can be quite challenging. But it can also be a lot of fun, especially when you are on a mission.
And on a mission like mine, retracing the route of the 1539-1543 Hernando De Soto expedition, you always want to know what the next historical marker will say, or what a local historian might tell you. It's habit-forming! Addictive! Throughout much of this country, there are historial makers, written by local historians, that take you back to Hispanic times. It's awesome! But even if you are obeying the speed limits (lol), you can easily drive right pass these markers without noticing them. And once you know you have passed them, you have to make a U-turn and drive much slower. I have done it several times! Many of the markers have a small "pull-over area" where you can leave your car to take photos. But it's often a narrow lane, where speeding trucks make you feel unsafe. And so do the tall weeds where you have to walk to get a good photo of the markers, and where you are constantly concerned about disturbing the snakes and other strange critters you don't want to encounter. Sometimes, instead of precise locations, these markers give you only estimates of where historic events might have occurred. According to this remote and solitary historical marker on US 49 in Dundee, MS. "The Hernando de Soto expedition to explore and claim the Southeast for Spain crossed the Mississippi River on June 18, 1541, at a point in northwestern Mississippi between Sunflower Landing in Coahoma County to the south and Bass Landing in DeSoto County to the north." This 1991 estimate, by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, covers about 100 miles of the winding river, which is not very precise. But I felt comforted to learn that the estimated area begins with the Hernando De Soto River Park, which I visited recently. (See map). |
De Soto crossed the Mississippi River at a point between Sunflower Landing to the south and Bass Landing to the north.
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Letreros de carreteras te transportan a época hispanaViajar al siglo 21 con mapas del siglo 16 no siempre es fácil. De hecho, puede resultar todo un desafío. Pero también puede ser muy divertido, especialmente cuando estás en una misión.
Y en una misión como la mía, que recorre la ruta de la expedición de Hernando De Soto de 1539-1543, siempre quieres saber qué dirá el próximo marcador histórico o qué podría decirte un historiador local. ´Crea hábito! ´Adictivo! En gran parte de este país, existen marcadores históricos, escritos por historiadores locales, que te remontan a la época hispana. ´Es impresionante! Pero incluso si estás obedeciendo los límites de velocidad (jeje), puedes conducir fácilmente pasando estos marcadores sin darte cuenta. Y una vez que sabes que los has pasado, tienes que hacer un giro en U y conducir mucho más despacio. ´Lo he hecho muchas veces! Muchos de los marcadores tienen una pequeña "zona de parada" donde puedes dejar tu coche para tomar fotos. Pero suele ser un carril estrecho, donde los camiones a alta velocidad te hacen sentir inseguro. Y lo mismo ocurre con las malezas altas donde tienes que caminar para obtener una buena foto de los marcadores y donde estás constantemente preocupado por molestar a las serpientes y otros bichos extraños que no quieres confrontar. A veces, en lugar de ubicaciones precisas, estos marcadores solo brindan estimaciones de dónde podrían haber ocurrido eventos históricos. Según este marcador histórico remoto y solitario en la US 49 en Dundee, MS. "La expedición de Hernando de Soto para explorar y reclamar el sudeste para España cruzó el río Mississippi el 18 de junio de 1541, en un punto en el noroeste de Mississippi entre Sunflower Landing en el condado de Coahoma al sur y Bass Landing en el condado de DeSoto al norte". Esta estimación de 1991, realizada por el Departamento de Archivos e Historia de Mississippi, cubre aproximadamente 100 millas del sinuoso río, lo cual no es muy preciso. Pero me reconfortó saber que el área estimada comienza con Hernando De Soto River Park, el cual visité recientemente. (Vea mapa). |
De Soto reaches Arkansas, finds maize instead of gold!When the Hernando De Soto expedition crossed the Mississippi River and arrived in the present-day State of Arkansas in 1541, his explorers were already terribly disappointed. They had already trekked on foot for more than two years through several present-day American states and had not achieved their goal.
