Somos Primos

January 2006 
Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-6

Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues
 

  Letters to the Editor : 

United States

"Mexican Illegal Aliens: A Mexican American Perspective"
Study: Immigration grows, reaching record numbers 
Picking a Battle Over Shortage of Farmworkers
Mexican Immigrants Gave Up Jobs to Take Chances in U.S. 

Collegians Get By Despite Illegal Status
Lawyers fight gender gap
High School Student Suspended For Speaking Spanish 

Businesses see Gold in Latino ads
Red Cross Bolstering Minority Outreach
Home page for the Blurred Racial Lines of Famous Families
Famous People with Black lineage

Spanish version of food pyramid released 
What's In A (Spanish) Name
How the Grinch got a Spanish accent, Click

Hispanics in Federal Service:  A Historical Synopsis, 1965-2005

A panel presentation by J. V. Martinez, Emma Moreno, Gilbert M. Sandate and Sylvia Trujillo  

National Archives and Records Administration, held December 14, 2005

McGowan Theater, Washington , DC

JV Martinez at podium

        
Gil Sandate, Sylvia Trujillo, 
Emma Moreno, JV Martinez

Gil Sandate, Sylvia Trujillo, 
Emma Moreno

J. V. Martinez, Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.;  moderator;

Emma Moreno, former Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau and currently the LULAC Director for Federal Relations;

Sylvia J. Trujillo, Esq., Agency legal counsel for a federal government agency and former legal counsel to local public agencies;

Gilbert M.  Sandate, Director, Office of Workforce Diversity for the Library of Congress

Abstract:  A synopsis of Hispanic employment history in the U.S. Federal Government will be presented.  The substantive appearance of Hispanic representation in the non-military federal service ostensibly began at the conclusion of World War II, a watershed period when U.S. Hispanics realized they were more part of the nation's fabric than ever before.  Since then the representation of Hispanics in the federal service has remained at a chronic level of half their fraction of the U.S. population.  Panelists include: Emma Moreno, former Assistant to the Director of the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce and currently Director of Federal Relations for the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Sylvia J. Trujillo, Esq., legal counsel for a federal agency and former legal counsel to local public organizations; Gilbert M. Sandate, Director, Office of Workforce Diversity for the Library of Congress and J. V. Martinez, Senior Science Advisor, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy.

A general overview of the history of Hispanic employment in the U.S. Federal Government continues to be a history of extremes.  The more substantive beginning of Hispanic employment in the federal service began at the conclusion of World War II, which was a watershed period when U.S. Hispanics discovered they were more part of the nation’s population than ever before.  This realization brought their attention to legal statutes that accorded rights about which they were previously aware and rights not actively pursued as a group. 

The distance between the central federal government offices and the Hispanic population concentrated in the Southwest U.S. hindered optimal communication, the consequence being that employment opportunities in the federal government were not widely known to the Hispanic community.  This observation is underpinned by noting that a number of the early Hispanic government employees had prior military service.  Becoming part of the military removed them temporarily from the Southwest and exposed them to federal government employment opportunities. 

From 1965 on, the federal service workforce continued to grow in step with the nation’s increasing presence-economically, politically, and militarily-both domestic and international.  Limited access to federal employment opportunities and the increasing size of government led to a deficit in the representation of Hispanics in the federal service.  This condition began to be increasingly recognized among Hispanic activists from among the limited number of Hispanics in the federal service at the time. 

It is no coincidence that this recognition came at a time when the Civil Rights Movement reached a high mark.  Hispanic government employees became aware that their community was not being justifiably represented in the federal workforce. 

This awareness was obvious in relation to the Hispanic presence in the Military, and in proportion to the federal services being provided the community justly due as citizens, taxpayers and by their dedication to national security.  Notably absent in the delivery of federal services were Spanish-speaking government employees. 

This prompted Hispanic activists to challenge the government’s effectiveness in providing needed services to the community.  While the methods used to compensate for these deficiencies varied through the ensuing decades, the deficit in Hispanic employment that appeared early on is yet to be eliminated. 

The increase in the U.S. Hispanic population continues to outstrip the rate at which Hispanics are being employed in the federal service further exacerbating the problem.  It has become clear that conducting business as usual in federal hiring practices will not suffice. 

Being that federal employees are part of the executive branch of government and that each administration occupying the White House has ultimate control of federal hiring practices, White House attempts to rectify the situation by issuing executive orders and making well-meaning pronouncements, “photo-ops” in the vernacular, have had little success. 

Considering the rapid non-stop growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S. and the historical deficit of Hispanics in the federal service, the situation continues to deteriorate with no change in sight.  Relevant to these concerns is how it became that the noun Hispanic was chosen as a label to group all the subgroups that make up this U.S. population. 

Attempts to account for this population using other labels turned in to a counterproductive census quagmire.  While meaningful sensitivities exist in the government’s non-use of sub-group labels, it appears that combining them all under the one label has allowed some progress to be made without judging here that the labeling will lead to the rightful increase of Hispanic representation in the federal service will occur in the near future. 

The National Archives and Restoration Agency (NARA) sponsored session will place this history in perspective and, while it may be too much to hope for, the airing out of this issue may lend to increased realization of the correction action now called for.

Commission Calls for Reducing Number of Minority Youths Tried as Adults; Symposium Cites Negative Impact http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=56366
National Desk, Legal Reporter, Contact: Alicia Ingram, 404-493-1724 
Sent by Dorinda Moreno dorindamoreno@comcast.net  Abstract.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Dellums Commission, headed by former Oakland Congressman Ronald V. Dellums, is calling on national and state criminal justice officials to reform practices and polices responsible for increasing the number of minority youths tried as adults in courtrooms across the country. 

"This trend of sending young men off to prison instead of using the juvenile justice system is limiting the life options for male youth of color," Mr. Dellums said. "Too frequently the adult justice system is the destination point for young men of color due to policy failures in health and education, and a lack of family and community support." 

Rep. Dellums cited "alarming statistics'' from the US Bureau of Justice Statistics showing that last year 2,267,787 people were incarcerated in the United States, and nearly two-thirds of the prison population were persons of color, mostly males. In fact, the data showed that 8.4 percent of African Americans ages 25 to 29 are in state or federal prisons. Further, Amnesty International found that there are currently 2,225 prisoners across the country serving life without parole sentences for crimes that were committed when they were a juvenile. 

"There is growing evidence that a large number of youths with diagnosable serious emotional disturbances are being diverted to the criminal justice system," said Dr. Christopher, whose Health Policy Institute sponsored the symposium. "It's crucial that we address the root causes of the social problems, such as the lack of adequate mental and physical health treatment, that are contributing factors in a large number of youths who are taken into the criminal justice system." 

"The school system is becoming the pipeline for the prisons," said Dr.Grantham. "Take for example my district, one of the schools we had 700 students to enter into high school and only 299 graduated. What are the remaining students doing? After they drop out, they have no skills; therefore, they may end up in the prison system... We're suspending and expelling students' everyday for fighting. That's not the solution; we must keep them in school. If we kick them out, it just gives them idol time to get in trouble." 

Rep. McCoy also focused on the schools as a problem. "A quarter of the kids are graduating from high school today," the Native American said. "We're portrayed as evil in the history books. The politicians are saying leave no child behind, but let's test the system and not the child! We're testing the children. We took out vocational and technical education, as well as music in the school system in Washington State, however only 24 percent of the jobs require a college degree. We're setting our kids up to fail. Let's put vocational and technical education, as well as music, back in the school system to provide options for our students." 

"It is currently framed as a public safety issues and it should be framed as a public health issue. We have to come up with a solution," White said. "We spend six times the rate on the penal system versus what we spend on higher education. We need to shift the money that we're spending.
http://www.usnewswire.com
U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770

Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, DEA Agent
article suggested by:  Brian Kalahan bkalahan@adelphia.net
http://www.nfp.org/main/body/kikiaward.html

In 1985, when DEA agent Kiki Camarena was murdered by drug dealers in Mexico, they ended his life but not his dream. Here is Kiki's story.

Growing up in a dirt-floored house in Mexico, Enrique Camarena wanted to make a difference. When he was little, he begged his mother for a toy gun. "I need a gun," he said, "because I'm going to be a policeman when I grow up." At nine, Kiki moved with his family to the U.S. to pick fruit.

After excelling in high school, Kiki faced a critical turning point. His friends were headed for trouble, and he had to decide whether he wanted to follow them into a life of crime and drugs. The deeply engrained desire to make a difference won out, and Kiki opted to stay straight, working his way through college and earning a degree in criminal justice.

Following stints in the Marines and the police force, Kiki joined the DEA. It was the best way he knew to stop drugs and to help people he cared about. His mother, concerned about dangers inherent in his job, tried to talk him out of it. "I can't not do this," he told her. "I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference." In early 1985, the DEA sent Kiki to work undercover in Mexico. For weeks he lived among the drug cartel, gathering information and evidence. He was ready to wrap up his assignment when his identity was discovered. He was kidnapped and tortured to death.

To honor his memory, and to show that they would continue his fight against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors wore red badges of satin. Then parents who had come together in local coalitions to fight the drug problem took Kiki as their model, embracing his belief that one person can make a difference, and adopting his symbol--the red ribbon--as their own.

From this grassroots beginning grew National Family Partnership, a network of community groups united under one mission: to promote healthy, drug-free youth through prevention and education.
 

Maya Christina Gonzales: My Own Room/Mi Propio Cuartito

Among the children's authors being recognized for excellence in art and literature are Maya Christina Gonzales (My Own Room/Mi propio cuartito).  Maya's work has graced the covers and pages of some of the most significant cultural representations of the Chicano/a community. She is on the cover of Contemporary Chicana/o Art, hailed by Cheech Marin  as the "bible of contemporary Chicano art." And the cover of Living Chicana Theory, in which some of "the most vital and pioneering voices of Chicana feminism come together." Her children's books have also received the same kind of attention, winning the Belpre Pura Medal and the Tomas Rivera Award. The review committee said that her book " is not only a delight for children, but it epitomizes the significance of the award, which is to raise awareness of the Mexican American culture." Maya has illustrated 13 bilingual children's books and is included in numerous anthologies and references. Her fine art and her illustrations have helped to expand and deepen the Chicano/a and Latino/a community's presence of self. Maya once taught throughout the Bay Area schools, promoting that "everyone is an artist and art is always an act of courage."

Sent by Dorinda Moreno dorindamoreno@comcast.net

"MUSICAL GENEALOGY," by George G. Morgan

=====================================================================

Music, like photographs and art, reflect the times and culture in a given place. They add context and content to the understanding of our ancestors. George Gershwin once said, "True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans and my time is today." 

Music has always been an important part of my life. My musical tastes include classical music and opera, through early 20th century popular music, male and female vocalists of the 1920s to the 1960s, big band music, some country and blues music, a healthy dollop of jazz, as well as rock and easy listening music from the 1960s to the present. You know what they say: variety is the spice of life!

I began thinking this past week about what an integral part of life music and song have been for people across the many generations. It reflects the history and culture of an area and of each era. It also is an important component of so many of our life events. Since so many people are interested in heritage albums, scrap booking, and preparing multimedia family history presentations, it would be interesting to select appropriate music to include that fits the time, the event, and even the people and places you might include.

With that idea in mind, I thought that in "Along Those Lines . . ." this week I'd share a list of songs that might well have related to the lives and times of our ancestors, and even to specific genealogical record types. You may have other and better examples you can name, but enjoy the irony that genealogical events (and/or record types) and popular music can be combined in this way.

NAME THAT TUNE!

--- BIRTH 
Birth-related songs are numerous. Among the ones that immediately come to my mind are torch-singer Helen Morgan's fine 1930 recording of "Why Was I Born?" from the Broadway Show, "Sweet Adeline," in which she starred. "Born to Be Wild" (1968) by the group Steppenwolf and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." (1985) both echo reasons to be born. The ubiquitous "Happy Birthday to You" is, of course, the song most frequently associated with birthdays. And yet I can hear the song, "I Found a Million-Dollar Baby in a Five-and-Ten-Cent Store" from Billy Rose's 1931 Broadway show, "Crazy Quilt." It's not really about births, but it's a fun song.

--- MARRIAGE 
There are two pieces of music invariably linked to weddings. One is the "Bridal Chorus" ("Here Comes the Bride") from Richard Wagner's 1841 opera, "Lohengrin." The other is the "Wedding March" that we all know so well. It has become the traditional musical recessional piece used at the conclusion of the wedding. It was written by German composer Felix Mendelssohn for his 1858 work, "A Midsummer's Night Dream." Even the venerable vocal wedding solo, "Oh, Promise Me," comes from a little-known comic operetta, "Robin Hood," by Reginald DeKoven (1891). Prior to the introduction and use of these pieces, weddings used classical music, perhaps by Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers, and traditional hymns. 

Moving forward in time, Jo Stafford's 1947 hit, "The Serenade of the Bells," tells the story of a miraculous occurrence in which church bells that were thought inoperable began to ring and a young couple were allowed to marry. "Going to the Chapel" (1964) by the Dixie Cups says, "Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married." In 1971, Paul Stookey of the folk group, Peter, Paul, and Mary, recorded "The Wedding Song" and it has been used at countless weddings ever since. 

--- DIVORCE 
The dissolution of a once loving relationship can be very painful and songs reflecting the emotional pathos (or relief?) are legion. "After You've Gone" (1918) has been recorded many times over the years. Connie Francis' 1958 recording of "Who's Sorry Now" was a remake of a hit song from 1923. My favorite choice for a divorce song would have to be Tammy Wynette's classic "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." However, none of these pieces would necessarily be appropriate for photos or film of Uncle Ed and Aunt Jeanette's wedding, which ended in a nasty divorce.

--- DEATH
If you've ever seen the movie, "The Wizard of Oz," you can never forget the scene in Munchkinland in which the coroner proclaims that the Witch of the East is dead and the Munchkins spontaneously burst into the song, "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead." For genealogists, we get both an 'official' proclamation made from a document and a catchy song! There are scores of songs about death and dying. The Shangri-Las recorded a hit song in 1964 titled "The Leader of the Pack" and Mark Dinning, brother of the Dinning Sisters vocal trio, recorded "Teen Angel" in 1960. 

Here, too, I'd be very careful about what to use for a family history presentation, even if a particular aunt or in-law did act like the Wicked Witch of the West. Perhaps Frederic Chopin's "Funeral March" (1837) or the "Adagio in G Minor" by Tomaso Albinoni would be a more tasteful choice.

--- WILLS AND PROBATE 
You probably didn't think I could find an example of music associated with a will, but you were wrong. Giacomo Puccini's comic opera, "Gianni Schicchi," is based on the premise that greedy relatives change the deceased Schicchi's will and go through many gyrations not to get caught.

