7 minute read
Culture & Community
HERITAGECANARY ISLANDS
By Susan Yerkes
Advertisement
TENERIFE, CANARY ISLANDS, 1730—ON THIS SMALL ISLAND JUST OFF AFRICA’S NORTHWEST COAST, 25 PIONEER FAMILIES BOARDED A SMALL, RICKETY WOODEN SAILING SHIP AND BEGAN A LONG, ARDUOUS JOURNEY TO TEXAS. THEY SOUGHT A FRESH START
IN THE NEW WORLD, FAR FROM THE DROUGHT AND VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS THAT WERE DEVASTATING THEIR HOMELANDS.
THESE WERE NO ORDINARY IMMIGRANTS. THEY WERE OFFICIAL
COLONISTS, COMMISSIONED BY THE KING OF SPAIN TO FORM THE FIRST CIVIL GOVERNMENT IN TEXAS, IN SAN ANTONIO. BY SENDING WORKING FAMILIES, THE SPANISH KING AIMED TO FIRM UP HIS CLAIM TO A SWATH OF THE SOUTHWEST, AT A TIME WHEN FRENCH ADVENTURERS WERE COMPETING FOR NEW TERRITORY.
The story of these tenacious immigrants is not widely known. But the Canary Islands Descendants Association of San Antonio is working hard to tell it.
The islanders’ trip was grueling—months at sea, followed by an 1,100mile trek on foot from Veracruz to San Antonio. In March of 1731, the travelers—now 56 of them, in 16 families—finally reached their destination—a loose settlement around a Spanish presidio and a Franciscan mission. It is easy to imagine the relief the weary travelers felt when they finally arrived. The soldiers at the presidio supplied them with “all the underclothes, the outer clothes, and sleeping clothes, arms, horses, munitions, and all the corresponding equipment which they have already received, together with two months advanced wages to each one of the fifty-six persons,” as promised by the king.
They began to build simple houses and plant crops, and on August 1, 1731, they elected an alcalde (mayor), a sheriff, city secretary and a land commissioner—the first official officials of the town they named the Villa of San Fernando, which would become San Antonio. For decades, the isleños would wield exclusive political power in the new town. In 1738 they laid the cornerstone of their church, now San Fernando Cathedral, and their surveyors marked off Plaza de las Islas (Main Plaza) and a set of radiating streets where government buildings, stores and individual housing would be built. The whole plaza was locked in a grid, forming a cross, with the church as a center. You can still see the mark of the center of the city in its floor.
“When you look at downtown, the Plaza de Armas at City Hall, the Plaza de las Islas, San Fernando Cathedral—the Canary Islanders had a major impact,” said Freddie Bustillo, president of the Canary Islands Descendants Association of San Antonio. “When you go down a list of San Antonio mayors, the first 25 or 30 of them were either Canary Islanders or their descendants.” The civic connection continues in lively exchanges of business, culture and tourism between San Antonio and
her two Canary Sister Cities, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Palma.
Many San Antonians trace their lineage back to one or more of those industrious pioneers. The association’s membership also includes descendants from around the U.S. and in Europe, South America and Mexico. Because of their special status, the Canarians who came to San Antonio kept meticulous records, so their genealogy is fairly easily researched, right down to the Spanish government’s detailed physical descriptions of each of the 56 men, women and children.
Today the most prominent public reminder of the Canarians’ history here is a Founders Monument by the Bexar County Courthouse, spearheaded by the descendants. A perfect selfie spot, it is comprised of five life-sized bronze figures—a Native American, Franciscan friar, Spanish soldier and a Canarian man and woman with a goat, which they might well have raised. Canary Islands descendants were models for the couple and the soldier—a Franciscan and Native American modeled for the other two.
Blocks away, in San Fernando Cathedral, a section of the wall of the original church still stands. A statue of the Virgen de Candelaria, a Black Madonna who is the islands’ patron saint, stands in a large niche. “Every few years, the Canary Islands government sends over a new dress for her,” Bustillo said.
Other reminders of the islanders can be found in street names and neighborhoods near the missions. “You will find clusters where families that received land have maintained it for generations,” Bustillo said. “Leal Street—the first alcalde was Juan Leal. The Arocha family, Huizar, Pacheco, Flores, quite a few families still live on streets near Mission San José that were part of the old Spanish land grants,” he added. He and his wife still own property on Bustillos Drive.
Bustillo’s cousin recently loaned the Bullock Texas State History Museum an 1850 surveyor’s document showing the various land grants as part of a new exhibit on the Canary Islands colonists. The association also marks key dates with luncheons and masses. On August 6 they will celebrate the 291st anniversary of the official establishment of the first Cabildo (government). The group also appears at history days, parades and reenactments and awards annual scholarships.
They keep in close touch with their motherland, too. Last year, when a volcanic eruption devastated La Palma, they raised $16,000 for a relief fund. They treasure their Canary Islands roots and they are telling their ancestors’ stories with pride.
click on this:
CANARY ISLANDS DESCENDANTS ASSOCIATION-SAN ANTONIO
www.CIDA-SA.org
DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
www.DRTinfo.org
INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES
www.TexanCultures.utsa.edu
SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL
www.SFCathedral.org
THE PORTAL TO TEXAS HISTORY
www.TexasHistory.unt.edu
THE SEED OF TEXAS www.Heritage.bexar.org
WRITER’S BIO
Susan Yerkes is an award-winning journalist based in San Antonio. She treasures her travels through the Canary Islands—especially little Lanzerote, home to most of the 25 families who set out for Texas in 1730. She is grateful she did not have to get there in an antique wooden ship.
Monday - Thursday 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM Friday - Saturday 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sunday 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
LAZO 37 NE Interstate 410 Loop San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 321-4895
www.LazoWithDonStrange.com
Dear Guests, Over the past 70 years, Don Strange of Texas has been part of some of your most momentous occasions. We have served generations of your families, celebrating weddings, births, promotions, birthdays and retirements. We have come into your homes, offices and ranches, bringing the Don Strange of Texas experience to your tables. It is my great honor to invite you to dine at our table. Welcome to LAZO with Don Strange, located at the Estancia Del Norte Hotel. Our premier San Antonio restaurant is a collaboration of two iconic San Antonio brands with one collective mission—to provide locals and tourists with an exceptional, authentic experience that reflects our culture. Growing up in Texas’s first family of catering, food is my first language. LAZO with Don Strange speaks that language fluently through a menu that features classic Don Strange of Texas foods prepared the Don Strange way. Our brand is steeped in a rich history centered around family and celebrations—from my grandparents’ humble beginnings as the owners of a grocery store with a barbecue pit to my father catering dinners on the White House lawn. Our rich legacy is filled with family recipes that reflect our love of fresh ingredients that are locally sourced, combined creatively and presented in a way that speaks to our visionary approach to culinary artistry. We take pride in incorporating all aspects of our Texas heritage with influences from South Texas, Mexico, Germany and Spain, resulting in international flavors that still taste like home. A little Don Strange makes life a little better. Now, with this exciting partnership, guests can enjoy the taste of Don Strange in a relaxing restaurant setting. Chef Sarah R. Myles understands our vision and brings her culinary creativity to our brand. Like me, Sarah’s history centers around the kitchen table. From picking Washington apples with her mom in Seattle, to “air stirring” a pot while her dad made Corn Masque Choux, her love of food is inextricably tied to a love of sharing a meal with family. Together, we are a team where food, service and memories come together for a dining experience unlike any other in San Antonio. Won’t you join us for dinner? Peace, Brian Strange