"The expedition’s goal was to find a North American kingdom of gold on the scale of the Aztecs of Mexico, who had been conquered by the Spanish 20 years earlier," explains a historial marker I found in Marion, AR., as I retrace the path of the De Soto expedition, which began in Tampa Bay in 1539. The marker notes that, "They found not cities of gold, but numerous well-populated villages supported by vast fields of maize." They were "the first Europeans to enter Arkansas," and to find Mississippian culture! "The Spaniards had entered the Mississippian Period, world noted for their mound building and hierarchical political systems," the marker explains. "Powerful chiefs controlled several villages that provided tribute to them." Yet more than a century later, by the time French explorers became the next Europeans to write down their observation about this area in 1673, "the flourishing Mississippian towns were gone," the marker says. "A variety of explanations have been offered to account for this disappearance, including European diseases and severe, long-lasting drought in the 1500s. Both undoubtedly played roles." While most historical markers celebrate accomplishments, every so often you find one clearly influenced by that centuries-old detrimental propaganda campaign against Spaniards known as The Black Legend. Sometimes, while recognizing Spanish accomplishments, some historical markers go out of their way to take a jab at De Soto and his men. "For the next two years, the Spaniards explored through Arkansas with a large number of captive Indians," the marker jabs. "They killed numerous natives, gorge themselves on native food stores, and disrupted the region's political systems . . ." During this trip, I have seen more balanced and less prejudicial historical markers, the kind that explain that the natives also killed numerous Spaniards. But not this one. This one is a bit misleading. Unlike most others, this bizarre recognition of the expedition has a lot more Black Legend bull crap than normal. As one travels across the Southeast, retracing De Soto's expedition of almost five centuries ago, different interpretations of this story become obvious from state to state. You see how local historians recall De Soto slightly differently. After seeing many of these signs, contradictions and misinformation is easily be detected. Sometimes you feel like the information needs to be updated, and even images need to be redrawn. For example, when I saw the marker in Marion, I noticed that it features a black and white rendition of "Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto," a well-known painting (see color photo) by William Henry Powell, especially because it hangs in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. Yet according to another marker I saw in Mississippi, Powell's depiction of Southeastern Indians living in tepees is totally off base. "These Indians actually lived in wooden buildings with mud-daub walls and thatched roofs," says the Mississippi marker. In fact, those wooden building are depicted in a second image in the Marion marker, making the contrast between the accurate and inaccurate native living quarters easily detectable. (See photos). I'm hoping that south and west of Marion, other Arkansas markers will really celebrate the accomplishments of the De Soto expedition. But that will have to wait for my next trip. For now, I'm following the path of the Mississippi River heading south, all the way to New Orleans (see map), and stopping at other De Soto makers along the way. Are you coming? |
From Hernando, MS to Hernando DeSoto River Park, to Memphis, TN, across the Mississippi River on the Hernando De Soto Bridge to Marion, AR.
From Memphis, Tn. to Marion, Ar., across the Mississippi River on the Hernando De Soto Bridge
Image on Arkansas maker
Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto, in U.S. Capitol
Contrasting images
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De Soto llega a Arkansas, ´encuentra maíz en lugar de oro!Cuando la expedición de Hernando De Soto cruzó el río Mississippi y llegó al actual estado de Arkansas en 1541, sus exploradores ya estaban terriblemente decepcionados. Ya habían caminado a pie durante más de dos años por varios estados americanos actuales y no habían logrado su objetivo.
