[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 8 (Monday, February 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S500-S502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ONATE CUARTOCENTENARIO--S. RES. 148

  Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, in November of last year, Senator 
Bingaman and I introduced a resolution regarding the 400th anniversary 
commemoration of the first permanent Spanish settlement in New Mexico.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Lott);

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the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Daschle); the Senator from Georgia 
(Mr. Coverdell); the Senator from Nebraska (Mr.  Hagel); the Senator 
from Texas (Mrs. Hutchison); the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Murkowski); 
the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Thompson); the Senator from New 
Hampshire (Mr. Smith); the Senator from Utah (Mr. Bennett); the Senator 
from Maine (Ms. Collins); the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Nickles); the 
Senator from Montana (Mr. Burns); the Senator from Kansas (Mr. 
Roberts); the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Craig); the Senator from Arkansas 
(Mr. Hutchinson); the Senator from New York (Mr. D'Amato); the Senator 
from Washington (Mr. Gorton); the Senator from Utah (Mr. Hatch); the 
Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran); the Senator from Colorado (Mr. 
Allard); the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Bond); the Senator from Ohio 
(Mr. DeWine); the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Lugar); the Senator from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe); the Senator from Michigan (Mr. Abraham); the 
Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Faircloth); the Senator from Indiana 
(Mr. Coats); the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Helms); the Senator 
from Iowa (Mr. Grassley); the Senator from New Hampshire (Mr. Gregg); 
the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Frist); the Senator from Alabama (Mr. 
Sessions); the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Inouye); the Senator from 
California (Mrs. Feinstein); the Senator from New York (Mr. Moynihan); 
the Senator from Illinois (Mrs. Moseley-Braun); the Senator from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry); the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. Kohl); the 
Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller); the Senator from Arkansas 
(Mr. Bumpers); the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Mikulski); the Senator 
from Florida (Mr. Graham); the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Kerrey); the 
Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Dodd); the Senator from South Carolina 
(Mr. Thurmond); the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Robb); the Senator from 
Nevada (Mr. Bryan); the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Reid); the Senator 
from Louisiana (Ms. Landrieu); the Senator from Washington (Mr. Wyden); 
the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Ashcroft); the Senator from New Jersey 
(Mr. Lautenberg); the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Jeffords); the Senator 
from New Jersey (Mr. Torricelli); the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Stevens) 
be added as cosponsors to S. Res. 148, designating 1998) as the Onate 
Cuartocentenario, the 400th anniversary commemoration of the first 
permanent Spanish settlement in New Mexico.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DOMENICI. As we know, we have some procedural rules requiring 51 
Senators to support a resolution, before it can be considered by the 
full Senate. I thank Senators from both sides of the aisle. We now have 
57 Senators on this resolution and this number assures Senate passage. 
Our resolution declares 1998 as the ``Onate Cuartocentenario'', the 
400th Anniversary of the Onate settlement at San Juan Pueblo, New 
Mexico, and asks the President to issue a proclamation of similar 
intent. Besides the historical event, this resolution acknowledges the 
cultural, economic, and political contributions that these Hispanic 
settlers of 400 years ago started in northern New Mexico. So I thank 
the majority leader, Senator Lott, Senator Daschle the minority leader, 
and the long list of cosponsors for helping us with this.
  I guess right off the bat, it gives me a great deal of pride to 
remind Americans, especially here in the east where this Capitol lies, 
that the first Spanish settlement in New Mexico occurred in 1598, when 
Don Juan de Onate settled at San Juan Pueblo in the Valley of Espanola 
in northern New Mexico. I might say, if one just remembers the dates, 
this event precedes Plymouth Rock, which landing there occurred in 
1620. The Spanish settlers arrived in northern New Mexico 22 years 
before Plymouth Rock. And they were also settlers who came from Europe. 
They just happened to come from the Spanish part of Europe rather than 
that part where our rather famous and much talked about pilgrims came 
from.
  So this year we commemorate the brave and adventurous Hispanic 
families who first set roots in this beautiful land of New Mexico. By 
commemorating these early events we are also honoring the important 
cultural, political, and economic contributions that those families and 
their descendants have made to enrich our State, and actually our 
Nation.
  This expedition was part of a very large effort to expand the Spanish 
empire, convert more people to Christianity, and find great wealth in 
the new world. There was great excitement at the beginning of the 16th 
century about these prospects. Spaniards like Hernan Cortes and 
Francisco Pizzaro, cousins from Medellin and Ciudad Trujillo, left 
Spain in the early 1600s to seek their fortune and spread the glory of 
Spain. When the Mayan gold was taken back to Spain from the Yucatan 
Peninsula of Mexico in 1517, it fueled the fires of enthusiasm for 
finding the legendary Seven Cities of Gold in the New World.
  Spanish explorers like Ponce de Leon, Francisco Coronado, and Don 
Juan de Onate explored modern-day America, believe it or not, from 
Florida to California.
  Some 400 Spanish settlers led by Onate from Santa Barbara, Mexico, 
through El Paso, Texas, to San Juan Pueblo, named by Onate for John the 
Baptist. The soldiers, priests, laymen, families, servants and their 83 
wagons and 7,000 animals formed a 2- to 4-mile long caravan as they 
journeyed up the Rio Grande.
  I spoke about this the other night at a very large gathering in our 
State for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Sitting at a table with our 
archbishop, one of my staff people said, as Senator Domenici explained 
this 83 wagon and 7,000 animals forming a 4-mile long caravan, the 
archbishop was heard to say, ``The first traffic jam in northern New 
Mexico.'' I don't know if it was that or not. There probably were no 
intersecting roads in those days.
  When they arrived at San Juan Pueblo on July 11, 1598, they 
established the first Spanish capital in the New World. They built the 
San Gabriel chapel and convento. Today, a beautiful replica of the San 
Gabriel chapel stands in the Espanola Plaza.
  It is well known that the Spanish people founded the oldest cities in 
America. First, St. Augustine, Florida was founded in 1565, followed by 
Santa Fe, New Mexico, the second oldest city in what is now the United 
States. In 1610, Santa Fe was named the capital of New Mexico making it 
the oldest capital city in America today.
  Before Santa Fe became the capital of the New Mexico territory, the 
San Gabriel mission served as the first Spanish Capital of New Mexico, 
beginning in 1598. San Gabriel is at San Juan Pueblo where the Rio 
Chama meets the Rio Grande. Its Indian name was Yunge Oweenge. The 
designation and renaming of this site by its first Governor, Don Juan 
de Onate, as San Gabriel del Yunge Oweenge marks the first permanent 
Spanish settlement in the west.
  1998 marks the 400th Anniversary of the founding of San Gabriel del 
Yunge Oweenge in the Espanola Valley of present-day New Mexico.
  This resolution highlights the importance of the Spanish explorations 
in America and pays tribute to the growing population of Hispanics who 
are anticipated to be twenty percent of our national population by the 
year 2030, with a projected population of 60 million Hispanics. Two-
thirds of the 26 million Hispanics in America--who make up eleven 
percent of our population today--are of Mexican origin, and 70 percent 
of Hispanics live in 4 states: California, Texas, New York, and 
Florida.
  New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics at 39 percent or 
about 660,000 residents out of a total 1995 state population of 1.7 
million. Albuquerque, New Mexico, will be the site of a new Hispanic 
Cultural Center to celebrate and preserve Hispanic culture including 
literature, performing arts, visual arts, music, culinary arts, and 
language arts.
  New Mexico will be the center of many exciting events throughout the 
year to commemorate this important historic milestone. New Mexicans are 
looking forward to fiestas, balls, parades, and other stimulating 
events to mark this historic occasion.
  The Archbishop of Santa Fe will be opening a Jubilee year in January. 
Among other events, he will hold an encuentro at Santo Domingo Pueblo 
to mark the meeting of the missionaries with the Pueblo Peoples.

