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City Tour of Espanola
Espaņola was founded in the 1880s as a stop on the Denver and Rio Grande
Railroad. The railroad has disappeared, but the city has grown and prospered
as the commercial center for the Valley's smaller villages. A community
rich in tradition and values, the cultural quilt of Espaņola encompasses
many centuries of history. From the moment Don Juan de Oņate established
the first new-world capital here some 400 years ago, Espaņola has been
defined by diversity and cultural mobility-everything from extraordinary
lowrider automobiles to world -class dining and sightseeing. Deep Hispanic
family roots coexist easily with contemporary values and practices, giving
Espaņola its own unique personality.
In July the City commemorates the Valley's founding in 1598 with the Fiesta
del Valle de Espaņola. The farolitos and luminarias lining the streets
give Christmas Eve a special New Mexican flavor. Near the Junction of
the Rio Grande and the Chama river, across the bridge from San Juan Indian
Pueblo, the ruins of San Gabriel de Espaņoles overlook a broad valley.
Here, Captain Juan de Oņate settled his colony July 11, 1598. Oņate laid
out the first "acequia", or irrigation system. Tradition gives the present
San Juan acequia as the first one established by the colony and therefore,
the oldest irrigation canal in the United States. He brought from Mexico
about three thousand head of sheep for breeding and one thousand to be
slaughtered and eaten or used to feed the group. His livestock included
1000 goats, 300 black cattle, and 150 mares and colts. The San Juan Indians
had welcomed the Spanish in 1598. In 1680 they took the lead in expelling
the colonists.
The Indians had been under Spanish rule for three or four generations.
Finally a San Juan Indian with great administrative ability, succeeded
in organizing many of the natives and planning an uprising. Tradition
gives as the immediate cause of hostilities, the caving in of a silver
mine with great loss of life by the enslaved Indians. Because mining had
been carried on by the Colonists, the Natives destroyed all traces of
the mines. In April of 1695, De Vargas personally led the settlers from
Santa Fe to Santa Cruz.
The resetlement of the valley by DeVargas was named La Villa Nueva de
Santa Cruz de los Espaņoles Mexicanos del rey nuestro Don Carlos Segundo.
It was called Villa Nuevo because the original Vialla built by Oņate colonists
had been largely destroyed by the Indians qho raided it in 1669. It was
usually referred to as Villa Nueva or La Caņada. Espaņola became a city
in 1880 when the Denver and Rio Grande Western RailRoad, the famous "Chile
Line" arrived. Nestled between the Sangre de Cristos and Jemez mountain
ranges, Espaņola is made up of three great civilizations: Indian, Spanish,
and Anglo.
The Espaņola Valley and its surrounding country is a fascinating spot
for those who love color and romance as well as beautiful valleys and
the trails of the high mountain country. Here in the Espaņola Valley,
Spanish-settled villages and Indian Pueblos are connected by a continuous
thread of history, rich culture and deeply rooted traditions. More than
many places, theres a visceral feeling of walking in the footsteps of
ancestors, yet standing very much in the present.
Espanola Links
Espanola Guide
Espanola Schools
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