"El objetivo de la expedición era encontrar un reino de oro en América del Norte a la escala de los Aztecas de México, que habían sido conquistados por los españoles 20 años antes", explica un marcador histórico que encontré en Marion, Ar., mientras recorro el camino de la expedición de De Soto, que comenzó en la Bahía de Tampa en 1539. El marcador señala que "no encontraron ciudades de oro, sino numerosas aldeas bien pobladas sustentadas por vastos campos de maíz". ´Fueron "los primeros europeos en entrar en Arkansas" y en encontrar la cultura del Mississippi! "Los españoles habían entrado en el Período del Mississippi, conocido mundialmente por la construcción de montículos y sus sistemas políticos jerárquicos", explica el marcador. "Jefes poderosos controlaban varias aldeas que les proporcionaban tributo". Sin embargo, más de un siglo después, cuando los exploradores franceses se convirtieron en los siguientes europeos en escribir sus observaciones sobre esta zona en 1673, "las florecientes ciudades del Mississippi habían desaparecido", dice el marcador. "Se han ofrecido una variedad de explicaciones para esta desaparición, incluidas enfermedades europeas y una sequía severa y duradera en el siglo 16. Sin duda, ambas desempeñaron un papel". Si bien la mayoría de los marcadores históricos celebran logros, de vez en cuando se encuentra uno claramente influenciado por esa campaña de propaganda perjudicial de siglos de antigüedad contra los españoles conocida como La Leyenda Negra. A veces, aunque reconocen los logros españoles, algunos marcadores históricos se desviven por atacar a De Soto y sus hombres. "Durante los dos años siguientes, los españoles exploraron Arkansas con un gran número de indios cautivos", señala el marcador. "Mataron a numerosos nativos, se atiborraron en las tiendas de alimentos de los nativos y alteraron los sistemas políticos de la región..." Durante este viaje he visto marcadores históricos más equilibrados y menos perjudiciales, de esos que explican que los indígenas también mataron a numerosos españoles. Pero este no. Éste es un poco engañoso. A diferencia de la mayoría de los demás, este extraño reconocimiento de la expedición tiene mucha más tontería de Leyenda Negra de lo normal. A medida que uno viaja a través del Sudeste, recorriendo la expedición de De Soto de hace casi cinco siglos, diferentes interpretaciones de esta historia se hacen obvias de un estado a otro. Se ve cómo los historiadores locales recuerdan a De Soto de manera ligeramente diferente. Después de ver muchos de estos letreros, es fácil detectar contradicciones y desinformación. A veces sientes que es necesario actualizar la información e incluso es necesario volver a dibujar las imágenes. Por ejemplo, cuando vi este marcador en Marion, noté que presenta una interpretación en blanco y negro de "Descubrimiento del Mississippi por De Soto", una pintura muy conocida (ver foto en color) de William Henry Powell, especialmente porque está colgada en la Rotonda del Capitolio en Washington, D.C. Sin embargo, según otro marcador que vi en Mississippi, la descripción que hace Powell de los indios del sudeste que viven en tipis está totalmente fuera de lugar. "Estos indios en realidad vivían en edificios de madera con paredes de barro y techos de paja", dice el marcador de Mississippi. De hecho, esos edificios de madera están representados en una segunda imagen en el marcador de Marion, lo que hace que el contraste entre las correctas e incorrectas viviendas nativas sea fácilmente detectable. (Vea fotos). Espero que al sur y al oeste de Marion, otros marcadores de Arkansas realmente celebren los logros de la expedición de De Soto. Pero eso tendrá que esperar hasta mi próximo viaje. Por ahora, sigo el camino del río Mississippi hacia el sur, hasta Nueva Orleans (vea mapa), y me detengo en otros marcadores de De Soto en el camino. ™Vienes? |
Almost 5 centuries later,
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Casi cinco siglos después,
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'Hernando De Soto stood here,' says Mississippi historianAfter visiting the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, Mis., and seeing its wealth of art and history about Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto, for whom this city and county are named, it was hard to imagine a more impressive site for me to visit. But Hernando has a small museum and I could not leave town without stopping there first.