--- CEMETERIES 
Dinah Washington's recording of "The Richest Guy in the Graveyard" was released in February of 1950 to excellent reviews. Bob Dylan's recording of "Tombstone Blues" (1965) from his famous "Highway 61 Revisited" album has become a cult favorite, and contemporary singer Sheryl Crow recorded the song in 1999 and performs it in concerts. Few of us have missed out on hearing the 1962 comedy song, "Monster Mash," by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. For the opera lover, Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" includes a tenor aria near the end of the final act, "Tombe degli avi miei," which translates from Italian to "Tomb of my ancestors."

--- IMMIGRATION
The lyrics of Neil Diamond's 1981 song, "America," vividly evokes the immigration experience. "On the boats and on the planes, They're coming to America, Never looking back again, They're coming to America . . ." However, perhaps the most brilliant song about the immigration experience is "America, I Love You," a patriotic song introduced by singer Sam Ash in 1916.

--- MILITARY 
You would be hard pressed not to be able to find songs about military service. Patriotic fervor and a love to express oneself in song has created thousands of evocative songs. "The Caissons Go Rolling Along," "Anchors Aweigh," "Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder," and the "Marine's Hymn," are well-known songs representing the American military branches of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, respectively. 

Other songs are representative of patriotism and/or the battle experience. "Yankee Doodle" dates from the American Revolutionary War era. Songs such as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Tenting on the Old Campground," and "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" are just two of the enduring standards associated with the American Civil War. 

George M. Cohan's World War I classic "Over There," (1917) was recorded multiple times in the space of less than a year by such stars as Enrico Caruso, Nora Bayes, and Billy Murray. And in 1966, SSgt. Barry Sadler of the U.S. Army Special Forces scored a huge hit recording on the Billboard charts for eleven weeks with "The Ballad of the Green Berets." 

--- TRAVELING MUSIC
Where would we be without "a little traveling music," as entertainer Jackie Gleason used to say? A British composer, Harry Dacre, composed a little song Called "Daisy Bell" in 1892. The song became the rage under its new title, "A Bicycle Built for Two," and certainly evokes a vivid image of a late Victorian couple on a happy ride through the park. 

The introduction of the automobile spurred other songs such as "In My Merry Oldsmobile" (1905), "See the USA in your Chevrolet" (1956), "Little Deuce Coupe" by the Beach Boys in 1963, and any number of other car- and truck-related songs. 

"I've Been Working on the Railroad" (1936) and a Johnny Mercer song, "On the Atchinson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe," introduced by Judy Garland in the MGM film, "The Harvey Girls," are just three of the great railroading songs.

THE LAST REFRAIN
Many of the songs and musical works I've mentioned are still being performed by professionals and sung, hummed, and whistled by the rest of us, just as they were at the time they were first introduced. Others have been forgotten or have fallen from popularity, ultimately destined for obscurity. 

Placing our ancestors' lives into context involves more than just determining a geographical location and time period. We must strive to understand the influences of other people and events on them, their participation in those events, and the minute details of their everyday lives. Music is a treasured form of personal and artistic expression that has existed since very ancient times. It was all around our ancestors just as it is around us. Regardless of the type of music and the venue, it certainly is an integral part of our ancestors' experience and ours. 

As you contemplate your ancestors' lives, consider the music of their times and their possible musical tastes. Incorporating period music into your family history, multi-media production will add a great deal to the vintage flavor of the presentation and will help bring their experiences back to life.

Happy Listening! George  Visit George's Web site at http://ahaseminars.com/atl

George is president of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) at http://www.rootsweb.com/~cgc/ , a director of the Genealogical Speakers Guild (GSG) at http://www.genealogicalspeakersguild.org/ , a director of the Florida Genealogical Society, Inc. (Tampa) at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flfgs/ , the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) at http://www.apgen.org/ , the National Genealogical Society (NGS) at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org,
the Society of Genealogists (U.K.) at http://www.sog.org.uk , and more than 20 other societies. What about you?  Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved.

Anthony and Abraham van Salee were the ancestors of the Vanderbilts, the Whitneys, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Humphrey Bogart. They were among the earliest arrivals to 17th century New Amsterdam. In a number of documents dating back to this period, they are both described as "mulatto". 

From what scholars have been able to piece together about their background, they appear to have been the sons of a Dutch seafarer by the name of Jan Jansen who had "turned Turk" and become an admiral in the Moroccan navy. With the Port of Salee as the base from which it harried European shipping, references to the fleet he commanded are salted away in the old English sea shanties that are still sung about the Salee Rovers. The mother of his two sons was probably a concubine he had while trading in this part of the world before his conversion to Islam. 

As a result of the anti-social behavior of his white wife, Anthony van Salee was induced to leave the city precincts of lower Manhattan and move across the river, thus becoming the first settler of Brooklyn. Since Coney Island abutted his property, it was, until sometime in the last century, also referred to as "Turk's Island"; the word, "Turk", being a designation of his which the records used interchangeably with, "mulatto". 

According to the documentation that people like Professor Leo Hershkowitz of Queens University have sifted through, it would seem that Anthony van Salee never converted to Christianity. His Koran, in fact, was in a descendant's possession until about fifty years ago when, ignorant of its relevance to his family's history, he offered it for sale at auction. The Van Salee history also includes a more contemporary black collateral branch in the U.S. Anthony's brother Abraham fathered an illegitimate son with an unknown black woman. The son became the progenitor of this side of the family. 

Although having to face constraints that their "white" cousins could at best only imagine, two of these van Salees nevertheless left their mark in the annals of African American history. Dr. John van Salee De Grasse, born in 1825, was the first of his race to be formally educated as a doctor. A member of the Medical Society of Massachusetts, he also served as surgeon to the celebrated 54th Regiment during the Civil War. His sister, Serena, married George Downing who was not only an enormously successful black restaurateur both in New York City and in Newport, RI, but a man who used his wealth and connections with the East Coast's most powerful white families to effect social change for his people. Because of his organization and his own contribution to the purchase of Truro Park in Newport, one of the streets bordering it still bears his name. 

Interestingly enough, this genealogy was done as part of an ongoing study of the Ramopo in Tappan, NY, one of those red, white and black groups sociologists and ethnographers are now working on and which in academes are referred to as "tri racial isolates". It is because of what advantages their Indian heritage (no matter how discernibly Negroid they were) legally and officially provided them that the opportunity for "passing" in these groups was not only a more ambiguous political or moral decision but, comparatively, a more easily documental one as well. 

Considering how important a role John Hammond of Columbia Records played in the establishment of the black music industry, it would certainly be worth exploring the possible influence his van Salee ancestry might have had on his career. Back then, there would have been no option possible for publicly declaring himself black according to the "one drop" racial code that was the law in most states until the Johnson administration. With a Vanderbilt for a mother, his iconographical value to the white majority was so important that had he dared to tamper with it, the KKK or some such group would most probably have made him pay the ultimate price for having desecrated his and the prestige of his relatives who had, after all, fairly well succeeded in making themselves the equivalent of this country's royal family. Hammond died a few years ago but since his son, following in his father's footsteps, has become a recognized exponent of R&B his could prove to be a very important interview for us. 

Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Either Professor Hershkowitz, or Tim Beard, former head of the Genealogical Department of the New York Public Library related this incident regarding van Salee genealogy. At the time the Kennedy administration began implementing its civil rights agenda, the New York Genealogical and Historical Society approached Mrs. Kennedy hoping to discuss the opportunity her African ancestry, through the Van Salees, could have in possibly assisting her husband to realize his social goals regarding race relations. 

Mrs. Kennedy insisted on referring to the van Salees as 'Jewish,' and the New York Genealogical Society did not push the subject further. Humphry Bogart and Ruth Gordon in a scene from the 1927 film "Saturday's Children." He is a Van Salee descendent and she is a Pendarvis descendent. A few years later, another descendant attempted to pass off the racial description of the van Salles in the official records as nothing more than malicious humor. 

ANTI-SPANISH LEGENDS

The Mask of Zorro
Lots of swashbuckling left to do
What the legend of Zorro tells us about the history of America 
White Hat, Black Tales

However, since  the storyline time period is prior to California statehood and I felt underground mining did not come into use until after California statehood, I asked Johanna De Soto and Cindy LoBuglio, California researchers,  if they had ever come across underground mining prior to statehood.  We three researched the topic and found no historical data showing underground mining prior to California statehood.  

I was pleased to be read two newspaper articles which strongly stated the Zorro movies were quite historically inaccurate.  

The Orange County Register
Friday, Oct. 28, 2005

Lots of swashbuckling left to do
Sequel a fun, if factually challenged, historical adventure that veers into farce.
By Craig Outhier

In Hollywood, history is written in dry-erase marker. Consider "The Legend of Zorro," a fun if lavishly misinformed swashbuckler that reflects both the movie industry's growing awareness of its Spanish-speaking audience and the attitude that silly trifles such as dates and facts don't amount to a hill of frijoles.

The tagline for the masked don's latest adventure might read: "This time, he's dueling for democracy." And so we find Don Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas, playfully self-deprecating) slipping into his stylishly embroidered Zorro threads, liberating a stolen ballot box from the enemies of representative government during California's drive toward statehood in 1850.

After a thrilling horse-drawn chase scene and some bruising bridge-top fisticuffs, de la Vega reveals that he's spent the past seven years "fighting for California's freedom," presumably from Mexico, or maybe from space aliens. It's hard to say. (Seven years is also the interval since Anthony Hopkins passed the Zorro mantle to Banderas in "The Mask of Zorro.")

Alas, matters are not so progressive in the de la Vega household. Alejandro's headstrong; wife, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), wants him to go in it the peasant-protecting business and spend more time with their plucky, impudent son (Adrian Alonso). Alejandro, like an aging NFL quarterback determined to grind out one more season, refuses. They separate, sending Elena into the embrace of a nefarious French wine lord (Rufus Sewell) who may or may not be planning evil, democracy- crippling subterfuge. 

"Mask of Zorro" director -Martin Campbell is back for this installment, and with him, an old pro's steady sense of pacing and spectacle. And the movie desperately needs it, because the script, by Alex Kurtzman and Roberta Orci ("The Island"), is a grand, paranoid farce of James Bond-style supervillains, ancient European cabals and a plot to arm the Confederate Army with futuristic weapons - get this - 11 years before there was a Confederate Army. The writers also demonstrate an irritating knack for crude political allusions, as when a pair of Homeland Security types complain how the gates of the country have been "thrown wide" to foreigners. 

But that's just nit-picking, isn't it? If Hollywood finds it more romantic and politically correct to foster the notion that California's statehood was the result of multicultural peasant masses rising up in democratic unison, and not part of a complex federal bargaining process designed to avert the Civil War, so be it. Just so long as its progressive vision includes some French guys to take the fall.

Andrew Gumbel reports from Los Angeles on the latest incarnation, which opens in the UK this week Published: 25 October 2005 

Back in 1998 -- a year that seems, in retrospect, blessed with an almost preternatural innocence, when the stock market was booming and an American president lying about sex seemed like a big deal - Hollywood went through one of its periodic self-examinations and decided to revive that most quaintly innocent of film genres, the swashbucking adventure story. 

The result was The Mask of Zorro, a throwback to the swordsmanship and gallantry of Douglas Fairbanks Sr and Tyrone Power, which turned out to be a highly entertaining romp of a movie, made scads of money at the box-office and turned a certain young Welsh actress called Catherine Zeta-Jones into a major international star. 

And that, it seemed, was that. The film industry has a notoriously short attention span, and in short order Hollywood was busy reinventing all sorts of other neglected genres, from the swords-and-sandals epic (Gladiator) to the comic book action-adventure (X-Men, Spider-Man and so on) to the retro appeal - distinctly limited, as it turned out - of 1970s television shows (Bewitched, Scooby Doo). 

Suddenly, though, Zorro seems to be everywhere again. Isabel Allende, of all people, published a novel about the masked social crusader over the summer. The Gipsy Kings are writing a Zorro musical, set to debut in the West End sometime next year. Several Zorro comics and at least one graphic novel are in the works. A Zorro Television Companion was published last month, for aficionados of both the Disney serial from the 1950s, starring Guy Williams, and a more recent small-screen incarnation starring Duncan Regehr, which first aired in the late 1980s. 

And, topping them all, is the sequel to the 1998 movie, The Legend of Zorro, which opens worldwide this Friday and once again pairs Zeta-Jones with her co-star from seven years ago, the effortlessly charming Spanish heart-throb Antonio Banderas. 

A cynic might see all this as no more than evidence of the power of cross-marketing by the media conglomerates who run our entertainment industry. Hollywood, after all, has not exactly distinguished itself by the originality of its ideas in recent years, and Zorro seems as good a property as any to turn back to after the multiple flops of ancient Macedonia (Alexander), the Crusades (Kingdom of Heaven), Depression-era boxing (Cinderella Man) and the rest of what has turned out to be a miserably unprofitable year for the big studios. 

Certainly, advance reviews of the new Zorro movie suggest it is a money-making enterprise first and foremost - it is louder, more expensive, more action-spectacular than the original, and nowhere near as deft in its tongue-in-cheek explorations of the history of banditry and social upheaval in 19th-century California, which is where the story is set. 

It is also tempting to think, though, that Zorro might just be a hero whose time has come, or come back. In the United States - and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the western world - the political class is regarded as unusually corrupted and incompetent, and unequal to the daunting challenges imposed by our distinctly dangerous times. In an age of killer hurricanes and nuclear proliferation and suicide bombings and endless conflict in Iraq, what could be more reassuring than a quietly dignified, seemingly passive nobleman who in fact leads a double life, dons a hero's mask to defend the people whenever necessary and makes a habit of triumphing over his enemies by gouging his trademark Z into their quivering flesh? 

If the fantasy is imbued with a certain amount of Hollywood-style bad faith, that in itself may be no less telling a sign of the times. Since his creation 86 years ago, Zorro has always been a bit of a bad-faith hero - a Mexican Robin Hood originally offered up for the entertainment of white Californians who were busy repressing the very Mexicans Zorro defended. 

Such hasty rearrangement of the historical furniture remains a feature of the Zorro phenomenon even today. In the latest movie, Zorro and California's Mexican population are seen cheering the advent of Californian statehood in 1850, even though the arrangement worked entirely to the Anglo population's advantage and cut them out of the political power structure for 150 years. But, hey, when we have plenty of swordplay and the spectacle of Zeta-Jones in skimpy lace underwear to contemplate, who's complaining? 

Zorro was first dreamed up by a long-forgotten pulp writer by the name of Johnston McCulley, who had his story serialized in a magazine called All-Story Weekly in 1919. Like all pulp writers, McCulley was driven by the need to make money, more than anything, and borrowed heavily from a number of sources to put some rapid flesh on the bones of his basic idea. 

