Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Santa Clara Valley, it was the home to the Ohlone natives. Their territory spanned from San Jose all the way to the Guadalupe River, originating from Santa Clara. The process of converting the land into Spanish settlements began in 1777. This began with the expeditions of Sergeant Jose Ortega. When his soldiers arrived on the land, they noted the vast resources that were available. These resources included a constant source of freshwater, multiple native villages that was spread out along the river, timber, and rich lands. Mission Santa Clara was soon established on the west banks of the Guadalupe River along with the first Pueblo town, El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe on the east. The river helped create a borderline that separated the missionary control of Mission Santa Clara and the pueblo village (Dixon, 1997). …show more content…
El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe was founded by the colonist that were led by Juan Bautista de Anza.
Many of the colonists that first arrived here came looking for gold, but their efforts was enervated. However, they decided to stay and take advantage of the land’s resources. The town became the first farming community that provided food for the military and missionaries located in San Francisco and Monterey (Laffey, 1992). One of the oldest buildings that is still standing today is located in the heart of downtown San José. The Peralta Adobe historic site, surrounded by lively bars and lounges remains a remnant of this first Spanish Pueblo town in
California. The Peralta Adobe, contrary to the name is not built by the one it is named after, but is built by Manuel Gonzalez in 1797. He was an Apache Indian who was one of the founders of El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. After he died in 1804, the building was later passed on to Luis Maria Peralta, a sergeant for the Spanish army and owner of one of the largest Ranches in California, Rancho San Antonio (National Park Services). When it was built, there was nothing unique about the building as it looked like any other adobe homes that were built, but today it serves as the last memory of early San José. This adobe home, like many others during the time are made up of earthly materials. The thick walls of the Peralta Adobe are mainly made up of white washed adobe bricks. These bricks are commonly made from a mixture of water and earthly materials. Soil is also commonly used in these bricks and typically consists of sand and clay. These adobe homes are durable in dry climates, but are susceptible to earthquakes and floods. Because of these susceptibilities, Gonzalez created the adobe as his second home when his first one was flooded. On the exterior of the building, there is an outdoor fireplace oven. Commonly called a horno, meaning “oven” or “furnace” in Spanish, it was used by many Native Americans and early settlers. Within the walls of the adobe are two conjoining rooms of equal size that are furnished as it would have been 200 years ago. The two rooms seems to consist of a bed space and a dining space. The bed space is simply organized and contains a wooden framed bed. An animal pelt is used for warmth and is also evident on the floor as decoration and the clothes that are being hung besides the bed. Both rooms seem to share a collection of pottery on the walls that are seemed to be made by various materials and are comprised of different colors and shapes. Many of the items in the house are made out of wood which was rich in supply at the time. Comparing the bed space and the dining space, the dining space looks a little more cramped than the room before it. There is nothing special or unique about the adobe itself, but it is more preserved for the memory of those who have lived here before. It helps give an insight to all the hard work that Peralta and Gonzalez gave into protecting their village and cultivating it.
The Sierra de la Serenidad is right between two settlement groups in a mountain pass. The mountain pass can lead up to a priest at the top of the mountain where there will be a lot of religious activity going on because the settlers feel like they need to be in a trance to relax. The climate is extremely dry around the area because it is surrounded by two rivers that go into the sea where there is a lot of humidity. Through the coastal plain and desert strip that goes down to the coast, climate and soil combine to support an agricultural economy based on maize. The pass system in the Andes was set up to control the commodity flow in the lake. This type of economy is thought to be around for 2,000 years. The settlers ate the fish that were in the water around the complex.
The original building was made of sticks and straw, but these building materials made it an easy victim of Indian attacks. The missionaries wanted to make life in the mission communities be comparable to that of villages in Spain. The missionaries taught Indians specific jobs such as carpentry, masonry, and stone cutting to make buildings. The Espada was one of the first missions to make brick, which can still found today.
It depicts a very interesting story about the California heritage. The place still looks as an old Mexican “pueblo”. Many old houses were turned in cafes and restaurants where people can go and enjoy the beautiful environment. Many of the cafes are inside of the house with a very unique way to spend the afternoon. The pueblo has a lot of stores were the story of the mission and the legend of the swallows are sold. There are many old people living there, and usually they are the owners of the souvenir stores. Raquel Curtin owner of a souvenir store states that the story of the Mission San Juan Capistrano is one of her favorites. “It’s a very interesting story that everyone that lives in California should know,” Curtin says. She has been attending her store for more than 10 years. Curtin believes that the story of the Mission will never be forgotten. According to Curtin “the Mission is what we are now, and we should never forget
The first article I have chosen is, “Juncture in the road: Chicano Studies Since: “El plan de Santa Barbara” by Ignacio M. Garcia. I have chosen this particular article for various reasons. One is because reading the first few paragraphs of the article stirred up many emotions within me. I found myself growing angry and once, again, repulsed by the United States discrimination system. The more knowledge I obtain on the United States, on its past and how it develops today, I can finally say that I resent everything it stands for and embarrassed being part of it. I would rather say that I am a country of one…myself. The second reason for choosing this article, was because it was an easy read for me as well as the topic being discussed was intriguing.
"History of Pilsen and Little Village." San Jose Obrero Mission. Web. 24 Nov. 2011. .