Yet shortly after arriving at the DeSoto County Museum, and describing my journey to the only person working there, Robert Long III gave me a pensive look for a few seconds and then shocked me. "I'm tracing De Soto's route," I told him. "I'm going to close the museum," he said. "Whaaat?" I asked. "Why?" "Because I'm going to take you to the spot where De Soto stood when he discovered the Mississippi River," he said. "And so," I said, cracking a huge smile, "what are we waiting for?" He took his car, I followed him in mine, and we drove for about a half hour out of town. When we finally stopped, northwest of Hernando, we were standing on a bluff overlooking a huge area where a body of water once stood, and where we could see the Mississippi in the distance. "This is it," he said. This is where it happened. De Soto stood here." He explained that the river once ran much closer to the bluff where we were standing because several centuries ago it was wider and unrestrained by development, making the historic bluff described by De Soto's explorers much more difficult to locate by archaeologists and historians. Yet, after many years of research, speculation and debate, Long says local historians now agree on the site he was showing me. De Soto saw the river from a distance then and we were seeing it from a much farther distance now, but it was the river that moved father away, said Long who is the museum's head curator and a presbyterian minister in Hernando. It took us another few minutes to drive to the river banks, at (wouldn't you know it?) the Hernando De Soto River Park. "Under the flag of Spain, Hernando De Soto's nine ships and 650 men landed in Tampa Bay in 1539," notes a historical marker at the park. "Hoping to find gold . . . they traveled to present-day North Carolina, then headed south and west, visiting northeast Mississippi before arriving at this point on May 8 1541." (See map). The park marker explains that for centuries before the Spanish arrived here, Indians lived, farmed, hunted, and build mounds along the river’s banks. It says that De Soto's men were the first documented Europeans to encounter the Indians and to cross the Mississippi. “De Soto's men had heard tales of this river, but they were stunned by his sheer size," the marker says. "Over the years the path of the river has changed, making it impossible to document the exact location of his of his river crossing." Also unknown is the spot where De Soto was buried, especially since his body was wrapped in sand-weighted blankets and sank in the river. He died on May 21, 1542, and his secret nighttime river burial was because his men feared attacks if Indians should learn of his passing. “After De Soto’s death, his army set out to find a land route through Texas to Mexico, but dwindling supplies forced them to turn back," the maker explains. "In June 1543 they set out down the Mississippi River. They sailed into the Gulf of Mexico six weeks later. No gold or other riches had been found.” Since the river now serves as the borderline between Mississippi and Arkansas, by crossing the river, the expedition began its exploration of present-day Arkansas. And so will we! But it's much easier nowadays. We can do it over a bridge. Can you guess what that bridge is called? |
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'Hernando De Soto
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To see De Soto's great discovery and burial, come to court!If you know anything about Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto, you know that he discovered the Mississippi River and that he was eventually buried in its waters. But unless you have visited the county courthouse of DeSoto, Mississippi, your mind probably does not register the images of those historic events.
This is where beautiful canvas murals illustrate those moments and let you see what you had only read. In "Hernando DeSoto Discovers the Mississippi River May 1541," you see the moment when a Native American guide points toward the Mississippi River, and De Soto and his men become the first Europeans to see it. "De Soto was eager to continue westward in search of gold and glory," says the small sign accompanying the mural. "To avoid attack by bands of Southeastern Indians patrolling the river, De Soto and his men crossed the Mississippi at night, guided by the light of a full moon." In a mural called "DeSoto's Burial in Mississippi River," you see the moonlight ceremony before his body was interned on the western banks of the river, either in present-day Arkansas or Louisiana. "Because the Soto had portrayed himself as an immoral son of God to gain control over southeastern Indians, his men feared attacks if De Soto's death should become known," a sign explains. "Instead of digging a gravesite, De Soto’s men wrapped his body with weights and sank it in the Mississippi River during the night . . . The exact location of De Soto’s burial is not known, and his remains have never been found."
While a sign here explain that "diseases introduced by Europeans killed a large portion of the native population," another sign notes that De Soto was 42 when he died of "a fever." So, clearly European deseases were also killing European explorers in the Americas. In "De Soto's Embarkation 1538," you see a mural illustrating the expedition disembarking from Havana on its way to Florida. And in "DeSoto guided through the forests," you see how the expedition was guided by Native Americans. Although there are nine murals in the courthouse, luckily for me, the four illustrating the De Soto expedition are in the building's rotunda and readily available to the public. The other paintings, in less-accessible courtrooms, depict the expeditions led by French-Canadian explorers Louis Joliet, Jacques Marquette and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The nine murals, some of the largest ever painted by American muralist Newton Alonzo Wells, were first commissioned for the old Gayoso Hotel in Memphis, where they hung from 1903 to 1948. According to a historical marker here, when the hotel was renovated into Goldsmith's Department Store in 1948, the City of Hernando convinced owner Fred Goldsmith to donate the murals to the city. After the town raised $5,000 to restore the murals, they were installed in the DeSoto County Courthouse in 1953. Now they have a combined appraised value of more than $1 million, the maker says. At my next stop, I went to a museum and ended up at the site of a huge historic event. Stay tuned. |
To enlarge these photos, click on them!
