The first colonial Thanksgiving in the United States occurred
near El
Paso, not in Plymouth, Massachusetts. According to an obscure
17th-century
book, conquistadors celebrated their arrival at the Rio Grande by
sharing a
huge feast with local Indians 23 years before the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth
Rock.
Don Juan de Onate, the grandson-in-law of Spanish explorer Cortez,
led over
400 soldiers and their families on a torturous trek across the desert
to look
for a shorter route to Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to Sheldon Hall,
presi-dent of the El Paso Mission Trail Association.
After over four months of traveling across the Chihuahuan Desert,
often being
forced to eat roots and berries and drink water from cactus, the weary
pathfinders arrived near the present-day site of San Elizario, about 23
miles
down river from El Paso. There, on April 30, 1598, the Spanish
colonists
celebrated the first Thanksgiving.
Local Indians brought the Spaniards large quantities of fish. Onate
claimed
the land for Spain and ordered that a small chapel be built; Mass was
celebrated, and all feasted on fish, duck, and tortillas. Afterward, a
group of
soldiers performed a short play for the Indians. This may have been the
first
theatrical production on U.S. soil.
Published in 1610, the tale of the Onate Expedition was overlooked
for
centuries because few copies of the account, a rambling, narrative poem
written
by Captain Gaspar Perez de Villagra, survive. The story was discovered
and
translated into English in the last few years, giving El Pasoans the
basis of
their claim to the first Thanksgiving.
All of this has caused more than a little consternation in
Massachusetts,
where officials dismissed the claim as “poppycock.” The result has been
a lot
of ribbing between the two states. Two years ago, a group of
conquistadors and
Spanish settlers from the Trail Association rode into Plymouth “to set
the
record straight.” The group was promptly arrested by Pilgrims who
charged the
El Pasoans with “blasphemy” and “spreading malicious lies and rumors,”
and held
them for a mock trial.
The following year, the Plymouth sheriff and two deputies arrived
in El Paso
to deliver a “Writ of Extradition” for the conquistadors, signed by the
Governor of Massachusetts. The lighthearted argument has prompted an
exchange
between fourth-grade classes in
El Paso and Plymouth. One
Massachusetts
student wrote, “At night, the seals keep us awake barking on the rocks.
Do you
have seals in El Paso?”
El Pasoans celebrate the First Thanksgiving every year on the last
Saturday
and Sunday of April at the Chamizal National Memorial Park.
Of course, Pilgrims are welcome, too.
Picnickers watch as actors and actresses dressed in elaborate,
16th-century
costumes reenact the wearisome journey of Onate and his colonists.
Activities during the two-day commemoration also include an array
of fun and
educational events for the entire family at the Chamizal National Park
and San
Elizario Presidio Chapel. Historical demonstrations, entertainment, and
hands-on exhibits keep everyone busy during the celebration.
For information on the First Thanksgiving celebration, contact the
El Paso
Chamber of Commerce at 915/534-0500 or the El Paso Mission Trail
Association at
915/534-0677.
Coming up this weekend…
Liberty Hill Festival, 30 miles northwest of Austin, includes
tours of
the sculpture garden at the high school, a Civil War reenactment, a
barbecue
cookoff, and a baked goods contest, Apr.29. 800/778-5442.
Eeyore’s Birthday runs from 2-5pm, Apr.29 at Winedale and will
be
capped off with a performance of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream” at
7pm. 409/278-3530.
Wine and Roses Festival at Messina Hof Winery in Bryan turns
grape
stomping into a competitive sport along with music, hayrides, tours,
car and
horse exhibitions, and a cooking school, Apr.29, 10am-6pm.
409/778-9463.
Wilderness Medicine Workshop will be presented by Dr. William
Forgey at
REI, 12th and Lamar, Apr.29 at 10:30am. 474-2393.
Coming up…
Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican Independence Day on both
sides of the
border at Del Rio, May 4-5. 210/775-3551.
Texas River Marathon has canoeists racing down the Guadalupe
River from
Cuero to Victoria, May 6. 512/357-6113.
208th in a Series. Collect Them All.
This article appears in April 28 • 1995 and April 28 • 1995 (Cover).