The Zorro character was inspired most obviously by a real-life 19th-century outlaw called Joaquin Murrieta, whose gang was responsible for endless cattle-rustling, robberies, kidnappings and murders during the California Gold Rush of the early 1850s. There is scant historical evidence Murrieta was anything other than an opportunist and a criminal, but as early as 1854 he had been turned into a romantic figure and a champion of the people in a best-selling book. 

Murrieta quickly became a symbol of Mexican resistance to the influx of Anglo-Americans into California, and equally his apprehension became a priority and a point of pride for the leadership of the young state. After he was captured and killed in an ambush laid by members of a new law enforcement agency called the California Rangers, his head, along with the hand of one of his companions, was pickled in brandy and displayed all over California. 

Elements of all this were cleverly woven into the 1998 Zorro movie. McCulley, though, had other sources to draw on, most notably The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy's fantasy of a foppish aristocrat with a double life, which had first appeared in 1905. McCulley moved the action back from the Gold Rush to the time of Mexican independence from Spain, in 1821. And he also shifted locales from northern California to the pueblo of Los Angeles. 

In his version, Zorro - the Spanish word for fox -- is the alter ego of the nobleman Don Diego Vega, whose demeanor is so cold and uninspiring that he cannot successfully woo the lovely Senorita Lolita or begin to satisfy the ambitions of his father. His father tells him at one point: "Get life into you! I would you had half the courage and spirit this Señor Zorro, this highwayman, has! He has principles and he fights for them. He aids the helpless and avenges the oppressed. I salute him!" 

Zorro, by contrast, is only too happy to draw his sword and call on the services of Tornado, his ultra-intelligent horse. He defends a family in danger from the corrupt Spanish governor, gets the girl against some stiff competition (of course) and, in the book's final pages, reveals his true identity to the astonishment of all. 

McCulley's book drew the attention of Douglas Fairbanks Sr, who was the driving force behind the movie version which came out in 1920. Fairbanks and the production team changed the title from McCulley's original, The Curse of Capistrano, to The Mark of Zorro, and introduced many of the elements that were to become part and parcel of the Zorro persona - the Z-shaped swordstrokes, Zorro's habit of slicing candles and leaving them burning, Zorro disguising himself in a priest's outfit, and so on. McCulley's Zorro wore a wide sombrero, in contrast to Fairbanks' small flat-brimmed hat. It was, of course, Fairbanks' choice of headgear that became integrated into the Zorro persona in subsequent versions. 

Down the years, new elements were added, or elaborated upon. The 1940 film version, with Tyrone Power, gave Zorro a back story - how he left California for Spain to be trained in swordsmanship and how, on his return, he had to act effete and passive for his own protection because of political threats to his father, the mayor of Los Angeles. 

Some of the variants on Zorro strayed away from Don Diego and focused on children or other successors donning the Zorro mask and continuing his work. A 1974 version starring Alain Delon moved the action to South America but used many of the same familiar tropes. Perhaps the wackiest variant was Zorro, The Gay Blade, a parody made in 1981 with George Hamilton playing the dual roles of Zorro and Zorro's flaming queen of a brother, Bunny Wigglesworth, who has a weakness for colourful outfits instead of plain black and announces, in camp musical style: "His clothes are bold, his mind uncanny, give him your gold or he'll whip your fanny!" 

Zorro, meanwhile, enjoyed a little acknowledged secondary career as a key inspiration behind the whole American super-hero phenomenon. Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, was clearly a fan because he has Bruce Wayne's parents go out to see the Fairbanks Mark of Zorro the night they are murdered. Batman wears a mask and cape, just like Zorro, and his Batmobile is kept in the basement just as Tornado is at Zorro's Californian hacienda. 

Zorro enjoyed any number of cultural spin-offs before the cultural revival: a play by Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet, a Russian opera, and a ballet performed in San Francisco. 

The main reason the 1998 film worked so well was because the characters were suitably light and frothy, the action sequences were both thrilling and satisfyingly old-fashioned (the fight master used on the film was a veteran who had worked with Errol Flynn), and the three principal actors - Anthony Hopkins as well as Banderas and Zeta-Jones - looked like they had never had so much fun on film. 

But the screenwriters also went back to the Murrieta legend, among other sources, and used them to original effect. Banderas' character, in fact, is called Alejandro Murrieta, who takes over the Zorro role from the ageing Don Diego (Hopkins) to avenge his brother Joaquin, whose head has ended up in a pickle jar belonging to their mutual nemesis, the Spanish governor of California. 

The new film is nowhere near as subtle or as successful in blending history, legend and entertainment. It is set in the Gold Rush period, but manages to be both off-the-mark historically and rather absurdly anachronistic. There never was a referendum for California statehood in 1850, and the inclusion of one seems designed to score modern-day points about the sudden elevation of Arnold Schwarzenegger to the governor's office and the present-day preoccupation about vote-stealing in presidential elections. 

Likewise, the culminating plotline about a dastardly threat to the very future of the United States plays like a jokey (and not very successful) reference to al-Qa'ida and President Bush's war on terror. The fact that one of the principal villains is French (Rufus Sewell, with a distinctly wobbly Gallic accent) no doubt owes something to all those spats over weapons inspectors and chips being renamed Freedom Fries in certain loopily patriotic quarters. 

Zorro, one suspects, may finally have been loaded with just a little too much significance. Given his enduring appeal, however, one also suspects he will live to fight another day. 

Military Heroes and Research

Search for burial locations of veterans and their dependents in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries and various other Department of Interior and military cemeteries.

The National Grave Locator includes burial records from many sources. These sources provide varied data; some searches may contain less information than others.

If your search returns incorrect information about the deceased buried in a national cemetery, please contact the cemetery directly to discuss your findings.

The database also contains records for VA headstones and markers that were furnished for deceased veterans buried or commemorated in private cemeteries since 1997. We are unable to provide additional information concerning individual records, and suggest you contact the cemetery or local officials for additional information.

Go the site and enter first and last name. http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1

Spanish Sons of the American Revolution
For information: Granville Hough, Ph.D. gwhough@earthlink.net

Click To: Coloquio Revista Cultural

The Battle of Yorktown

By Jack V Cowan
JVC4321@aol.com

The most important military decision of the American Revolutionary War may well have been to attack Yorktown, instead of New York. Space does not allow for a detailed discussion of that decision. However, history tells us that while General George Washington was dead set on attacking General Henry Clinton at New York, General Jean Baptiste Rochambeau saw a more doable target at Yorktown. Both agreed that to attack New York would require a force of at least twice that of Clinton’s and a superior naval force, which they believed was obtainable. However, Washington’s call to the states for militiamen failed miserably, and the second half of Rochambeau’s contingent from France never left Europe.

Looking at the broader picture of the world war involving England, France, Spain, and Holland gives us a clue as to why France felt it necessary to divert its spare naval force under Admiral Francois de Grasse to the West Indies instead of to America. France was all but broke and its economic life-line lay in the sugar production of it's island colonies in the Caribbean which, along with Spain’s silver mines in Mexico, were highly coveted by the British. The fear of losing them prompted France to put de Grasse’s naval force under control of Spanish General Bernardo de Galvez for a joint invasion of British Jamaica.

It may have been envisioned that keeping a large British force nailed down in England to defend against an imminent invasion across the Channel, along with the ongoing naval battle at Gibraltar, and the diversion in America, would bring success to the Jamaica campaign, and expel the British from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Having a French force close by on the eastern coast of America would act as a small but ready reserve should the British call on a British reserve force (most probably the one at Yorktown) for reinforcement. The British, with good reason, believed the southern colonists were, for the most part, loyal to England and the real rebellion existed in the north. If necessary, the Yorktown force could be pulled while still maintaining a very strong resistance to the colonists. This also explains why the seasoned Rochambeau, who required an interpreter to converse with Washington, was chosen to lead the French "augmentation" force in America instead of the young and somewhat impetuous La Fayette who had been accepted, almost as a son, by Washington.

When it was learned that the British navy was in support of Clinton at New York, French Minister Marshal de Segur instructed de Grasse to be prepared to support a Yorktown campaign should Washington be persuaded to give up his long-cherished attack on New York. Rochambeau was also alerted to the possibility of de Grasse’s help and after a few, almost disastrous, probing engagements on the outskirts of New York, Washington was convinced that if there was to be a continuance of the war for independence, it would have to be at Yorktown. Even so, the times were desperate at best. Both Washington and Rochambeau were out of money, and France had served up its last helping hand. Thus, word was sent to de Grasse to come quickly and bring money (1.2 million francs) as America’s very survival depended on him.

De Grasse’s answer reached Rochambeau’s headquarters on August 15 and was relayed to Washington.

Franciso Saaverda, acting for Galvez, and de Grasse were on the French ship Le Ville de Paris at Cap Francias (Haiti) when the request from Rochambeau interrupted their planning of the Jamaica Campaign. Both agreed that the chance to defeat the English at Yorktown was too great an opportunity to go unanswered. Saaverda’s plan was to send de Grasse on to the Chesapeake while he took a fast frigate to Cuba, to raise the 1.2 million, after which he would catch up with de Grasse at the "Latitude of Matanzas." However, there was an almost disastrous problem with that plan. The money was expected to come from the funds assigned to the Jamaica Campaign, but it had not yet arrived in Cuba. Without that money, there would be no Yorktown Campaign, and the future hopes of a free America would almost certainly be dashed forever on British bayonets.

There was no time to wait or waste and Saaverda decided to put Spanish generosity to the test. He publicly called on the citizens of Cuba to make available all they could for the American cause and the defeat of the British. Twenty-eight Spanish citizens came forth and provided 4,520,000 reales and the money was immediately transported to de Grasse as planned. The "Battle of Yorktown" was on.

Grasse himself later wrote that the victory at Yorktown on 19 October 1781 happened because of the money supplied by Havana. That money, he wrote, might in truth be regarded as "the bottom dollars" upon which the edifice of American independence was raised. (Sic)

Ultimately, the cost to the Spanish and French would be much more, as de Grasse’s fleet was later defeated and he was captured by the British on his return trip from Yorktown, and the Jamaica Campaign never took place.

And now you have, "The Rest of the Story."

Credits: Rochambeau – America’s Neglected Founding Father by Arnold Whitridge

Spain and the Independence of the United States by Thomas E. Chavez

When the French Were Here" by Stephen Bonsal

160,000
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SURNAME

Information on these  surnames have been included in the previous issues.
 Pedigree and family information on other surnames can be found throughout each of  the 70  issues. 
To run a surname search on all the issues, go to: http://www.somosprimos.com/sitesearch.htm

CUENTOS

The above author expert is provided by Francine Silverman, editor/publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, and author of Book Marketing from A-Z, a compilation of the best marketing strategies of 325 authors. These experts are among 150 at the Expert Site, answering book marketing questions at no charge.  http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com and click “Ask the Experts.”

Francine Silverman franalive@optonline.net
Author of "Book Marketing from A-Z"  (Infinity Publishing 2005)
Editor/Publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, a bi-weekly ezine for authors of all genres

Frank Sifuentes

Frank Sifuentes and his wife Sarita Diaz 

My uncles Samuel and Raul were on their way to a dance in Youngersville one Saturday night and saw an owl perched on a stop sign. But suddenly the owl flew forward towards there truck. Which 
really scared them; because it was said that owls were male witches.  And they became so frightened that Uncle Raul who was driving pushed  down hard on the gas peddle to get away.

Uncle Samuel told him he was glad they were going faster because they didn't want to be late to the dance.

But suddenly the owl got in fron of their truck, and forced them to stop. So Uncle Raul got out of the truck real fast to search for a rock to throw at the owl. But when he bent down to pick it up the 
owl jumped on this back and scratched it all up. And not matter how hard he tried to he could not get the owl of his back.

Finally he got away and quickly got back in the truck and headed for the dance as fast as possible.

And when they almost were there they saw a great big red ball of fired coming out of nowhere.

Naturally they were so frightened they stopped and locked the doors.

The ball of fire kept moving back and forth, keeping them from reaching their destination. And the ball of fire kept getting bigger and, until my uncles blacked out from the experience.

When they came to and were happy to be alive and finally got to the dance.

Once they were there they told all their friends what had happened to them on their way to this dance. And it was hard not to believe it because everyone could see how scared they were. So ever since then anyone of that area who sees an owl knows its best to leave it alone.

Collected by Sandra Salazar, Coronado HS ll th grader, l983. 
Pancho (Frank Sifuentes) suggests that it might have been a UFO.
Edited by Frank Sifuentes, Writer in Resident  conzafos@msn.com
 

ORANGE COUNTY, CA

Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research 
First Quarterly Meeting of the year, 
Free Lecture
Everyone welcomed

January 21, 2006, 2-4 pm
  
Orange Family History Center
674 S. Yorba
Orange, California

Jan Rus 

“Five generations of a Chiapas Maya Family: 
History and Private Life, 1965-2005”

Jan Rus has conducted anthropological and historical research in Chiapas since the early 1970s.  Since 1985, he and his wife Diane have been coordinators of a publishing house for Maya language writers.  

His most recent book is Mayan Lives, Mayan Utopias: The indigenous people of Chiapas and the Zapatista Rebellion (2003).

 
Photos from one the many orphanages in 
Baja California, Spectrum 
http://www.spectrum-ministries.org/newsletter

Augustin "Gus" Ferro, RJ's grandfather was the last to leave Tennessee. He moved his family to El Paso, Texas. Working for the Southern Pacific, his responsibilities were to oversee the transport of freight from Tucson to San Francisco. Rising to positions of administration was facilitated by the fact that Grandfather Augustin spoke three languages. A broader perspective of the world was also engendered by the fact that Grandmother Ferro spoke five languages.

El Paso was a cross-cultural area, there a strong family of seven brothers and three sisters were raised. Still maintaining ties with the South, one son was named Sydney Reed Ferro, after a Tennessee banker friend of his grandfather. Sydney was RJ's father.

The Ferro family of El Paso were involved in many businesses and established themselves in various parts of the nation. "Our family believed in commerce. We were entrepreneurs." Father Sydney developed a trucking business in New York where RJ was born. Sydney El Paso pass, and the fact that he spoke Spanish, he quickly earned the nickname of "Tex".

World War II, made changes in everyone's life. All seven Ferro bothers fought and served proudly in the U.S. military. "We are a family of about 25 cousins. We are proud and grateful of being Americans.  We have all had successful careers. 

RJ said, "If I was to express the unwritten Ferro code, it would be: Always remember who you are. Take pride in the achievements of your ancestors. Know that you have potential, not with pride, but with respect. Always expect to do well."

After World War II, remembering the life the family had enjoyed in El Paso, "Tex" moved the family from Brooklyn, New York back to El Paso, Texas. Unfortunately, returning home can sometimes be a disappointment. To "Tex" El Paso had changed. Within two months, "Tex" brought the family to California, where son RJ makes his home.