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Para ver el gran descubrimiento y entierro de De Soto, ´ven a la corte!Si sabes algo sobre el explorador español Hernando De Soto, sabes que descubrió el río Mississippi y que finalmente fue enterrado en sus aguas. Pero a menos que hayas visitado el palacio de justicia del condado de DeSoto, Mississippi, tu mente probablemente no registre las imágenes de esos acontecimientos históricos.
Aquí es donde hermosos murales en lienzo ilustran esos momentos y te permiten ver lo que solo habías leído. En "Hernando DeSoto descubre el río Mississippi, mayo de 1541", se ve el momento en que un guía nativo americano señala hacia el río Mississippi, y De Soto y sus hombres se convierten en los primeros europeos en verlo. "De Soto estaba ansioso por continuar hacia el oeste en busca de oro y gloria", dice el pequeño cartel que acompaña al mural. "Para evitar el ataque de bandas de indios del sudeste que patrullaban el río, De Soto y sus hombres cruzaron el Mississippi de noche, guiados por la luz de una luna llena". En un mural llamado "El entierro de DeSoto en el río Mississippi", se ve la ceremonia a la luz de la luna antes de que su cuerpo fuera enterrado en la orilla occidental del río, ya sea en la actual Arkansas o Luisiana. "Debido a que Soto se había presentado como un hijo inmoral de Dios para ganar control sobre los indios del sudeste, sus hombres temían ataques si se conociera la muerte de De Soto", explica un cartel. "En lugar de cavar una tumba, los hombres de De Soto envolvieron su cuerpo con pesas y lo hundieron en el río Mississippi durante la noche... Se desconoce el lugar exacto del entierro de De Soto y sus restos nunca han sido encontrados". Mientras que un letrero aquí explica que "las enfermedades introducidas por los europeos mataron a una gran parte de la población nativa", otro letrero señala que De Soto tenía 42 años cuando murió de "fiebre". Entonces, claramente las enfermedades europeas también estaban matando a los exploradores europeos en las Américas. En "El embarque de De Soto 1538", se ve un mural que ilustra la expedición que desembarca de La Habana rumbo a Florida. Y en "DeSoto guiado por los bosques", se ve cómo la expedición fue guiada por nativos americanos. Aunque hay nueve murales en el palacio de justicia, afortunadamente para mí, los cuatro que ilustran la expedición de De Soto se encuentran en la rotonda del edificio y están disponibles para el público. Las otras pinturas, en salas de audiencias menos accesibles, representan las expediciones dirigidas por los exploradores francocanadienses Louis Joliet, Jacques Marquette y Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. Los nueve murales, algunos de los más grandes jamás pintados por un muralista estadounidense Newton Alonzo Wells, fueron encargados por primera vez para el antiguo Hotel Gayoso en Memphis, donde estuvieron colgados desde 1903 hasta 1948. Según un marcador histórico aquí, cuando el hotel fue renovado y convertido en grandes almacenes Goldsmith's en 1948, la ciudad de Hernando convenció al propietario Fred Goldsmith para que donara los murales a la ciudad. Después de que la ciudad recaudó $5,000 para restaurar los murales, se instalaron en el juzgado del condado de DeSoto en 1953. Ahora tienen un valor tasado combinado de más de $1 millón, dice el marcador. En mi siguiente parada, fui a un museo y terminé en el lugar de un gran evento histórico. Manténganse al tanto. |
A town named
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A historical scare! ´Un susto histórico!
