0001| HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 68
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0002| 43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003| INTRODUCED BY
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0004| NICK L. SALAZAR
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0006|
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0007|
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0008|
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0009|
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0010| A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011| HONORING THE CAMINO REAL AND THE FOUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF
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0012| THE FIRST PERMANENT SPANISH SETTLEMENT IN NEW MEXICO;
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0013| ACKNOWLEDGING THE YEAR OF THE CUARTOCENTENARIO AND SUPPORTING
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0014| THE ACTIVITIES PLANNED TO COMMEMORATE THAT ANNIVERSARY.
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0015|
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0016| WHEREAS, four hundred years ago, non-Indian settlers,
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0017| most of whom were Spanish, traveled El Camino Real led by Don
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0018| Juan Onate to a point where several rivers converged in what
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0019| is now the Espanola Valley; and
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0020| WHEREAS, the Espanola Valley was home to many well
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0021| established communities of indigenous people whose descendants
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0022| now live in the pueblos of San Juan, Santa Clara, San
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0023| Ildefonso and other nearby pueblos; and
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0024| WHEREAS, the first permanent non-Indian settlement in
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0025| what is now called New Mexico was San Gabriel del Yunque
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0001| Yunque, a community near the union of several rivers,
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0002| including the Rio Grande, the Rio Chama, the Rio Santa Cruz
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0003| and the Rio del Oso; and
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0004| WHEREAS, many families of northern New Mexico can trace
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0005| their ancestry back to those first settlers who brought to New
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0006| Mexico domestic animals such as sheep, cattle, horses and oxen
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0007| and cultivated plants such as grapes and garbanzos; and
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0008| WHEREAS, the indigenous foods of the area were shared
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0009| with the settlers and the combined foods created the cuisine
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0010| that is uniquely New Mexican; and
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0011| WHEREAS, El Camino Real extended from Zacatecas, Mexico
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0012| all the way to San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque, but today's
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0013| designation of El Camino Real terminates in Santa Fe, a
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0014| community that was not settled until twelve years after the
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0015| permanent settlement of San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque, an
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0016| historic inaccuracy that must be corrected; and
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0017| WHEREAS, San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque is located in the
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0018| pueblo of San Juan, near present day Espanola, New Mexico, a
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0019| closeness that allowed the Spanish and the indigenous people
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0020| to learn from one another and, in time, to develop a mutual
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0021| understanding of each other's cultures; and
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0022| WHEREAS, the first Spanish capital in what was to become
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0023| New Mexico was established at San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque,
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0024| also known as San Juan de los Caballeros, in July 1598, which
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0025| predates the English settlement of Jamestown in 1607 by nine
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0001| years and the landing of the British at Plymouth Rock in 1620
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0002| by twenty-two years; and
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0003| WHEREAS, approximately thirty-five percent of the
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0004| population of New Mexico are descendants of the settlers that
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0005| Don Juan Onate brought along El Camino Real; and
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0006| WHEREAS, New Mexico has an enriched legacy of Hispanic
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0007| influence in politics, government, business and culture due to
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0008| these early settlers; and
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0009| WHEREAS, there are now three predominant cultures
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0010| represented in New Mexico and our histories are all indelibly
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0011| interwoven to create the culture that is now New Mexican, but
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0012| the contributions of each culture should be recognized and
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0013| honored separately; and
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0014| WHEREAS, the Cuartocentenario is an opportunity to
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0015| recognize, honor and celebrate the Hispanic culture in New
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0016| Mexico; and
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0017| WHEREAS, the New Mexico state government has funded an
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0018| Hispanic cultural center in Albuquerque, with assistance from
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0019| the federal government, local governments and private
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0020| contributions, to celebrate and preserve Hispanic culture,
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0021| including literature, history, performing arts, visual arts,
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0022| music, culinary arts and language arts; and
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0023| WHEREAS, the archbishop of Santa Fe is planning events
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0024| throughout 1998 in New Mexico, including the opening of a
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0025| jubilee year, an encuentro at the pueblo of Santo Domingo to
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0001| mark the meeting of the missionaries with the pueblo peoples,
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0002| an archdiocesan reconciliation service at the Santuario de
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0003| Chimayo and an archdiocesan celebration of St. Francis of
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0004| Assisi in Santa Fe; and
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0005| WHEREAS, in order to commemorate Onate's arrival and the
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0006| arrival of the first non-Indian settlers, the city of Espanola
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0007| will have a fiesta in July of 1998, the city of Santa Fe is
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0008| planning several special events and the statewide committee is
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0009| planning a parade, an historical costume ball and a pageant in
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0010| Albuquerque; and
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0011| WHEREAS, many other religious, educational and social
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0012| events are being planned around the state to commemorate the
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0013| four hundredth anniversary of the first permanent Spanish
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0014| settlement in New Mexico;
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0015| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0016| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the governor be requested to
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0017| designate 1998 as the "Cuartocentenario" to commemorate the
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0018| four hundredth anniversary of the first Spanish settlement in
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0019| New Mexico by issuing a proclamation declaring 1998 to be the
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0020| year of the Cuartocentenario and calling for the people of New
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0021| Mexico to observe the year with appropriate ceremonies,
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0022| activities and programs to honor and celebrate the
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0023| contributions of Hispanic people to the cultural and economic
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0024| life of New Mexico; and
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0025| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all activities in New Mexico
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0001| that honor El Camino Real do so by recognizing and
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0002| acknowledging that El Camino Real extends to San Gabriel del
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0003| Yunque Yunque located in the Espanola Valley and that all
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0004| should realize that the journey taken by Onate and his group
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0005| of settlers ended in San Gabriel del Yunque Yunque near the
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0006| Rio Grande River in the pueblo of San Juan; and
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0007| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature recognize the
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0008| cultural and economic importance of the first Spanish
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0009| settlements throughout the southwestern United States; and
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0010| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature express its
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0011| support for the work of the Espanola plaza foundation, the
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0012| Santa Fe and Albuquerque Cuartocentenario committees, the
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0013| archdiocese of Santa Fe, the New Mexico Hispanic cultural
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0014| center board of directors, the Hispanic culture foundation
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0015| board of trustees, as well as other interested groups that are
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0016| preparing Cuartocentenario activities to commemorate the four
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0017| hundredth anniversary; and
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0018| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature express its
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0019| support for the events to be held in New Mexico in observance
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0020| of the Cuartocentenario; and
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0021| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature call upon the
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0022| citizens of New Mexico to support, promote and participate in
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0023| the many Cuartocentenario activities planned to commemorate
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0024| this historic four hundredth anniversary of the first
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0025| permanent Spanish settlement in the land now called New
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0001| Mexico; and
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0002| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0003| transmitted to the governor of the state, the governors of the
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0004| pueblos of San Juan, Santa Clara and San Idelfonso, the mayor
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0005| of Espanola, the Espanola plaza foundation, the Santa Fe and
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0006| Albuquerque Cuartocentenario committees, the archdiocese of
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0007| Santa Fe, the New Mexico Hispanic cultural center board of
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0008| directors and the Hispanic culture foundation board of
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0009| trustees.
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0010|
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