RJ went on to say,  "Even if our current life is possibly humble and meager, it  is not a reflection of a meager character. We have within us, the strength of our progenitors. Look back and honor your ancestors.

The surname Ferro originated on the coasts of Italy, spelled Ferro in Genoa and Fero in Venice. Source: Diccionario Heráldico Español, Apellidos y Nombes Propios by Lander Muñoz. RJ has family information that takes the lines back to 1074.

RJ shared two Ferro family stories. One ancestor, a pharmacist, created Dr. Ferro's Celery Compound.  The other Ferro was among the researchers valuable in finding the vaccine for yellow fever.  

For information on the Early Italian presence in the Americas click.

More information on Orphanages in Baja California

Photo of Hogar Infantil, La Gloria
http://www.hogar-infantil.org/ 

When the eight students enrolled in Marga Jann's architectural studio began work on their class projects during Spring Quarter, they faced a special design challenge. 

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bones22nov22,1,7966627.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
Forgotten Graves Unearthed Crews digging an MTA Gold Line extension in
Boyle Heights find more than 100 century-old skeletons at the site of an old crematorium.
By Hector Becerra, Times Staff Writer November 22, 2005
Sent by Carlos Ray Gonzales clearwaterr@earthlink.net

Some were found under the driveway of a 123-year-old Boyle Heights landmark that for generations served as Los Angeles' potter's field. Others were uncovered beneath an old retaining wall, and under mature oak trees and bushes.

In all, workers digging an eastern extension of the Gold Line railway found the skeletal remains of 108 people - as well as 43 arms and legs.  Scattered among the remains, beneath otherwise nondescript grounds leading to the brick-bedecked crematorium, were old coins, empty coffins, metal objects and even garbage.

The discoveries stunned Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials and surprised residents, because they unearthed a layer of history that most had forgotten ever existed.

"I've lived in the same house for 70 years," said Diana Tarango, a longtime Eastside resident. "Even then, growing up as a kid, I never thought of it as a cemetery. It was always a crematorium."Now, MTA officials are working with archeologists and community members to figure out how best to re-inter the bodies.

"We want to give these people a proper burial, because it's obvious they were not given a proper burial in the first place," said Rick Thorpe, the MTA's head of construction. "If they had been treated with respect, we would have known where they were located."

The remains are believed to be vestiges of L.A.'s original cemetery for the poor. They were found on the south side of the property along 1st Street between Concord and Lorena streets.

In 1877, the owners of the adjacent Evergreen Cemetery gave the city five acres to operate a potter's field. The county purchased the property in 1917, and five years later built a crematorium to dispose of the bodies of the poor and unclaimed.

With that, in 1922, the burials stopped. Over the years, the existence of the graves became increasingly obscured by time - and apparently landscaping and paving.

Carbon dating by archeologists indicates that most of the remains date back to at least the 1890s, said Ray Sosa, the MTA's deputy project manager for Gold Line planning.

Crews doing digging for a retaining wall and for street widening first uncovered arms and legs in June. Work on the project was immediately stopped, officials said.

Further tests, including ground-penetrating radar, revealed other remains underneath what had seemed an unused portion of the crematorium property, Sosa said.

The MTA previously had had consultants check county records to ensure that they did not disturb locations that contained remains, he said. Subsequently, nine registry books were found in a locked room in the crematorium office.

They contained names of people buried in the crematorium land, their sex, cause of death, examining physician, date of death, mortuary and burial dates.

But the records did not elaborate on where those people were buried. MTA officials say that even if they had read the registry books before, it would have been unthinkable to believe bodies lay underneath driveways.

Officials say it's also unclear whether the names in the logs correspond to the people whose remains were uncovered, or whether they belong to people buried elsewhere on the property.

"We should do some kind of monument for them and bury them all in one section," said Ross Valencia, 79, a Boyle Heights resident for all but four years of his life and a member of the MTA's Review Advisory Committee. "We should have a special ceremony."

MTA officials say that that is in fact what will be done. The remains will at a future date in all likelihood be buried just behind a retaining wall for the Gold Line, Sosa said. He said the MTA is leery of trying to bury the remains elsewhere because they might uncover more surprises.

"We don't want to touch anything else on that property," Sosa said. "We want to make sure we stay within the same area."

Although a subway tunnel is being built in the area, it will be dug beneath 1st Street and away from either the county or Evergreen cemeteries, officials say.

MTA officials said that after the remains were found, the MTA considered several options, including moving the project several yards farther south along 1st Street. But that would have required acquiring and razing many homes, they said.

"In the end, we decided instead of relocating people out of their homes, let's excavate these in the proper manner and give them a proper burial," Thorpe said.

Stopping the $898-million expansion project was never an option, MTA officials say. The extension will connect Union Station with Atlantic Boulevard in East L.A. on a six-mile route that includes stops at Little Tokyo and Mariachi Plaza. The MTA expects the line to open in late 2009.

Since the remains started being uncovered in the summer, some people have criticized the MTA for the Gold Line work and suggested that their own ancestor's graves may have been desecrated.

The MTA is especially bothered by insinuations that graves in Evergreen Cemetery - where burials still take place - are among those that have been dug up. Tarango, chairwoman of the MTA Review Advisory Committee, said there has been much misinformation. She said she was confounded by what the critics want done.

"What do they want, to put these people back under the driveway and under trees?" she said. 
Valencia said such allegations have angered residents such as himself because the land being dug up is not Evergreen Cemetery land.

"They have no proof, no evidence any of their relatives are buried there," Valencia said. "And if they did have evidence, they should be ashamed of themselves that they let their predecessors be treated that way."

Sosa said county records are shoddy when it comes to shedding light on the transformation that took place on the crematorium's land that allowed for the graves in the indigent cemetery to be paved and landscaped over.

"That's a mystery," Sosa said. "From the logs that are there, you can't assume that these people are connected to the names mentioned." MTA officials said there were portions of the crematorium land they purposely did not purchase because they thought remains were buried there.

Only one of the dead has been identified, and only because he was buried with his headstone, Sosa said. The remains are so old, DNA testing would not identify them, officials said.

Around the 1950s, a large retaining wall was built along portions of the property where remains were found. It's unclear whether workers would have had reasons back then to suspect that graves lay underneath, Sosa said.

Tarango said she would not be surprised if decades ago, hints of what lay underneath the crematorium property had been discovered but ignored. "I think people just didn't say anything," she said. 

The MTA's Thorpe said the agency determined to do right by the unearthed remains. "These people obviously didn't get the respect they should have when they were initially buried," he said. "We want to be as respectful as we can."

CALIFORNIA

Bill Arvizu's Treasured Jacket

By John H. Arvizu

Willian "Bill" Arvizu Guillermo to his parents

Brother Albert Arvizu

It seems that when my Dad returned from Germany after the Second World War in 1945, my dad, Bill Arvizu, gave his Army jacket to Aunt Vicki and her husband, Uncle Albert, as a keepsake. Aunt Vicki promised she would keep it her whole life. She lived up to her promise even after her husband, Uncle Albert died 9 years ago.  

Until today (November, 10, 2005), I had never set eyes on this family heirloom and didn't even know until a few months ago that it even existed.  What a miracle and an even greater surprise for me to now have this in my possession 60 years later. I have to admit that when I opened the FedEx box and saw what wonderful condition the jacket was in, with all the old badges still in place right down to the shoulder patch for the "Ninth Armored Division", a lump stuck in my throat.  I could visualize my Dad in it and who has now been gone for 30 years. How proud he must have felt.

Now I have a place to pin all his old Army medals to, which I have carefully kept safe at home in a box.  Thank God for Aunt Vicki and Lisa for saving my Dad's jacket for me. They have hearts of gold and as big as the universe.  

The "Ninth Armored Division" is a fabled unit that fought the Germans under General Patton. Dad's unit was in the battle at Remagen Bridge. For those who aren't WWII buffs, this battle was very important in turning the tide of war against the Nazis. When the Nazis were on the run from Patton's Army, their escape route back across the Rhine and into Germany was over the Remagen Bridge.

The escape was cut off by the "Ninth" and  over 28,000 German Nazis were captured, with the result being to turn the war more to our favor. My Dad's brother, Uncle Abe,  went to war with Dad against the Germans.  

There is the story about the two of them meeting their Uncle Peter Romero in England in 1944 before the big push against the Germans. The amazing thing is that the three of them, all from Azusa, California, somehow among all those soldiers, met together, just before going into combat.  And all three survived World War II and returned home.  Uncle Abe was wounded and received a Purple Heart. (Below is the information on my Dad's medals.)
 
A movie was made out of this great historical event and you can still rent it if you ever want to see it.  It is called "The Bridge at Remagen" and was made in 1969 with Ben Gazzara. It is a great action movie and you can see what Dad and Uncle Abe must have gone through during WWII. 

My Dad, Uncle Abe and great uncle, Peter Romero all raised families in California. Uncle Peter Romero had a son Peter Romero Jr. who is now a teacher at John Bosco in Southern California. Abe Arvizu passed away several years ago but is survived by his children, Valerie Anderson, Linda Leone, Karen Arvizu, Gerry Arvizu and Betty Lou Horvath.

New London, Conn., July 1, 1945:
Hal Boyle, Associated Press correspondent who covered the war from the North African invasion, told a newspapermen's meeting that the Italian campaign was the most miserable and the Battle of the Bulge was the worst from a standpoint of physical hardships, while the seizure of the Remagen bridgehead across the Rhine by the First Army shortened the war by weeks and was one of the "greatest military feats in history in enterprise, daring and results." Boyle won the 1944 Pulitzer Prize for war correspondence and was voted one of the ten outstanding young men of the year.

A book entitled "The Bridge",  states that the seizure of the bridge at Remegan is respectfully dedicated to those living and dead who courageously carried out this magnificent feat.  The feat has been called one of the greatest military achievements of all time. 

The Ninth Armored Division, under the command of Maj. Gen.  John W. Leonard, joined the IMMORTALS of military history March 7, 1945, by its spectacular capture of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen and its subsequent swift establishment of the first Allied foothold east of the Rhine.  This brilliant military coup electrified the entire world, and hastened the end of the European War.

No other military event in Europe, excepting perhaps the D-Day landings in Normandy, so stirred the popular imagination.  An Avalanche of news stories and broadcasts poured out of the bridgehead area.  The Ninth Armored soon became one of the most highly publicized American divisions in history.

John Arvizu   hot_ss@yahoo.com

Roy Banuelos of Fontana and his five brothers served during the WWII.

Sent by Carlos Ray Gonzalez clearwaterr@earthlink.net

El Dorado High School Cougars
Placerville, California

Silvas Family Oral History

http://history.acusd.edu/gen/projects/~khughart/silvas/oral.html

[[This is the first part of a charming oral history.  Lots of photos.]]

Cesar Chavez

http://www.volunteernow.ca/inspiration/adult_chavez.htm
Seeking volinteers

In 1965, the CSO became the United Farm Workers (UFW), a national support coalition
of unions, church groups, students, minorities, and consumers. The UFW worked hard, through non violent protests and campaigns, to better the conditions of farmers by conducting fasts, boycotts, marches, and other grassroots actions. One of the major vehicles Chavez utilized was a national grape boycott. He chose to boycott the grape industry because the labor conditions for grape growers and pickers were particularly bad and because it was a popular product used by many consumers. At the peak of the boycott, seventeen million American adults were refusing to buy grapes, and this put tremendous pressure on companies producing grapes, as well as on companies employing farm workers in general. Through UFW, mostly through boycotts and protests, Chavez was able to organize tens of thousands of farm workers and to negotiate contracts entitling them to higher pay, family health coverage, pension, and other benefits they had not previously had. Later, in 1986, Chavez led another successful grape boycott when Republican California Governor George Deukmejian was falling short of honoring the contracts won by the UFW on behalf of farm workers. In 1988, Chavez conducted a thirty-six day "Fast for Life" to protest the poisons and pesticides being used on plants that were having negative health impacts on workers and their families, particularly their children.

In all the years that Chavez worked for the UFW, he never received a salary of greater than $5,000 a year- the same amount received by all of the other UFW officers and workers. On April 23rd, 1993, Cesar Chavez passed away at the age of 63 and more than 40,000 people came to his funeral. On August 8th, 1994, President Clinton honored Chavez's memory by making him the second Mexican American to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Today, the UFW continues doing important work, striving to better the lives and conditions of farm workers throughout the United States.

Google search for more information 
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=cesar+chavez&btnG=Google+Search

Cesar Chavez site recommended by Dorinda Moreno 
Books, Poster, and Exhibits, Cesar Chavez & UFW
Sun Mountain online store  http://www.sunmt.org/cesar.html

NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

Brigham Young University's Annual
2006 Computerized Genealogy Conference
http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwcompu

2006 Conference Dates: March 10–11, 2006

March 10–11, 2006, are the dates of this year’s Computerized Genealogy Conference. This conference is designed to be a how-to guide for everyone, including beginning, intermediate, and advanced researchers. Join us to learn how advancements in computer programs have revolutionized genealogical and family history work.

The featured presenters for this conference will be Curt B. Witcher and Alan Mann.  Witcher is the department manager for the Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  He is the past president and current director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and past president of the National Genealogical Society. He also serves as a member of the Genealogy Committee of the American Library Association. 

Alan Mann is the manager of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and is an accredited genealogist researcher in England, the Channel Islands, and Australia.

At the Computerized Genealogy Conference last year, more than 600 participants learned about new programs that can simplify and enhance genealogical research. Topics included running genealogy software, working with databases, e-mailing to do genealogy, and finding useful tools on the Internet. Some of our participants summed up their experience at the conference by saying, “I learned everything I hoped to learn,” and “I’m full of new ideas, enthusiasm, and new skills, ready to get to work when I get home!” Vendors were available throughout the conference to showcase their products. Mark your calendars now for our March 10–11, 2006, Computerized Genealogy Conference, which promises to introduce to you the newest ideas in genealogical research.

The 2006 Computerized Genealogy Conference site will be online early in 2006, so please check back. In the meantime, check out the 2005 Computerized Genealogy site in PDF format .

Sponsors
BYU Religious Education, BYU Center for Family History and Genealogy, BYU Computer Science Department, LDS Family History Library, and BYU Division of Continuing Education

We invite you to join us for this great experience, a unique opportunity to meet with fellow genealogists and computer enthusiasts and to learn from leaders in the genealogy computer world (both faculty and vendors).

For further program or registration information, contact:

BYU Conferences and Workshops
136 Harman Continuing Education Building
Provo, UT 84602-1516
(801) 422-4853

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

Virgen de Guadalupe de Pan Michoacan art shared by Armando M Escobar Olmedo

The first apparition took place on Dec 9, 1531.

Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492, the Spaniards entered Mexico in about 1512 and this event took place roughly 10 years after. (from April 21, 1519 when Cortes first arrived till August 13, 1521 when Moctezuma finally surrendered).
 
The natives of the New World were not thrilled with the Spaniards trying to impose a strange religion and way of life and they had been resisting, many lives had been lost. And then to one of the converts, an Indian with much faith and nothing else appeared the Mother of Jesus, not as a European but as an Indian woman, the same as Juan Diego. 

We, Catholics, believe that Mary was taken to heaven by angels and was crowned as the Queen of Heaven for being the perfect vessel for God to become man. We know Mary was a Jewish woman, but once in heaven, she has graced us with apparitions all over the world taking the attributes of the people she addresses . 

However, she had never left an imprint of her being. Juan Diego’s tilma (piece of clothing) became a canvas for this heavenly picture. It has been studied for its quality, kind of paint, etc. Once someone even tried to destroy it, they placed a bomb which ended up destroying everything around it, except the painting. The Indians of the time could relate to this Mary, she looked like them, dressed like them and spoke to them in their language. 

She asked that a temple be built for her son and thus she granted the people of New Spain her protection. The Conquest became a reality, without guns, the Indians converted to Christianity and ever since, the people of the Americas have considered her their mother, their protector. The Spaniards were also humbled, they had to submit to an Indian Virgin. This however was not the story elsewhere in the Americas, only in the area which is now the Southwest of the USA, Mexico and some areas of Central America where the Aztecs reigned.

We, in the Southwest have a double blessing, Our Lady of Guadalupe as mother of the Americas and The Immaculate Conception to whom the nation of the USA was consecrated back in the 20^th century. So how do we celebrate? On the eve of this date, we gather in the churches and take music and song. Sometimes these gatherings last until the morning. During the day, we go to Mass, we pray the rosary and we take her roses. Some people may not go to church the whole year, but this day, they show up. Some are not even Catholic, but yet they do show respect to this lady of the heavens. Many miracles are attributed to her such as healings and blessings. The Aztecs have special dances done by Matachines, it is a prayer in the form of a dance, special to this occasion.

In some religions it is unacceptable to have a relic of this type, yet this was given to us, made in heaven, brought to us, who are we to belittle this gift. Our bible contains the Hebrew Torah and then the testament of the life of Christ which is called the Gospels and then the history of the first Christians. The last book is called the Apocalypse and it is the account of John, the youngest and most beloved Apostle of Christ, about the end of times. He describes the Queen of the Heavens just as she appeared to Juan Diego, 1500 years before the apparitions. Of course into all of this enters faith to believe or not.

Nonetheless, I just wanted to share a little of the life in the Border of the USA/Mexico.

SOME MORE VIRGINS of America  
Connie Vasquez ccvasquez1952@earthlink.net

Mimi:  a friend sent me this, I thought you might be interested in knowing about this:

As Connie knows, I just returned from a month long vacation in South America. I spent the larger part of the month in Uruguay, a few days in Buenos Aires and a few more in Asuncion, Paraguay.

I have visited Paraguay repeatedly and extensively, not for its beauty but for business at first, later for friends and now again for friends and business. Paraguay, next to Bolivia, is the most backward country in South America. Partly the legacy of a 35 year military dictatorship that ended in 1989 with the overthrowing of General Stroessner by his son in law nad since the then, under the democracy of one Party: El Partido Colorado.

Next to Belize, Paraguay claims the lowest per capita income in the continent and it is consistently on the top five most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International. 
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0846967.html

In any event, I was very surprised, at first, when I found out that the mostly uneducated population of Paraguay has a tradition very similar to that of La Virgen de Guadalupe: La Virgen de Caacupe celebrated on December 8th. I happened to be there last week.

Although there are very few Guaranies (the original natives of the region) alive today, there is a significant, although not large population of mestizos from three other different races. 

Well, to make a long story short: La Virgen del Caacupe has been consdiered the protector of the Guaranies and now of Paraguay. She is consdiered "milagrosa" and many of the same rituals we see in Mexico are present in Caacupe: Mandas, promises, pilgrimages, and offerings.

http://www.corazones.org/maria/america/paraguay_caacupe.htm

By the way, Guadalupe is a word of Arab origin meaning River of Flagstone (Rio de Lajas) with the additional meaning of river of blackstones and also river of love. Guada - water ; Lube - blackstone

Fernando Arózqueta E.

http://www.genealogia.org.mx/modulos/artsd.asp?id=2
Este mensaje fue enviado por B. Samuel Sanchez   eventos@genealogia.org.mx 
http://www.genealogia.org.mx/

My experience with the border, is el Paso/Juarez. mi familia has lived in hatch (Garfield/Derry), New Mexico for many generations. On my Zacatecas side, my grandfather came in l910. In fact I have his green card.  On my fathers side, Mescalero Apache. These were the people's who cleared the bosques for the chile industry that flourishes. My grandfather was shot in the foot. He was a jolly guy, a natural born story teller.  I have written a lot about him in the beginnings of a novel that just sits there, collecting dust. He told of riding with Pancho Villa in his early teens. After he was shot, he made his way across the border and settled in Derry.  He and wife Maria of Zacatecas had some 11 children, several not reaching adolescence, due to TB and influenza which was rampant in the 30-40-s. Maria died when my mom was l3, and mom married my dad at l5 and together they were parents to mom's siblings. The last picture I have of my grandfather was him holding my first born daughter at her bautismo. He died not long after this, of diabetes.

On my fathers side, a sister Maria had a candy store in Juarez. first called 'La Rosita' and then 'La Nueva Rosita'. Her three sons and two daughters eventually moving to California following mom and dad and making their lives. All three men serving in WWII .

We made many trips from California to Nuevo Mexico, making the trek most times at Christmas or Easter vacations, a 3-day drive if no car problems, and with more than one driver.  On these occasions we would frequently go to Juarez, taking the 60 mile drive from the hatch area and visiting Tia Maria for a brief reunion. Mom and dad would get their medicinas, yerbas, jaros, casuelas, mexican earrings, blouses, embroidered jackets.... it was always an adventure especially raiding the candy store of the dulce's de camote, cajeta, coconut, and piloncillo, rompope...

I recall the poverty and the many who would come to the car and beg and try selling their wares, blankets, serapes, trinkets... and the tequila for the men. one man in particular gave us a deep stare that pierced through me, as though we were worlds apart, despite the same color of our skin. I must have been five but I remember the stare. And, this memory has stayed in my heart. He made a connection, that there is poverty and injustice and it must be addressed. The border is not a separation but a bridge to be crossed and the injustices challenged.  Mom would take trunkfuls of clothes she collected to take to the families. with poor mothers offering their children to be adopted into a better life. we were poor, but on this side the struggle had a light at the end of the long dark tunnel.

I've had many experiences since that early time at the border, crossing at this same spot for peace and dignity journeys, at Mexicali with the Teatro Campesino and Mascarones. In Tiajuana, going over to see my comadre in Ensenada,  taking the tres estrella de oro, or the train.  One year, I drove from San Francisco to Mexico City  with my two daughters. We made it in record time, as I drove 6 hours and slept 1/2 time slots. Those were the early days of  the Chicano struggle.  I took a student for the 'becas de aztlan' program of  Jose Angel Gutierrez and La Raza Unida and she got there and called her parents to send her a ticket home........ good times, bad times. I have wrecked a station wagon in the highway of Queretaro, turning around two times in the car and barely got a scratch. All of us were dancing around the car in ceremony afterwards. Another time, I drove a 6-pack pick up and on arriving in DF all my stuff was stolen, except my manuscript.... what a gift to find it still in the briefcase left behind.... 

By the way, I leave on June 22nd for l0 days in el Distrito Federal. attending a ceremonia at Teotihuacan for the 30th Anniversario of the Quinto festival de Los Teatros Chicanos, 1974-2004. We are the survivors. many great gente, artistas, activistas who know the bond of xicano-mexica, and what that aztlan is not a myth but lives in our hearts.

I recall a song written by a 'cucaracha', 'me voy pa Teotihuacan, muy lejos de mi aztlan, me voy bailando, me voy cantando, contenta en mi corazon, me voy bailando me voy cantando, alegre como un gorreon. Voy a ver a los mascarones, ellos son los mas cabrones, hijos del sol, justicia senor, companeros de mis canciones, lucha y amor, unidos senor, companeros de mis pasiones'................ y hay mucho mas enl fuente que nos brinde mexico,  la raiz de nuestra cultura...

SEPHARDIC

Click To: New York 10th Sephardic Jewish International Film Festival

TEXAS 

EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

EAST COAST

MEXICO

Don Jose Santiago Vidaurri Borrego y Valdez

1808-1867

Gobernador de Coahuila y Nuevo Leon

Written by Anita Rivas Medellin 
 a.rivas@comcast.net

The guards came for him quarter to 4:00, he was escorted by a priest and two attendants onto a carriage that took him directly to the square. There he was met by fifteen soldiers, who could not look him in the eye. This was an order that everyone would follow with a wretched heart.

He had peace in his heart that made the long march bearable. One being that his son Indalecio had not been made aware of his capture, at least not until after his death. He carried with him a secret fear that he would find out and come to his aid, putting his own life at risk. Another consolation was that his daughter Pudenciana was married to his friend and business partner, Don Patricio Milmo O’Dowd. He knew that Patricio loved her and would provide for the prosperity of his family.

Don Santiago Vidaurri asked his friends General Pedro Hinojosa and General James E. Slaughter to stay with him until the very end. Having them witness what was about to take place somehow gave him an overall sense of tranquility. Don Santiago Vidaurri was a great man that marched to his execution with dignity and humility. He stood bravely in front of the fire squadron; he was wearing a white handkerchief tied loosely around his eyes.

Don Santiago was old, frail and sickly but as long as he breathed he was considered Benito Juarez’s most feared and respected rival. Don Santiago Vidaurri could never be accused of being arrogant or of being a greedy man who had self-serving motives. He and his family lived modestly; the thought of making himself rich with the blood and sweat of the people had never occurred to him. His last words were, "Let my blood be the last and let Mexico be happy."

I was fortunate to have received copies of General Slaughter’s account of the execution from my cousin Patricio Milmo Hernandez. This account has brought me back in time and has only brought my tio Santiago closer to my heart. This is my tribute to a great man that I admire and love, but most of all am proud to claim kinship.

My uncle, Don Santiago Vidaurri was born in 1808, in Lampazos de Naranjo, Nuevo Leon. His father Pedro Jose Vidaurre Borrego y de la Cruz was the brother of my fourth great grandfather, Don Jose Antonio Vidaurre Borrego y Villasenor. They were two of many children born to my fifth great grandfather Don Francisco Vidaurre y Vasquez Borrego, who was the 10^th child of Don Juan Antonio de Vidaurre y Dona Manuela Vasquez Borrego.

Don Santiago Vidaurri went through life never using his full name; this caused many genealogists for generations to believe that his father Pedro Jose was the brother and not the grandson of Don Juan Antonio de Vidaurre. This information can be verified through Pedro Jose’s marriage investigation that mentions the names of his parents and through a CD rom that was compiled by information gathered in the early 1900’s by Father Robert D.Wood. This CD can be purchased at the St. Augustine church in Laredo, TX.

Don Santiago Vidaurri came from a politically dynastic family that had spawned four Acaldes and three Governors: Don Jose Fernando Vidaurre y Vasquez Borrego (1777-1778), Don Jose Maria Margil Vidaurre y Vasquez Borrego (1814), Atanacio L. Vidaurre (1895), and Atanacio C. Vidaurre (1899). Acalde’s of Laredo, TX.

Perhaps it was the youth that watched two of his uncles swear into office: Don Juan Jose Vidaurre y Villasenor and Don Francisco Vidaurre y Villasenor (1834), Governors of Coahuila y Texas. Whatever it was, Santiago had heard the calling of his forbearers before him and answered. "It is my belief that the dreams and ambitions of a family become the fingerprints on the souls of its descendents."

Young Santiago did not start with a very favorable future. Yet his actions in his adolescence were a clear indication as to the man he would become. At the age of twenty-four, Santiago was involved in a heated bar room brawl, and in self- defense severed the hand of his attacker.

This led him to spending time in jail, where his talents for reading and writing were discovered. Santiago being a very educated man realized his full potential and began in earnest to fulfill his family legacy, for he was the second great grandson of Don Jose Vasquez Borrego.

This explained a few things: first Santiago had placed a high value on human life and would not take one unless it was unavoidable. Second, Santiago would do what was necessary to survive. His character was not one that could be labeled being a Fence-Sitter, he was true to his convictions and on more then one occasion was forced to choose the unpopular route. He always remained true to his beliefs and ethics until the very end.

There is much written about my tio Santiago, what is written about him is mainly in Spanish. There is not much written about him in English, except what can be found in the Texas handbook online or in his biography by Ronnie C. Tyler. My wish is to portray him as a man, whose occupation had been one of Fearless General and one of Powerful Governor.

Don Santiago Vidaurri had many names that were given to him by the people: El Senor Del Norte, El Caudillo del Norte, El Caudillo Appassionato de la Frontera, y Gobernador Poderoso. The decade that spawned him is referred to as El Vidaurrismo.

Santiago’s army, Los Vidaurristas, had the same devotion and loyalty that Napoleons had for their Emperor, he had been a man among men. Santiago was an honest and loyal person, who expected the same in return from the people around him. He preferred and wanted nothing but the truth, no matter how unpleasant it was. To withhold anything from him was considered a betrayal. He fought fiercely to keep his border states free of foreign invasion and attacks from the neighboring Indians. He also gave asylum to the African slaves that entered Northern Mexico.

He worried about his soldiers and generals equally. He made sure that they were paid their wages on time and that their widows were looked after. Don Santiago was a man of his word, he believed in the chain of command and in discipline. Santiago also did not show favoritism and on more then one occasion was forced to punish one of his soldiers for disobeying orders.

He was a man that was fair and just. It is said he resembled a judge more then he did a general. Santiago was a man with a fixed mind, he did not like being questioned and once he formed an opinion about someone or something, it usually never changed. He was strong willed, tenacious and not afraid of confrontation. Santiago was direct with what pleased and displeased him in equal measure.

It is my wish that my third great grandfather and tio Santiago had been close, they were only a few years apart in age and both grew up in the little town of Musquiz, Coahuila. As a tribute to his illustrious cousin, my third great grandfather named my second great grandfather after El Caudillo del Norte: Don Santiago Vidaurri Borrego y Vela. I have noticed through out my search that the Vidaurri men with the first name of Santiago had died without issue, all except for my second great grandfather and El Caudillo del Norte, could the name Santiago be accursed?