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There I was, excited to be on yet one more of my Hispanic history research road trips, this time following the trail of the 1539-1543 Hernando de Soto expedition across the Southeast, and it wasn't my car that was breaking down. lol
When I got up one morning, in Tupelo, Mississippi, ready to grab the wheel for another long drive, I realized that my fingertips were numb. Concerned about what could be the cause, and realizing that tornado warnings were going to keep me off the road anyway, I paid a visit to the North Mississippi Medical Center, a huge and impressive hospital recommended by my hotel clerk. I must admit, driving myself to ER in a hospital several states away from home was a little unnerving, especially after the medial staff there took my condition very seriously. Their questions made me believe that they thought I had suffered a stroke! "But I'm following De Soto's trail and my next stop is supposed to be in a town called Hernando in a county called DeSoto," I kept telling everyone who would listen. I kept trying to add some humor to the situation as I was getting rolled on a stretcher from one medical exam to another. "I can't stop now!" I kept saying. "I LIVE FOR THIS!" They must have thought I was losing my mind. lol But in the end, I think they realized that I'm still somewhat sane. lol After a very long day undergoing every conceivable medical test they could think of, a of group my new history students came to my room to give me the news that all my test were negative and, thank God, they were giving me a green light to go on with my journey. They told me the numbing of my fingers was probably from the tension of grabbing the wheel and driving too many consecutive hours and suggested I consider a slower pace, a maximum of four to five hours per day. I did, and it worked! "But before you leave, you must do me a favor," said one doctor in such a serious tone that I expected some bad news after all. He pointed to the tray of hospital food that had just been brought into my room and said, "Please don't eat this. Go get yourself a decent meal." I asked for "the best Mexican restaurant in Tupelo" and he gave me a prescription: "Cantina del Sol," he said without hesitation. So, I don't know whether it was the relief of knowing that the threat of tornados had passed, or that all my hospital tests came back negative, or of being discharged by a doctor with a great sense of humor, but Cantina del Sol was exceptional! |
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Siglos antes de que Elvis naciera aquí, Hernando exploró esta zonaTupelo, Mississippi — Unos 395 años antes de que Elvis Presley naciera aquí y pusiera este pequeño pueblo en el mapa, los exploradores españoles ya estaban dibujando mapas de esta zona.
Su presencia se reconoce en una esquina destacada de las calles Main y Church en el centro de Tupelo, donde un pequeño monumento conmemora a "Hernando De Soto y sus hombres, quienes pasaron el invierno de 1540-1541 en el noreste de Mississippi antes de su descubrimiento del río Mississippi". Tupelo es una ciudad de unas 38.000 personas. El monumento a De Soto es menos conocido que el lugar de nacimiento de Elvis en 1935, ahora un pequeño museo. Pero sigue siendo un hito importante más que documenta el viaje de cientos de exploradores españoles a través del suroeste de lo que hoy es Estados Unidos. Eso fue unos 67 años antes de que los colonos británicos llegaran a Virginia y unos 264 años antes de que Lewis y Clark se embarcaran expedición mucho más celebrada. Después de dirigirse al suroeste desde las Carolinas y Tennessee, y tras cruzar el actual norte de Alabama, la expedición giró hacia el noroeste cuando llegó al actual Mississippi. (Ver mapa). Mi Gran Gira por la Historia Hispano Americana va por ese camino. ™Vienes? |
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My Great Hispanic American History Tour Goes to Mississippi!
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´Mi gran gira por la historia hispanoamericana va para Mississippi! ™Vienes?™Estás siguiendo mi nuevo viaje por carretera? Recién estamos entrando al noreste de Mississippi mientras sigo rastreando la ruta tomada por la expedición de Hernando de Soto en 1539-43. Si has seguido mis otros viajes por carretera a través del país y este sitio web, sabrás que mi objetivo es crear una "Lista de lugares, ideas y evidencia histórica para reconectar a los estadounidenses con sus raíces hispanas".
