0001|                       HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 68
    |
0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
    |
0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
    |
0004|                           NICK L. SALAZAR
    |
0005|     
    |
0006|                                   
    |
0007|     
    |
0008|     
    |
0009|     
    |
0010|                           A JOINT MEMORIAL
    |
0011|     HONORING THE CAMINO REAL AND THE FOUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF
    |
0012|     THE FIRST PERMANENT SPANISH SETTLEMENT IN NEW MEXICO;
    |
0013|     ACKNOWLEDGING THE YEAR OF THE CUARTOCENTENARIO AND SUPPORTING
    |
0014|     THE ACTIVITIES PLANNED TO COMMEMORATE THAT ANNIVERSARY.
    |
0015|     
    |
0016|          WHEREAS, four hundred years ago, non-Indian settlers,
    |
0017|     most of whom were Spanish, traveled El Camino Real led by Don
    |
0018|     Juan Onate to a point where several rivers converged in what
    |
0019|     is now the Espanola Valley; and
    |
0020|          WHEREAS, the Espanola Valley was home to many well
    |
0021|     established communities of indigenous people whose descendants
    |
0022|     now live in the pueblos of San Juan, Santa Clara, San
    |
0023|     Ildefonso and other nearby pueblos; and
    |
0024|          WHEREAS, the first permanent non-Indian settlement in
    |
0025|     what is now called New Mexico was San Gabriel del Yunque
    |
<center>- 1 -</center>

0001|     Yunque, a community near the union of several rivers,
    |
0002|     including the Rio Grande, the Rio Chama, the Rio Santa Cruz
    |
0003|     and the Rio del Oso; and
    |
0004|          WHEREAS, many families of northern New Mexico can trace
    |
0005|     their ancestry back to those first settlers who brought to New
    |
0006|     Mexico domestic animals such as sheep, cattle, horses and oxen
    |
0007|     and cultivated plants such as grapes and garbanzos; and 
    |
0008|          WHEREAS, the indigenous foods of the area were shared
    |
0009|     with the settlers and the combined foods created the cuisine
    |
0010|     that is uniquely New Mexican; and
    |
0011|          WHEREAS, El Camino Real extended from Zacatecas, Mexico
    |
0012|     all the way to San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque, but today's
    |
0013|     designation of El Camino Real terminates in Santa Fe, a
    |
0014|     community that was not settled until twelve years after the
    |
0015|     permanent settlement of San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque, an
    |
0016|     historic inaccuracy that must be corrected; and 
    |
0017|          WHEREAS, San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque is located in the
    |
0018|     pueblo of San Juan, near present day Espanola, New Mexico, a
    |
0019|     closeness that allowed the Spanish and the indigenous people
    |
0020|     to learn from one another and, in time, to develop a mutual
    |
0021|     understanding of each other's cultures; and
    |
0022|          WHEREAS, the first Spanish capital in what was to become
    |
0023|     New Mexico was established at San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque,
    |
0024|     also known as San Juan de los Caballeros, in July 1598, which
    |
0025|     predates the English settlement of Jamestown in 1607 by nine
    |
<center>- 2 -</center>

0001|     years and the landing of the British at Plymouth Rock in 1620
    |
0002|     by twenty-two years; and
    |
0003|          WHEREAS, approximately thirty-five percent of the
    |
0004|     population of New Mexico are descendants of the settlers that
    |
0005|     Don Juan Onate brought along El Camino Real; and
    |
0006|          WHEREAS, New Mexico has an enriched legacy of Hispanic
    |
0007|     influence in politics, government, business and culture due to
    |
0008|     these early settlers; and
    |
0009|          WHEREAS, there are now three predominant cultures
    |
0010|     represented in New Mexico and our histories are all indelibly
    |
0011|     interwoven to create the culture that is now New Mexican, but
    |
0012|     the contributions of each culture should be recognized and
    |
0013|     honored separately; and
    |
0014|          WHEREAS, the Cuartocentenario is an opportunity to
    |
0015|     recognize, honor and celebrate the Hispanic culture in New
    |
0016|     Mexico; and
    |
0017|          WHEREAS, the New Mexico state government has funded an
    |
0018|     Hispanic cultural center in Albuquerque, with assistance from
    |
0019|     the federal government, local governments and private
    |
0020|     contributions, to celebrate and preserve Hispanic culture,
    |
0021|     including literature, history, performing arts, visual arts,
    |
0022|     music, culinary arts and language arts; and
    |
0023|          WHEREAS, the archbishop of Santa Fe is planning events
    |
0024|     throughout 1998 in New Mexico, including the opening of a
    |
0025|     jubilee year, an encuentro at the pueblo of Santo Domingo to
    |
<center>- 3 -</center>