Behind every great man is a woman, Don Santiago married his cousin in 1831, Dona Juana Maria Vidaurre Borrego y Borrego Sanchez. Juana Maria was the daughter of Santiago’s great uncle, Don Jose Maria Margil Vidaurre y Vasquez Borrego (y Maria Josefa Borrego y Sanchez). This couple had three children that were found through the paper trail of baptismal and marriage records: Indalecio, Pudenciana and Amelia. However, a complete search has not been completed and it is said that they had an adoptive son.

Amelia’s existence to date remains a family mystery. The baptismal record located for Amelia Vidaurri mentions the names of her parents: Santiago Vidaurri y Juana Maria Vidaurri (# M605451, # 0605182). She was married the same year of her mother’s death,

(April 29^th 1865) and during the time her father was serving the French Empire.

In General Slaughter’s account of the execution, Santiago only mentions Indalecio and Pudenciana. Could Amelia’s marriage have been made against her parents wish’s, could it of been a young girls desperate attempt to escape difficult circumstances. Or did Amelia die in childbirth? This is all merely speculation on my part.

It is said that Indalecio Vidaurri y Vidaurri was married three times; we know that through one of the marriages to Maria Francisca Gamboa he had a son named Indalecio Vidaurri y Gamboa (June 14^th 1855, # C605461, # 0605160). Through another marriage, he had a daughter named Juana Maria Vidaurri, who had died without children. Not all of the documents for Indalecio’s descendents have been located, they are still in question.

I’ve seen many drawings and photos of my tio Santiago, and not one of them really do him justice. The only drawing of him that resembles my mother’s family can be found in his biography by Ronnie. C Tyler; one can clearly see the big forehead, the round face with the chiseled jaw, the tiny lips and ears.

It is these same eyes that could command from a room with out words. These eyes were also capable of inciting fear and respect and yet at the same time show compassion and mercy. Santiago was tall and slender, with dark hair and light olive skin. His hands were small, thin and regal. He had surprisingly small feet for having been so tall.

I look at this drawing and I am reminded of my mother’s family. I look in the mirror and see his eyes looking back at me; I see the eyes of my grandmother and those of my mother looking right through me; these are the eyes that remind me of who I am.

My tio Santiago did have his peccadillo’s, he did father a natural daughter in 1860 with Clemencia Canales: Carlota Vidaurri Canales. There was also a rumor that he fathered a natural son named Julian Quiroga. This rumor is found in the biography by Ronnie C. Tyler. There is a volume of correspondence between Don Santiago Vidaurri and Julian Quiroga, spanning from 1858-1865. This volume is number two in el archivo Santiago Vidaurri, compiled by Cesar Morado Macias.

Don Santiago was the type of man that when asked an inappropriate question he would not answer, but allow the public to derive their own version of what they thought the truth to be.

Reading these letters, between these two men, it is easy to understand how such a rumor started. They treated each other like father and son. One can feel their mutual respect and admiration. I got the sense that young Julian reminded tio Santiago of himself when he was Julian’s age: willful, tenacious and not afraid of confrontation.

Some of these letters made me cry because they were both very protective over the other. What affected one affected the other equally. It was also known that Indalecio Vidaurri and Julian Quiroga were great friends; both could always be found by the Caudillos side. My opinion is that Julian was the brother that Indalecio had always wanted. I am dispelling the rumor; Julian Quiroga was not a natural or legitimate child of Don Santiago Vidaurri.

My uncle, Don Santiago Vidaurri was a powerful governor- who was able to negotiate with Juarez and other foreign relations. He was not only influential in the political and military aspect of things, but also in the national sense of things. During 1855-1864, he exercised complete control over Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, which he ran virtually independent.

The rift between my uncle and President Juarez began when Juarez had placed the order for Ignacio Comonfort’s execution. Santiago openly refused to surrender him to Juarez. This was the first step towards the decline of what was an amicable friendship at best. Although both Juarez and Santiago had been liberals, they both failed to see eye to eye on several issues of the day. Santiago did not give into Juarez’s childish demands for revenge. Santiago had given Comonfort exile and his word that he would not betray him. Santiago was capable of seeing the bigger picture and knew that Comonfort was still instrumental in the needs of Mexico’s political arena.

If only General Diaz had not given into Juarez’s childish need for revenge. Diaz followed orders that fateful day of July 8^th at 4:00 Clock in the afternoon. General Diaz had his own political agenda and did not deviate from the cruel dictate that had been given. Perhaps this is why Diaz was the only president that Mexico ever had who actually did anything positive for his country? Could it have been his atonement?

The further conflict between these two chieftains was caused when Juarez demanded that Santiago hand over the revenue that his border states collected during the Civil War. Juarez also insisted that Santiago hand over his army.

Santiago agreed to aid Juarez, but refused to surrender his army and to empty the coffers that belonged to the people of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. His reasoning was that he was not going to leave his border states defenseless to enemy attacks or to attacks from the neighboring Indians; the revenue was needed for his army and the flow of the economy of the border states.

Juarez insisted and Santiago kept refusing. The bad blood between these two- that most historians wish to make us believe had never been spilled has since been further embedded into Mexico’s obscure history. Santiago felt strongly about this and with this conflict changed his entire view. Santiago did not help over throw Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna only place another President with self serving motives. Santiago did not buy into Juarez’s vision of HIS Mexico.

It is common knowledge that Benito Juarez sold Baja California to the United States and had given the money to his relatives residing in New York. Benito Juarez also committed many more crimes against his country. There is a book titled: "The many crimes of Benito Juarez," by Don Celerino Salmeron, explains the above in further detail.

During the conflict between Santiago and Juarez there were many causalities. For Santiago it would be his family. Ronnie C Tyler’s biography of my uncle makes it seem that he had fled Mexico allowing Don Patricio to take the brunt for his actions.

The truth is that Santiago was residing in Texas when he learned of Don Patricio’s trouble with Juarez’s regime. Santiago quickly went back to Mexico via Veracruz. He did not feel it was right that Juarez involve his family into their personal feud, he had with him a letter intended for the English Minister (Queen Victoria) on behalf of Don Patricio Milmo: He was a citizen of England and was entitled of the protection of the English Crown.

Maximiliano during this time had already been established in the capital, upon hearing that such a distinguished political figure was in the city, had Santiago summoned to El Castillo Chaputepec. We do not know what was said during their extensive meeting. What we do know is that there is a four page letter written to Santiago from Maxle. This letter is in possession of a family member and has yet to surface for further study. However, the relationship between Santiago and the young Hapsburg Prince was always on the best of terms.

I wish to say in defense of the young and hopeful Emperor that if it were not for him, Mexico would not have its precious treasures preserved. It is a known fact that Maximiliano had fallen in love with Mexico, and its people- he had wanted to do what was best for Mexico. He was always at odds with the French and the Mexicans he was sent to rule. His execution was unjust and unmerciful. Kings do not execute Kings, they exile them.

When Juarez learned that Santiago was offered a job with the French, he immediately tried to convince him that all was well between them. Santiago at this time didn’t need to learn a hard lesson twice. He knew that trusting Juarez would only lead to his down fall. Santiago had sent many of his troops and notable Generals to aid Juarez. Instead of being grateful that Santiago did not hold a grudge, Juarez convinced Santiago’s men to betray and abandon him. Juarez was slowly planning the demise of Don Santiago Vidaurri.

By joining the French- Santiago had bought himself time. In my opinion, because of the feud between Santiago and President Juarez my uncle had no choice but to join the French. It was a colossal mistake, but at the time it was the only choice he could of made.

It is common knowledge that Santiago Vidaurri was a great general- that during El Vidaurrismo many great generals under his leadership were spawned: Garza Ayala, Zuazua, Aramberri, Zaragoza, Escobedo, Mier, Quiroga, and Naranjo. My theory is that if he had aided the French, how did Juarez’s regime triumph over the French Imperial army? In a letter to Don Patricio in July of 1865 he says "Porque vivir aqui es morir." He hated being away from his family and his people. He desired to leave the capital and return to the North. He knew that would never become a reality, because no matter what Juarez said, he would never allow him to live in peace. My theory is that if my uncle had aided the French, the French would not have been defeated.

Don Santiago Vidaurri had a love affair with his beloved Nuevo Leon. He established many public parks, increased the revenue, established factories and opened up commerce such as the import and ex-port trade. He also had El Theatro del Progresso, El Mercado Colon, and La Alameda de Monterrey built. He turned Monterrey into the capital of Nuevo Leon.

Tio Santiago was a man like any other, with his virtues and his peccadillo’s. I am not writing this paper from the view point of a genealogist, biographer or historian, but from the view point of a family member. I leave his rise in the political arena to them, the experts. These are my opinions based on information supplied to me by various family members and by his current biographer Mrs. Leticia Martinez Cardenas de Hunt, whom I consider an honorary Vidaurri.

El archivo: Santiago Vidaurri consists of over 17,000 letters. These important documents were obtained in an illegal manner by the state of Nuevo Leon. These letters were not abandoned or forgotten – they were confiscated from the property of Dona Leonor Milmo Vidaurri: Don Santiago Vidaurri’s grand-daughter. Don Santiago had specifically expressed desire that his archive not be made public until 100 years after his death.

These letters were turned into volumes for research by many dedicated historians and biographers, such as Mrs. Leticia Martinez Cardenas, Armando Leal Rios, and Cesar Morado Macias.

This past July 9^th marked another year of my tio Santiago’s execution. A misa was held at the ancestral home, La Mesa de Cartujanos. La Mesa was bought originally as a hiding place for cattle and horses. Back then, a man was not considered rich by how much money he had, but by how much he owned in livestock. Don Santiago did not only keep his personal livestock there, but also that of his son in laws Don Patricio Milmo O’Dowd and that of his army. He ended up falling in love with the place and had a home built.

La Mesa de Cartujanos is in the jurisdiction of Coahuila, but can be reached through Lampazos. It is described as an elevation from the earth. It can only be reached by plane or half day by mule, making most of his descendant’s expert pilots. This became his final resting place; his body had been exhumed three times before his last request had been fulfilled.

His last request was to be buried there, with his beloved wife under the capia. The stipulation being that La Mesa is in the possession of a descendent, it was his desire and final wish.

Today it is owned by a group of his second and third great grandsons: Lorenzo y Tomas Milmo Zambrano and Alberto Milmo Garza Madero y hermanos. A portion of El Rancho Encinas is also owned by a second great grandson: Patricio Milmo Hernandez. (We believe that this portion of Rancho Encinas is part of the original, that was owned by my seventh great grandfather: Don Jose Vasquez Borrego).

Santiago Vidaurri had been a visionary; he knew that by allowing the marriage between his daughter and his friend/ business partner: Don Patricio Milmo O’Dowd that the prosperity of his family would continue. His grand-daughter Pudenciana Milmo Vidaurri married Prince Albrycht Wocjciech Radziwill circa 1896 in NY, New York.

Some of Don Santiago Vidaurri’s second and third great grandchildren are: The late Emilio Azcarrraga Milmo (El Tigre) of Televisa; Jose Milmo Garza Madero of Casa Madero (Mexico’s oldest and largest winery); and Tomas Milmo Santos of Axtel (A Mexican telecommunications company that provides local, national and international telephone services); Patricio Guerra O’Hart, who owns and operates his own company; Patricio Milmo Hernandez, a retired lawyer; Patricia Gonzales Vidaurri, artist and architect.

Those of us who are aware of our family history have always believed that it was the Milmo Vidaurris that ended up with what was left of the Vidaurre y Vasquez Borrego legacy. This was not the case. Not only did they have to endure having their homes, businesses confiscated during the revolution, but they also suffered through the hands of Juarez’s regime.

I have to keep reminding myself that my uncle was not a hero, but a man that had lived during Mexico’s darkest hours. I can’t say that he was a victim of a corrupted government, because he would have never of described himself in those terms. I can’t say that he was a martyr, because his execution lacked political meaning, but was one of childish revenge. My uncle was a man that held considerable power, yet he never took advantage of that power. He instead used that power to protect those who could not protect themselves.

My uncle did not die a wealthy man. He was a man that had lived during difficult times, and at the time did what he thought was best. Don Santiago Vidaurri is a man, who can be proud of his descendents, who moved forward in time, even with the threats of Juarez and the outcome of the Revolution.

Santiago’s gift to those who came before and to the many of us who came after was not only the fulfillment of our family’s ambition, but also in maintaining the honor of our family name. We are Los Vidaurre de Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, y Texas, and we in our turn honor him by preserving his memory.

Bibliography

LDS records and research done by Terry Guerra – Tamez. * Also for the discovery of Pedro Jose Vidaurre Borrego y de la Cruz’s pedigree.

Copies of CD rom compiled by Father Robert D. Wood provided by Raul Longoria.

"Los Vidaurre de Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas y Texas" by Jose Felipe de la Pena Vidaurre.

Milmo Vidaurri (Borrego) Family Tree provided by Patricio Guerra O’ Hart.

General James E. Slaughters account of the execution provided by Patricio Milmo Hernandez.

Verbal conversations with Patricio Milmo Hernandez.

(All editorials provided by Patricio Milmo Hernandez).

"Variaciones Santiago Vidaurri" by Carlos Marin Foucher.

"Visita a Cartujanes, sepulcro de Vidaurri" by Israel Cavazos Garza.

"Un Godernador y un gran patriota" by Abelardo Leal.

Texas Handbook online: Santiago Vidaurri

"Santiago Vidaurri" compiled by Patricio Guerra O’ Hart.

"Santiago Vidaurri and the Southern Confederacy" by Ronnie C. Tyler.

Verbal conversations with Mrs. Leticia Martinez Cardenas de Hunt.

A special Thanks to Mrs. Leticia Martinez Cardenas de Hunt for her support and guidance. Also for providing me with much source material, and making the communication with my parientes possible.

A very special "Thank You" to my dear cousins, Patricio #1 y Patricio #2 for being so supportive and their willingness in sharing with me our family legacy.

Invitación para suscribirte a genmex

¡Te damos la bienvenida a Yahoo! Grupos! Te invitaron a unirte al grupo genmex.

Importante: Esta es una invitación preaprobada; por eso si intentas suscribirte mediante la página de inicio del grupo, deberás esperar a la aprobación del moderador. 

Más sobre genmex (Ir a la página de inicio de este grupo) Miembros:   53 
Fecha de creación:   9 de Nov, 2005 
Tipo de listado de correo:   Foro abierto sólo para miembros 
Genealogía de México

Este Grupo está dedicado al estudio e investigación de la Genealogía de México desde la época de la colonia, apoyando a aquellos que buscan sus raíces familiares de manera seria y altruista. Se espera poder contribuir con diversos temas de interés genealógico, así como compartir experiencias y facilitar búsquedas, dando orientaciones. También se reciben colaboraciones, aportando ideas, conocimientos, bases de datos, archivos, reseñas de libros y publicaciones, etc. Tenemos el propósito de facilitar el intercambio de información, recursos y datos, promoviendo la genealogía, historia y cultura de México.