´Pero necesito tu ayuda para divulgar esta información! Por favor COMPARTE mis publicaciones de historia con amigos que estén interesados en aprender más sobre nuestra historia hispana en lo que hoy son los EE. UU. Mi objetivo es enorme y no puedo lograrlo solo. ™Me ayudas? |
Historic (Hispanic) Childersburg: The Oldest City in America?I saw it called Cosa, Coosa and Coca, but nevertheless it was the Native American Village visited by the Hernando De Soto expedition in 1540 and now known as Childersburg, Alabama.
De Soto's visit is still notable here, in monuments and historical markers that help citizens remember the town's Indian and Spanish roots. In fact, because it was visited by De Soto in 1540, some 25 years before the Spanish established a colony in St. Augustine, Fl., Childersburg city officials have been known to call it "The Oldest City in America." Of course, there is a huge difference between visiting an Indian village in 1540 and establishing a Spanish colony in 1565. In my mind, that still makes St. Augustine the oldest, continuously-inhabited European city in the U.S.A., beating British Jamestown, Va. by 42 years. Nevertheless, Childersburg, incorporated in 1889 and home to close to 5,00 residents, proudly claims its Indian and Spanish heritage. “Childersburg traces its heritage to the Coosa Indian village located in the area," notes one of the historical markers on the corner of First Street SW (Alabama-76) and Sixth Avenue SW, near the Childersburg police headquarters. "DeSoto, accompanied by 600 men, began his March across North America in June 1539. Traveling from Tampa Bay, Florida, northward through what became the Southeastern United States, DeSoto’s expedition began searching for riches.” After trekking north through present-day Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and reaching as far north as present-day North Carolina and Tennessee, the expedition was heading back southward when it reached present-day Alabama. “Upon entering the area that would become Alabama, DeSoto and his men marched southward along the Tennessee River,” the historical marker explains. “On July 16, 1540, the army of Spaniards entered the town of Coca (Coosa) located on the east bank of the river between two creeks, now known as Talladega and Tallaseehatchee.” That’s the current location of Childersburg. The marker explains that DeSoto was greeted by the chief of the Coosas. “For approximately a month, these invaders enjoyed the hospitality of the chief and his tribe, receiving an offer of land to establish a Spanish colony. After offering reasons for not accepting, the Spaniards departed Coosa in August 1540, leaving behind members of the expedition.” Another marker notes that, “Beginning with men left by DeSoto and continuing during a period of approximately 250 years, explorers, conquistadors, traders, and pioneer settlers penetrated the vicinity and occupied the area that is today known as Childersburg, Alabama.” As for the "men left by DeSoto," local folklore says that least one Spanish soldier, who was apparently too ill to travel, remained behind to live with the natives. But to continue following De Soto's trail, we must now head northwest, into northern Mississippi. Are you coming? |
From my home in New Jersey, to McDonald, Tennessee, to DeSoto Falls, Alabama, to Childersburg, Alabama.
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DeSoto Falls, an unexpected natural beauty in AlabamaIn my effort to follow the route taken by the Hernando De Soto expedition, by visiting monuments and historical markers that recognize he was there, I found that there are towns, counties, parks, streets, waterfalls and even caverns that bear his name, not because he was there, but because he was in the general area.
For me, perhaps most impressive was DeSoto Falls, which is in DeSoto State Park, on Lookout Mountain, 8 miles northeast of Fort Payne, Alabama. When I went there, I wasn’t expecting such natural beauty! These 104-foot falls, the tallest in Alabama, have carved their own small canyon! The 3,502-acres, mountain terrain park, the largest in Alabama, has forests, rivers and waterfalls — the kind of turf the De Soto expedition encountered in 1540, as it trekked across territory that now covers 10 American states. The park was established in 1935 and named after the Spanish explorer when it was dedicated in 1939. Check out the two short videos below: |
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Hernando De Soto's Trail in AlabamaSouth of Chattanooga, Tennessee, across the northwest corner of Georgia, and soon after entering Alabama, heading southwest on I-59, you find a visitor's center where the first European visitors to this area are recognized. (See map). The Spanish expedition led by Hernando De Soto came through here some 67 years before British colonists came to Virginia.