0001|     mark the meeting of the missionaries with the pueblo peoples,
    |
0002|     an archdiocesan reconciliation service at the Santuario de
    |
0003|     Chimayo and an archdiocesan celebration of St. Francis of
    |
0004|     Assisi in Santa Fe; and 
    |
0005|          WHEREAS, in order to commemorate Onate's arrival and the
    |
0006|     arrival of the first non-Indian settlers, the city of Espanola
    |
0007|     will have a fiesta in July of 1998, the city of Santa Fe is
    |
0008|     planning several special events and the statewide committee is
    |
0009|     planning a parade, an historical costume ball and a pageant in
    |
0010|     Albuquerque; and
    |
0011|          WHEREAS, many other religious, educational and social
    |
0012|     events are being planned around the state to commemorate the
    |
0013|     four hundredth anniversary of the first permanent Spanish
    |
0014|     settlement in New Mexico;
    |
0015|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
    |
0016|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the governor be requested to
    |
0017|     designate 1998 as the "Cuartocentenario" to commemorate the
    |
0018|     four hundredth anniversary of the first Spanish settlement in
    |
0019|     New Mexico by issuing a proclamation declaring 1998 to be the
    |
0020|     year of the Cuartocentenario and calling for the people of New
    |
0021|     Mexico to observe the year with appropriate ceremonies,
    |
0022|     activities and programs to honor and celebrate the
    |
0023|     contributions of Hispanic people to the cultural and economic
    |
0024|     life of New Mexico; and
    |
0025|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all activities in New Mexico
    |
<center>- 4 -</center>

0001|     that honor El Camino Real do so by recognizing and
    |
0002|     acknowledging that El Camino Real extends to San Gabriel del
    |
0003|     Yunque Yunque located in the Espanola Valley and that all
    |
0004|     should realize that the journey taken by Onate and his group
    |
0005|     of settlers ended in San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque near the
    |
0006|     Rio Grande River in the pueblo of San Juan; and
    |
0007|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature recognize the
    |
0008|     cultural and economic importance of the first Spanish
    |
0009|     settlements throughout the southwestern United States; and
    |
0010|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature express its
    |
0011|     support for the work of the Espanola plaza foundation, the
    |
0012|     Santa Fe and Albuquerque Cuartocentenario committees, the
    |
0013|     archdiocese of Santa Fe, the New Mexico Hispanic cultural
    |
0014|     center board of directors, the Hispanic culture foundation
    |
0015|     board of trustees, as well as other interested groups that are
    |
0016|     preparing Cuartocentenario activities to commemorate the four
    |
0017|     hundredth anniversary; and
    |
0018|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature express its
    |
0019|     support for the events to be held in New Mexico in observance
    |
0020|     of the Cuartocentenario; and 
    |
0021|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature call upon the
    |
0022|     citizens of New Mexico to support, promote and participate in
    |
0023|     the many Cuartocentenario activities planned to commemorate
    |
0024|     this historic four hundredth anniversary of the first
    |
0025|     permanent Spanish settlement in the land now called New
    |
<center>- 5 -</center>

0001|     Mexico; and
    |
0002|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
    |
0003|     transmitted to the governor of the state, the governors of the
    |
0004|     pueblos of San Juan, Santa Clara and San Idelfonso, the mayor
    |
0005|     of Espanola, the Espanola plaza foundation, the Santa Fe and
    |
0006|     Albuquerque Cuartocentenario committees, the archdiocese of
    |
0007|     Santa Fe, the New Mexico Hispanic cultural center board of
    |
0008|     directors and the Hispanic culture foundation board of
    |
0009|     trustees.
    |
0010|                              
    |