Se busca que sea un medio de comunicación y ayuda tanto para el genealogista profesional, como para el aficionado, y todo aquel que se interese por la búsqueda y conocimiento de sus antepasados y sus orígenes. 

Miembros nuevos deberán mandar un mensaje al moderador del grupo con detalles de su interés en temas genealógicos.

Messages in English are welcome. 
http://mx.groups.yahoo.com/group/genmex/
genmex@yahoogrupos.com.mx  
genmex-owner@yahoogrupos.com.mx

Sent Juan Pablo Alvarez jpag0573@yahoo.com   

Ángela Alessio Robles. Nació en 1919 en la Ciudad de México, fue la quinta mujer en recibir el título de Ingeniera Civil por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, obtuvo una maestría en planificación por la Universidad de Columbia, en Estados Unidos. Tuvo a su cargo la jefatura del Plan Director para el Desarrollo Urbano y la Presidencia de la Comisión Mixta de Planificación del DDF (Departamento del Distrito Federal); Jefa de la Sección de Estudios del Plano Regulador, asesora del gobierno del Estado de Nuevo León y Directora del proyecto de la Gran Plaza de Monterrey. En 1956 fue subdirectora del Departamento de Obras Públicas del Distrito Federal, cargo que por primera vez fué confiado a una mujer en México. Fue reconocida como la Mujer del año de 1965; y obtuvo presea de la Legión de Honor Mexicana4. 


SALTILLO, COAH. ABRIL 30, 2004 (REDACCION VANGUARDIA).- En homenaje a la dama que inspiró respeto y admiración por su fuerza e incursión en cualquier campo laboral, se presenta enseguida una entrevista de Mireya Pérez Estañol a doña Angelita Alessio.

Ambiente Familiar: "En lo que se refiere al ámbito familiar, mi padre siempre procuró un ambiente liberal, aunque muy estricto, pero a la vez afectuoso y suave. A cada quien se nos dio la libertad de seguir el camino que quisiéramos siempre y cuando lo hiciéramos bien".

Vocación: estudiar ingeniería: "Siempre me gustó la construcción, y me gusta hacer planes y proyectos. También me gustan mucho las matemáticas.

Debo confesar que también la música, pero con seguridad ese no era mi camino. sin embargo, aunque parezca paradójico, tuve la ocasión de dar un curso de matemáticas en la Escuela Nacional de Música".

Mujeres Ingenieras: "Yo ingresé en 1937 a la carrera, en aquel entonces se estudiaba en el Palacio de Minería y sólo existía el antecedente de cuatro mujeres".

Primer Trabajo: "En la Comisión Nacional de Irrigación (antecedente de Recursos Hidráulicos). Esto porque mi familia pasaba un momento difícil, ya que mi padre era considerado un político de oposición y yo tenía que apoyar económicamente".

El Regente de Hierro: "Lo que tenía era una manera muy clara de pedir las cosas y siempre marcaba fechas, me refiero a Ernesto P. Uruchurtu el conocido Regente de Hierro. Era un hombre muy ordenado y estricto, pero esto no necesariamente complicaba el trabajo que planeaba la obra pública del Valle de México".

Monterrey: "Me decidí por ir a trabajar a Monterrey en 1979 cuando el licenciado Alfonso Martínez Domínguez fue elegido gobernador, me propuso integrarme en el equipo como asesora. Después estuve al frente de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano, y más tarde en un organismo descentralizado llamado Promotora de Desarrollo Urbano de la Ciudad (Prourbe)".

Satisfacciones Regias: "El Instituto Nacional de Promoción Política Estatal me hizo entrega de un diploma al mérito por el beneficio que como funcionaria pública pude concretar para los habitantes de Nuevo León. ¡Imagine, recibir un reconocimiento por hacer mi trabajo!".

Es así como ella dirigió con mano firme por muchos años la planificación de la Ciudad de México. En Monterrey también dejó su aportación, puesto que sigue su trabajo dando fe de su acertada labor, porque, ¿quién se podría imaginar la capital regia sin la macroplaza? Con todo su empeño se demuestra que tuvo la capacidad de pisar el terreno donde los hombres eran los líderes a principios del siglo 20: la ingeniería civil. 

Pero lamentablemente murió doña Angelita Alessio, hija del historiador Vito Alessio Robles y para recordarla se plasma en este espacio la opinión que emite Javier Villarreal Lozano y Concepción Recio Dávila con quienes colaboró en la formación del Centro Cultural Vito Alessio Robles.

Javier Villarreal Lozano: "Sin duda alguna una mujer sumamente brillante, ingeniera que fue directora de Obras Públicas del Distrito Federal, recibió el galardón "Mujer del Año" en 1965 por su labor en la capital del país, además de ser autora del proyecto de la Macroplaza de Monterrey.

Vito Alessio Robles: "Mujer que hizo posible la creación del Centro Cultural."

La biblioteca de su padre fue cuidada con mucho amor, tanto que le construyó un tercer piso exclusivo para guardar el acervo que su padre conservaba. A ella se debe en buena medida que la biblioteca se mantenga completa, sin ningún problema de tipo físico, con un respeto y devoción gigantes. Ella logró que este centro de lectura y conocimiento estuviera en Saltillo cumpliendo así uno de los sueños de don Vito Alessio Robles Cuevas.

Creo que es una pérdida lamentable porque fue una mexicana admirable, falleció el martes en la Ciudad de México y en el centro del país es una noticia muy triste. Ya le sobrevive solamente su hermano Vito; su hermana Margarita y su hermano Domingo murieron hace poco. Eran más hermanos, pero estos son los únicos que recuerdo.

Ella principió un trabajo bellísimo de fotografía de todos los monumentos coloniales del centro histórico de México con fines de conservación, y dedicó su vida a la ingeniería. Cuando ella estudió la carrera profesional eran pocas mujeres y por eso fue pionera del feminismo académico. Estudió en la UNAM y luego un posgrado en Estados Unidos. Era una mujer muy agradable, cariñosa, respetada y querida".

Concepción Recio Dávila: "Conviví con Angelita Alessio y era una mujer de gran fortaleza, espléndida, con una memoria muy lúcida, alguien muy generoso y con gran espíritu. En la Ciudad de México organizó la vialidad, la conocía perfectamente".

¿Quién fue su padre? El ingeniero, historiador y periodista Vito Alessio Robles, nació en Saltillo, Coahuila, el 14 de agosto de 1879. Estudió en el Ateneo Fuente y posteriormente se traslado a la Ciudad de México en donde ingresó al Colegio Militar, donde se graduó como ingeniero.

La lucha política que envolvía al país lo hizo participar en continuas batallas, llegando a obtener el grado de teniente coronel del Ejército Federal.

Desempeñó una intensa actividad política y se opuso a los regímenes de Calles y Obregón, por lo cual fue condenado al destierro en Estado Unidos. Durante este período se dedicó a la búsqueda de documentos históricos en la Universidad de Austin, Texas. Al volver del exilio inició una fructífera labor como maestro, escritor y miembro de la Academia de Historia.

En múltiples ocasiones fue honrado con medallas y reconocimientos, murió en la Ciudad de México en el año de 1957. 

Esther A Herold

Jesús de la Garza Flores y Rebeca Benavides (1923)

Candelaro de la Garza de la Garza y María de Jesus de la Garza de la Garza (1941)

Rebeca Benavides Y Cesar Octavio de la Garza Benavides (1924)

Carlota Eugenia de la Garza Guillén (1929)

Acacia de la Garza Guillén

Francisco de la Garza Guillén 
y Rosaro Campos (1944)

Familia Herrera Parra

Arzobispado de Guadalajara, 
Mexico
Sent by eventos@genealogia.org.mx 

CURIA DIOCESANA 

ARZOBISPADO DE GUADALAJARA
Liceo 17. Centro. Apdo. P. 1-331
C.P. 44100
Guadalajara, Jal.
Tels. 3614  55  04; 3942  43 00
Fax: 3658  23  00

E-mail: arzgdl@arquinet.com.mx

ARZOBISPO
Emmo. Sr. Card. D. Juan Sandoval Iñiguez

OBISPOS AUXILIARES
Excmo. Sr. D. José Trinidad González Rodríguez
Excmo. Sr. Rector D. Miguel Romano Gómez
Excmo. Sr. D. Rafael Martínez Sáinz
Excmo. Sr. D. José María de la Torre Martín

VICARIO GENERAL
Mons. J. Guadalupe Ramiro Valdés Sánchez

SECRETARIO - CANCILLER
Sr. Pbro. Lic. Juan Pablo Preciado Ramírez
E-mail: arzgdl@arquinet.com.mx

ECÓNOMO DE LA ARQUIDIÓCESIS
Sr. Pbro. Lic. Juan González González
Tels. 3942  43  02; 3915  19  00 ext 2002

NOMBRAMIENTOS ECLESIÁSTICOS
Sr. Pbro. Lic. J. Guadalupe Romero Quezada
Tel. 3915  19  00  ext. 2001

SACERDOTES EXTRADIOCESANOS Y RELIGIOSOS; ERECCIÓN DE PARROQUIAS.
Sr. Pbro. Juan Manuel Estrada Ochoa

LICENCIAS MINISTERIALES Y TRÁMITES MATRIMONIALES
Sr. Cura Francisco de la Mora Verdín

PERMISOS DE CULTO Y MINISTROS
EXTRAORDINARIOS DE LA COMUNIÓN
Sr. Pbro.  Salvador García Radillo

VIDA CONSAGRADA
R.P. Abundio Marentes Ontiveros, OFM

AUXILIAR DE ECONOMÍA
Sr. Cura Daniel Hernández Rosales
Tel. 3613 30 85; 3915  19  32

PATRIMONIO CULTURAL
Sr. Pbro. Ing. Rafael Uribe Pérez
Tel. 3942 43 03; 3915  19  06

MUTUAL DEL CLERO
Sr. Pbro. J. de Jesús Morán Romero
Tel. 3942 43 04; 3915  19  02

COMUNICACIONES
Sr. Pbro. Adalberto González González
Tel. 3942  43  05; 3915  19  03

ARCHIVO
Sr. Pbro. José Alberto Estévez Chávez
Reforma 362 Zona Centro, 44100 Guadalara, Jal.
Tel. 3654  28  39

INFORMÁTICA
Sr. Homero Flores Velasco
E-mail: betcrut@arquinet.com.mx
Tel. 3915  19  04

INFORMACIÓN
Infoarz@arquinet.com.mx

CARIBBEAN/CUBA

SPAIN

MAS SOBRE LOS RESTOS DE COLON

La prensa española publica en 28 de noviembre una información sobre los restos del Almirante Cristóbal Colon que creemos puede ser interesante conocer como complemento a mis artículos sobre este tema y publicados en “Somos Primos”.

Según declaraciones de Juan Antonio Lorente, director del Laboratorio de Identificación Genética de la Universidad de Granada, los resultados de la investigación que se desarrolla para esclarecer si los restos que se encuentran en la Catedral de Sevilla pertenecen al insigne marino, se presentarán en el 2006 coincidiendo con el quinto centenario de la muerte de Cristóbal Colon.

Aunque todavía la Republica Dominicana no ha dado autorización para estudiar los restos que se guardan en Santo Domingo, el Dr. Lorente dijo que se conocerán los resultados de Sevilla independientemente de la información que en su día puedan aportar los otros restos.

Ángel Custodio Rebollo  custodiorebollo@terra.es

Sent by John Inclan fromgalveston@yahoo.com

Juan Bravo Se cree que nació en Atienza (Guadalajara) hacia el año 1483. Era miembro de una familia aristocrática y corregidor de Segovia. Estaba casado con María Coronel. Después de las Cortes de La Coruña, 29 de mayo de 1520, levantó a su ciudad en armas y después de que el procurador segoviano Rodrigo de Tordesillas fuera apaleado por el pueblo, le mandó ahorcar al día siguiente, por haber votado favorablemente al rey en las Cortes de la Coruña. El regente de Carlos I, Adriano de Utrech mandó al alcaide Ronquillo, al objeto de prender a Juan Bravo y sofocar la revuelta segoviana. 

Sin embargo, las fuerzas comuneras recibieron refuerzos de Madrid y Toledo y derrotaron al enviado del futuro Papa Adriano VI. El resto de las fuerzas imperiales se hicieron fuertes en el Alcázar de Segovia y allí estuvieron hasta el final de la revuelta comunera.

Junto a Juan de Zapata (capitán de Madrid), Juan de Padilla (Toledo) y Francisco de Maldonado (Salamanca) representó a los castellanos sublevados ante la reina Juana en Tordesillas. Finalmente, fue derrotado en Villalar, donde cayó prisionero. Fue condenado sumariamente a muerte y ejecutado en la plaza de dicho pueblo. 

En el momento de subir al cadalso pidió ser ajusticiado el primero por no ver la ejecución de sus compañeros. Al ser trasladado su cadáver a Segovia se formó un tumulto que tuvo que ser reprimido con grandes dificultades por las autoridadades reales.

Juan de Padilla

Noble castellano, nacido en Toledo en 1480. Era jefe de las milicias de Toledo. Estaba casado con María Pacheco. En 1519 se unió al movimiento de las comunidades castellanas. Acudió a Segovia en ayuda de Juan Bravo, siendo designado poco después jefe del ejército comunero el 29 de julio de 1520. Vuelve a Toledo, después de ceder el mando a Pedro Girón. Pero la deserción de éste en diciembre al bando de Carlos I, hace que Padilla vuelva nuevamente a Valladolid el 31 de diciembre con un nuevo ejército toledano. Erigido nuevamente en lider de los comuneros, conquistó Ampudia y Torrelobatón. Sucedió estó el 28 de febrero de 1521.

Desgraciadamente, los mandos comuneros no supieron aprovechar estos avatares y decidieron permanecer en Torrelobatón, durante casi dos meses, dando tiempo a la reorganización de los ejércitos realistas. Finalmente ante la llegada de los ejércitos realistas, decide trasladar sus efectivos hasta la fortaleza de Toro. Cogidos en medio de una intensa lluvia sus hombres son literalmente masacrados por la caballería del Conde de Haro, perdiendo entre 200 y 1000 hombres según las fuentes. El resto se dispersa o son hechos prisioneros.

Al día siguiente después de un juicio sumarísimo, los tres cabecillas son declarados culpables y condenados a morir por decapitación.

Antes de subir al cadalso, Juan de Padilla le dijo a su camarada Juan Bravo unas célebres palabras que han quedado para la posteridad:

"Señor Bravo: ayer era día de pelear como caballero...hoy es día de morir como cristiano"

Esto originó que Juan Bravo pidiera ser ejecutado antes que Padilla, "para no ver la muerte de tan buen caballero".