"Hernando de Soto brought his 700-man army to Alabama in the fall of 1540," a two-sided historical marker explains. "This was the first major European expedition to the interior of the southeastern United States. The De Soto expedition had landed at Tampa Bay, Florida, in the spring of 1539 – 47 years after Columbus discovered America. They traveled through parts of Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas before abandoning their goals of finding riches and leaving for Mexico in 1543." Over the years, anthropologists and historians have developed various hypothesis to describe the actual route taken by De Soto – but they still don't know the specific trail! "Archaeologists believe that they know the general route that De Soto followed and are trying to locate the specific towns he visited in order to verify their theories," the marker explains. An "official" route was determined by a national commission in 1939. But anthropological work has altered the route since then. In creating these makers, with very eye-catching maps, the State of Alabama adopted the trail promoted in 1988 by Dr. Charles Hudson, of the University of Georgia, and his associates. The marker even outlines "The Highway Route of the De Soto Trail," which is "intended to follow the actual trail as closely as major highways permit," and which is precisely what I'm doing on this road trip! In Alabama, the marker explains that De Soto was betrayed by Indian chief Tascalusa. "The chief, resentful of the harsh Spanish treatment of the Indians, promised De Soto supplies and bearers at one of his small towns, Mabila. But there on October 18, 1540, De Soto and his advance party were ambushed by Tascalusa after they entered the town." When De Soto called up the main body of his troops and fought an all-day battle, more than 20 Spaniards and 2,500 Indians were killed in what the marker describes as "the greatest Indian battle ever fought in America." The Spanish prevailed, but the battle was a turning point for the expedition. "De Soto discovered no gold or silver, and an unsuccessful exploration had now turned into a near-defeat with major casualties," the maker elaborates. "The expedition continued slowly on toward Mississippi. The next three years would see the discovery of the Mississippi River, the death of De Soto from fever, and the eventual retreat of some 300 survivors to Mexico." Well, this time we are driving toward Mississippi, and my Great Hispanic American History Tour is moving a lot faster. Are you coming? |
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De Soto's Route in TennesseeHaving already followed the path of the 1539-43 Hernando De Soto expedition, through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina in August of 2022, for my new trip, I picked up their trace in McDonald, Tennessee.
Here you find that the expedition followed Native American paths and passed near this spot in 1540. The marker, erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission, is at the intersection of South Lee Highway (U.S. 64) and south McDonald Road. |
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Dear students and friends:
As you may have noticed, my history postings have been absent from social media for the past six weeks. That's because I have been on yet another road trip in search of our hidden Hispanic heritage. This time, instead of reporting from the road, I have waited to return home before I share some of my notes and photos with you. While I have not yet finished reporting on my trip to New Mexico last summer, I took off from teaching my Hispanic American history course in the Spring semester so I could go on this new trip, which I had been planning for a long time. I had to do it! So now I have a lot more reporting to do, to complete my New Mexico series, and to tell you about my most recent adventures throughout the Southeast. This time, I went to Hispanic historic sites I had not yet visited, and I revisited places that required further research, in preparation for a book. In five weeks during April and May, I covered 5,519 miles traveling through 15 states and I stopped at dozens of Hispanic heritage sites. I stayed with a couple of friends and relatives along the way, but mostly in 22 roadside hotels. I even spent a day in a Mississippi hospital! They had to give me a green light before I could go on. lol I'll tell you more about that later. |
In the first part of this trip, I concentrated on following the trail of the 1539-43 Hernando De Soto expedition. In previous trips, I had already traced De Soto's path through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina in the summer of 2022. (See: TRACING DE SOTO'S JOURNEY).
But this time I sought places in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas where De Soto's visits are still recognized by local folks. He may not be recognized nationally, because American history tends to omit Hispanic accomplishments, but locally, in parts of the country where he left a mark, people still recognize his name. Sometime they have no choice! In Mississippi, for example, there is a town called Hernando in a county called DeSoto. See what I mean? After my first day on the road, my first stop was in Virginia. But on the second day I was already following De Soto's trail and finding markers that recognize his presence in Tennessee. I'll start showing you, on this page and on social media, starting soon. Stay tuned! |