The year was 1699, and two Spanish missionaries accompanied by a contingent of Spanish soldados were sent to northern Coahuila. Their instructions were to establish missions for the primitive tribes, hunters and nut gatherers that lived along the Rio Grande, the great river of the north. Gold, glory and God, essentially in that order, had motivated the founding of the missions. The Alamo itself was founded in 1718; however, due to disease and a reluctance of the locals to embrace Christianity the mission was abandoned in 1793. It wasn’t ...
In the 19th century the Pacific Gray Whale was nearly hunted to extinction when their products were in high demand. At the turn of the century, there existed only a few thousand of these precious whales. Soon after, the whales were placed onto the endangered species list where they were under the heavy protection of numerous national laws and international treaties. In 1993 the number of Gray Whales climbed to a miraculous 21,000 and by the end of 1994 the Pacific Gray Whale became the first mammal to be removed from the endangered species list. A few months after its removal from the endangered species list, the primary breeding and calving grounds of the Gray Whale, located in Baja California, was chosen by the Mitsubishi Corporation to become the worlds largest salt harvesting center.
The image of the Virgin Mary seen by Juan Diego has changed the world. About forty years after Mary’s appearance to Diego, it is believed to be a turning point in western civilization. At this time there were a lot of copies of the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe being circulated around Europe and one ended up in the hands of Admiral Giovanni Andrea Doria. The King of Spain gave this special copy to him. There were three hundred Turkish ships blocking the Gulf of Lepanto and the admiral was given command of a squadron to sail to the blockade. The Christian fleet consisting of about three hundred ships was to meet the Turkish navy head on. However, the Turkish outmaneuvered the Christian forces. It is said that when this crucial hour was at hand, Doria went into his cabin to kneel and pray before the Image of Guadalupe. By nightfall the direction of the battle started to shift. One Turkish squadron was defeated and captured causing the others to panic which lead to the destruction of the whole fleet. Fifteen thousand Christians that were enslaved in the Turkish galleys were freed. This battle marked the end of the Ottoman Empire’s expansion into the western Mediterranean.1
The Spanish decided to build a settlement between New Spain and East Texas. It would be a midway stop. They decided it would be located on the San Antonio River. San Jose was one of these settlements. It was made of limestone and was built in 1720. A nickname it had was "The Queen of Missions". Close by was San Antonio de Valero, or also known as the Alamo. It had carvings in the windows and the doorways that were complicated and beautiful. The carvings were made when the limestone was just unearthed. When limestone is just quarried it's relatively soft.
Folklore is a collection of stories passed down from generation to generation that includes Legends, Myths and Fairy tales. Legends are a semi-true story, which has been passed on from a person to another person that has an important meaning. Myths are a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon. A Fairytale is a children's story about magical which they have imaginary beings and lands. Hispanic Folklore is the traditional is mostly about beliefs, legends, customs and stories of the community of the hispanic culture. Hispanic or latino culture encompasses the traditions, language, religious beliefs and practices, legends, music and history.
Because the mission was left to ruin in the 19th century, most of the mission had to be rebuilt. Some remnants of the old stone building and adobe still remain with minor restoration. The mission was home to a giant stone Cathedral but was destroyed by an earthquake. Parts of it still remain, not fully intact of course, but it is very interesting to think that some of these stone structures are older then America itself. Inside the mission is Serra's Church which is a small church that is still in regular use. Serra's Church is the oldest standing building in
I visited the Mission San Luis last Early November for my Primary Site paper. Mission San Luis was the capital of the Western Spanish missions and Appalachian nations from 1656 to 1704. This area is situated west 2 miles away from the capital. The reason I picked Mission San Luis as my primary site is because of its interesting history, not only because of the very close proximity of it to my apartment. Its great that its about a five minute drive to the Mission from my house, but because the history of the place is so vast, I had to pick it. There were two different groups of people at the Mission at the time which makes it such an interesting place. You get to see how Appalachians and Spanish people interacted and got along to make the Mission San Luis what it is today.
There are two major themes that are associated and unique to Nuyorican and Dominican-American literature. The first is that of an identity crisis. Although Mexican-American/Chicano literature also addresses the theme of an identity crisis, there exists a major difference between these two ethnic groups. A majority of Mexican-Americans and Chicanos were willing to give up their culture and manipulate their identity to assimilate into society better. El Norte is an excellent representation of this difference. The two main characters in the film, Rosa and Enrique, illegally immigrate to the United States of America for a better life. Once they cross the border, they do their best to shed off their former life. In order to do this, they practice
In 1969, an artist, activist, and a teacher at the High School of Music and Art, Montañez Ortiz reevaluate a project a for a community museum. He dedicated the museum to the Puerto Rican Diaspora in the United States and named it El Museo del Barrio. The location of the museum is known as District 4. District 4 includes parts of Central Harlem and East Harlem, Montañez Ortiz was primarily hired to serve the population of East Harlem, known as El Barrio. Martin W. Frey, Superintendent of School District 4, under pressure from parents and community activists to implement cultural enrichment programs for Puerto Rican children, appointed artist/educator Ortiz to create educational materials for schools in District 4 on Puerto Rican history, culture,
Thought to hold some of the oldest cave art in Europe, which dates as far back as roughly 40,000 years ago. This site is located in northern Spain in the Puente Viesgo municipality, where a number of other sites were also discovered. This location would have been an ideal hunting environment near the Atlantic coast, and was mostly likely capable of supporting several populations during the Upper Palaeolithic. El Castillo cave contains murals of red ochre disks, hand stencils and abstract art belonging to the Aurignacian period. In addition, it also has depictions of horses, bison, deer and mammoths associated with Solutrean art.