Francisco de Maldonado

Nació en 1480 en Salamanca. Era capitán de las tropas de Salamanca. Se unió al movimiento comunero y acudió a Torrelobatón en ayuda de las fuerzas de Padilla y Juan Bravo. Atacó Tordesillas, pero esta ciudad recibió refuerzos de las tropas realistas. Entonces sus fuerzas se acantaronaron en la fortaleza de Toro, desde donde acudió a Torrelobatón, para ser vencido poco después en Villalar. Su decapitación, junto con sus compañeros, fue el principio del fin de la guerra de las comunidades de Castilla.

Maria Pacheco

Dama castellana, era hija del conde de Tendilla, Iñigo López de Mendoza y de Francisca Pacheco, hija de Juan de Pacheco, Marqués de Villena, de quien tomó su apellido. En el año 1510, su padre la casó con un noble toledano, Juan de Padilla, lo que no la sentó nada bien, porque pensaba que el hidalgo era de inferior rango.

Al comienzo de instó a su marido a unir Toledo a la causa comunera. Cuando Padilla abandonó Toledo por avatares de la guerra, ésta quedó gobernando sola la ciudad hasta que llegó el obispo Acuña, el cual había tomado parte activa en la batalla de Torrelobatón. 

Cuando después del desastre de Villalar, su esposo y los demás jefes comuneros son ejecutados, las ciudades castellanas capitulan una tras otra, excepto Toledo. María se hace cargo del gobierno de la ciudad. Guarnece las puertas, coloca artillería en puntos estratégicos y nombra directamente los capitanes para la defensa. La mayoría de sus antiguos colaboradores eran partidarios de capitular pero ella se mantiene firme. Incluso el obispo Acuña huye en el mes de mayo. 

Las tropas de Carlos V cercan Toledo y María llega a apuntar con sus cañones a los propios toledanos para evitar la deserción y el decaimiento del ánimo de la tropa. Coincidiendo con el nombramiento de Papa del Cardenal Adriano de Utrech, se forma una conspiración para derribar y entregar a María, pero el pueblo toledano se levanta en armas y hace frente a la amenaza.

Finalmente, viéndolo todo perdido, huye de Toledo disfrazada de aldeana y se acoge a la protección del arzobispo de Braga, quien desatiende continuamente los llamamientos de Carlos V a la expulsión de su huésped. 

Por su enconada resistencia, fue excluída de cualquier tipo de perdón otorgado por Carlos V a los comuneros. En marzo de 1531 muere siendo enterrada en la catedral de Oporto, por no conceder el rey permiso para que sus restos reposaran en Villalar junto a los de su marido, como era su deseo.

Sus hazañas la hicieron grandemente famosa entre el pueblo castellano, que la llamó cariñosamente, "la leona de Castilla".

http://www.rae.es/

Emphasis on Spanish, the social changes, regional changes, etc.  

INTERNATIONAL 

            by Jaime Cader

Tony Saca, a Salvadoran of Palestinian heritage, is currently the president of El Salvador.  This author, like that president, also has an Arabic surname and throughout my life I have met and heard about several Palestinian-Salvadoran families.  My "tia politica" Olga Hasbun (in English this surname can be written as Hazboun), whose mother was Salvadoran and whose father was a Palestinian, said that her father was the first Hasbun to emigrate to El Salvador.  There are many
Hasbuns throughout Latin America, including a Roman Catholic priest in Chile, who visited his cousins in El Salvador and a former president of Bolivia (in that country spelled Asbun).

The great majority of Palestinians, who were almost exclusively Christians from Bethlehem, began
emigrating to El Salvador and other Latin American countries around the early 1900s.  A National
Geographic issue of some years ago had an article about Palestinians in Central America.  Being familiar with all of this, I had only known the Saca surname to be of Arabic origins.

Some weeks ago however, I discovered some new information.  I was at my local Family History Center looking at baptismal records on microfilm from the town (presently a city) of Izalco, El Salvador.  In doing so I came across the Saca surname, which seemed strange for various reasons.  First of all, I had not heard of any Palestinians in Izalco previously. Izalco's demographics are such that it is a major Native American center (see three of my previous articles in Somos Primos where I present information on Izalco).  Secondly, these baptismal records were from the early 1800s, and to my knowledge Palestinians had not emigrated to that region during those years, although I have read about a man during the colonial period that was brought to a tribunal for stating publicly that he practiced Islam (published in El Salvador in "El Diario de Hoy" on December 11, 1988).

As I came across other baptismal entries, it could be seen that the individuals mentioned were Native Americans. In the fourth entry on the page before page 129 (it has no page number), in Item One of microfilm number 1521007, there is the following information:

  "Josef de Sta. Salome Saca   Yndio

  Año del ...(there seems to be an abbreviation here, perhaps it stands for Señor) de mil ocho cientos trece dia veinte y quatro de Octubre: Yo el Dn. Man.l Josef Rivera Parraco de esta Yg.a  de Ysalco Bautize un niño nacido dia corriente ... mismo de Josef Gregorio Saca y Manuela de Jesus Puchagua  Yndios casados de este Pueblo a q.n se pus nombre Josef de Sta. Salome: fue su Madrina Ma. del Transito Zepata muger de Nicolas Paste de esta vecindad y p.a  q.e conste la firmo

            Man.l Josef Rivera"

Another entry on page 180 of the same film and item number says:

  "Tomasa Saca   Yndia

  Año del ...(same as above, as in the previous entry -says Sor with a squiggly line above the "o") de mil ocho cientos catorce dia veinte y cinco de Diz.e (looks like it is a "z" in diciembre) Yo el Dn. Man.l Josef Rivera Parraco de esta Yg.a  de Ysalco Bautize una niña nacida dia veinte y uno del...de Manuel de la Cruz Saca y Ma. Florencia...Yndios casados de este Pueblo a qn. se puso por nombre Tomasa fue su Madrina Ma. Pasquala Michua muger de Josef Ma. Quele  Yndia de
esta vecindad y pa. qe. conste lo firmo

            Man.l Josef Rivera"

Thus as can be seen, Saca is also an Indigenous surname in El Salvador.  Perhaps that surname has some relation to the meaning in the name of the Salvadoran city of Zacatecoluca or the Mexican state of Zacatecas.  This author has also checked three books of Spanish surnames and the name Saca or Zaca does not appear in any of them.  This does not prove that it is not also a Spanish surname as some unusual Spanish surnames do not get listed in such books.  In any case, from looking at baptismal records from Izalco, I have found that the surname Saca was one that Native
Americans had in that part of El Salvador.

At the present time it is a rare occurence to encounter individuals having Indigenous surnames in El
Salvador.  This is surely partly the result of intermarriage with the Ladino population.  (In addition, even some Spanish surnames have dwindled in number.  For example, one of my mother's surnames is Cea and I have come across many individuals with that last name in old Salvadoran documents.  It is less frequent now.)

HISTORY

FAMILY HISTORY

Aliados: la genealogía y la ciencia
Por Sonia M. Rosa M.A.
smros1@yahoo.com

Los expertos lo llaman la pared. La pared es el momento en la vida de un genealogista en que la información llega a un callejón sin fondo, ya no hay más datos. Toda la información posible acerca de nuestros ancestros se ha obtenido por todos los medios legales.

En el pasado, en los años previos a la llegada de la Internet, la labor de un genealogista era la tediosa búsqueda de documentos en bibliotecas, museos, iglesias, cementerios, visitas a parientes, registros demográficos, etc. La labor incluía una serie de gastos por viajes, fotocopia de documentos, compra de libros, etc. Con la llegada de la Internet y la era de la información, solo hay que poseer una computadora, tener conección a la Internet, unos rústicos conocimientos de como usar un buscador como Google.com y "voila" todo tipo de infomación comienza a llegar a nuestras manos casi como por un acto de magia.

Es lo que algunos han llamado el "imperialismo virtual". Maximiliam Forte lo define como el poder que se genera de tener acceso inmediato a la información. Esto divide al planeta en dos grupos: los que tienen y los que no tienen acceso a la Internet. El acceso casi instantáneo a la información es tan valioso como el dinero mismo.

En el caso de los genealogistas el acceso a la Internet puede darle nueva vida a una investigación que ha llegado a la pared. Pero también puede ser un problema porque no toda la información publicada en la Internet es cierta. Hay locos sueltos por la Internet, publicando todo tipo de historias, paranoia y mentiras, que pueden destruir una buena investigación genealógica con mitos, leyendas y, con medias verdades. Es por eso que un buen genealogista debe visitar lugares y páginas serias y de buena reputación. (véase Tabla 1)

Otra rama de la ciencia que ha abierto un mundo de información para los genealogistas es la genética. Durante el siglo XX mencionar pruebas de A.D.N. era hablar automáticamente de paternidad o de un crímen. Las pruebas eran extremadamente costosas y no había acceso al público en general.

Al llegar a esa pared, ese callejón sin fondo, muchos han optado por usar la genética como fuente de información. Buscar y sacar a la luz los secretos y misterios ocultos en sus células. Ahora las pruebas están disponibles para el público en general y no son costosas. Muchas personas se han hecho la prueba para determinar su origen étnico. Esto es de especial ayuda para personas que han sido adoptadas. No se limita a este grupo sino que está abriendo las puertas a todo tipo de nuevas probabilidades y nuevos datos genealógicos.

En mi caso quería explorar lo que a mi me parecía una remota probabilidad. Después de buscar en el Censo, en las páginas de los Mormones, de llamar y entrevistar a todos mis parientes vivos, todavía quedaba un misterio por aclarar. Mi abuela siempre había afirmado que su madre era indígena. Ella que era algo parca, siempre nos hablaba con todo un aire de misterio que su madre era india, de la Indieras de Maricao, Puerto Rico.

Decidí hacerme la prueba de A.D.N., y buscar la verdad oculta en mis células. Para saber si era cierta la historia de la abuela hacía falta conocer acerca del Mtdna¹, de mi línea materna. El A.D.N. femenino que es el mimado de los geneticistas, guarda la información de la importante línea materna. Todos tenemos Mtdna pero las mujeres lo poseemos en cantidades más altas que los hombres.

Cual fue mi sopresa cuando al mes de enviar la prueba, que por supuesto adquirí por la Internet, llegaron mis resultados clasificando mi Mtdna como parte del Hablogrupo C², que se define como amerindio. Cuando le informé a mi madre solo se escuchaba el eco en el teléfono de ella exclamando: -"Yo lo sabía, yo lo sabía, yo lo sabía". Y esa fue exactamente la reacción que he recibido de todos los parientes de mi línea materna con los que he compartido las nuevas.

Luego me uní a una base datos buscando personas que tuvieran similares resultados. Aparecieron cerca de 20 personas, todas con una cercanía a mi A.D.N. sorprendente. Esos se convirtieron en lo que los genealogistas han denominado como "primos genéticos". Algunos de ellos de Puerto Rico, otros de México y algunos de Estados Unidos. Un interesante intercambio de correos electrónicos y de genealogías se desarrolló entre nosotros. Hasta hoy solo sabemos que tenemos un ancestro en común, una mujer de ascendecia amerindia, pero quizás esa mujer vivió hace 500-600 años.

Creía que mi investigación genealógica estaba muerta y enterrada, mientras miraba con angustia a la pared. Sin embargo la tecnología vino a mi rescate. El uso de la Internet me ha dado el acceso y la oportunidad de comunicarme con gente de todo el planeta. La prueba de A.D.N.³ confirmó lo que creíamos era solo una leyenda del foclor de mi familia. Nuevas preguntas surgieron y otras sendas se han abierto par el estudio de mi genealogía. La tecnología resucitó mi investigación y le añadió un nuevo sabor, un nuevo color, un nuevo sazón.

Answers.com
http://www.answers.com

I entered Lozano for fun and surprise  found that there is a town named Lozano in Texas, right at the tip.  You can also search for other bits of information, besides places.  Mimi . .

Family History Website Highlight

www.hispanicroots.net is devoted to providing genealogical research information for Hispanic countries. Some features of the site are:

• Research articles and tips—each month the site publishes new articles and research tips
• Helpful Links—websites exceptionally useful for doing Hispanic genealogy
• Online Forum—collaborate with others about family history research, the forum is new, come and help make it successful
• Archive—all old articles and research tips are stored on the site in case you missed one or want to come back to one. In the near future the site plans on adding family group record forms and pedigree charts in Spanish.

We look forward to your visit. If you would like to contact Hispanicroots.net or give feedback on the website, please email Lynn Turner at lynn@hispanicroots.net

HispanicRoots.net Research Article for November 2005
Finding the Place: Introduction

Last month the Family History Library hosted the Eighth Annual Hispanic Family History Conference. One of the classes I was asked to teach was ‘Como Encontrar el Lugar.’ To my surprise the class was very well attended, and the subject appeared very pertinent to many of the attendees. I told the class participants that I would post the lecture on www.HispanicRoots.net. However, without an explanation to my class slides, those that did not attend the conference probably wouldn’t understand the lecture very well.

To make the lecture easier to follow I have divided it into a series of articles. Each article will discuss a tool that may need to be used to help you find your ancestor’s place of residence or birth. The tools discussed will be in the order that they should be used. A new article will be published about every two weeks giving you a chance to put each tool to the test. The last article in the series will be a case study showing each step I took to find the place of birth of someone’s ancestors.

The first tools we need to use for ‘finding the place’ are home and family sources. Home and family sources could be information we or other family members may have on our ancestors. This includes interviewing older relatives that may have living memory of older generations. The following list is a good place to start, use your creativity and add any other ideas you may have:

• Photographs and letters—sometimes photos and letters will mention older relatives. Many times they will also include dates, and place information. More often than not relatives will be willing to share these photos and letters. Ask for permission to scan or copy them.
• Personal Identification cards—I recently received an email from a woman who wanted to begin her family history. She didn’t know where to start, but mentioned in her email that she had her mother’s green card that contained her birth date as well as her place of birth…the green card sure sounded like a great place to start.
• Living memory of older relatives—Parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts usually know more about older generations than we do. Do an informal interview with them in person or over the phone, ask them specific questions: When and where was grandpa born? Ask them to be specific (countries, and states/provinces won’t do). Most genealogical records for Latin American countries will be found at the local level, try to get city, or town information.
• Certificates—birth, marriage, and death certificates can provide some very detailed information. Some birth certificates will provide the age and birthplace of the parents. Birth certificates in Spain provide the names and birthplaces of both paternal and maternal grandparents. Often, family members will have certificates in their homes for earlier generations.

Conclusion: Don’t be afraid to use these ideas together. My wife recently received several old photographs. A few of them had some information written on them, but the majority did not have any information about the people in the photos. In a brief and informal interview with her father and grandmother we identified nearly all the people in the photographs.

ARCHAEOLOGY

Sent by Edna Yolanda Elizondo Gonzalez 
ednayelizondo@yahoo.com.mx