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  The City of Espanola will have a fiesta in July to commemorate the 
actual arrival of the Spanish into the area. Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Taos, 
Socorro, Aztec, Albuquerque, and other New Mexico towns and cities will 
be holding such special events as fiestas, historic reenactments, a 
State Fair Pageant, a historic Spanish costume ball, and parades. 
Seminars and lectures will abound.
  State Fair pageant plans include a reenactment of De Vargas' reentry 
into New Mexico, a review of the Pueblo Revolt and its ramifications, 
life under the American flag during the middle to late 1800's, and a 
patriotic tribute to all Hispanics who have fought for the United 
States. This reentry spectacular will be performed twice before large 
New Mexico State Fair audiences. It will also be televised.
  This resolution also asks the President to issue a proclamation 
declaring 1998 is a year to commemorate the arrival of Hispanics and 
celebrate their growth in importance in our nation's culture and 
economy.
  This Senate resolution calls upon the people of the United States to 
support, promote, and participate in the many Onate Cuartocentenario 
activities being planned to commemorate the historic event of the first 
Spanish settlement in the Southwest Region of the United States.
  Mr President, I ask my colleagues to support Senate Resolution 148, 
designating 1998 as the ``Onate Cuartocentenario'' to commemorate the 
400th anniversary of the first Spanish settlement in New Mexico.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, I rise to speak about Senate 
Resolution 148, designating 1998 as the ``Onate Cuatro-centenario,'' 
the anniversary commemoration of the first Spanish settlement in New 
Mexico. First, I thank my colleague from New Mexico, Senator Domenici 
with whom I have the great pleasure of marking this anniversary. And I 
thank my Senate colleagues for co-sponsoring the resolution. The bi-
partisan support for this resolution I believe is indicative of the 
broad understanding and appreciation for the cultural contributions 
that Hispanics have made in our American society.
  This resolution commemorates one of the most meaningful and 
significant dates of both New Mexico and American history. July 1, 1598 
stands out in history because it was on that day, almost 180 years 
before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, that 
a small group of Spanish pioneers ventured north from Mexico, up the 
Rio Grande Valley and settled in what is now North-Central New Mexico. 
The settlers, led by Don Juan de Onate, established a small mission at 
the confluence of the Rio Chama and the Rio Grande and next to an 
Indian Pueblo the inhabitants called ``Ohke.'' The Spanish settlers 
named their mission San Gabriel de los Espanoles.
  From San Gabriel, Spanish families moved outward and, in 1610 
established the mission of ``La Villa Real de Santa Fe'', now well-
known as ``Santa Fe.'' Other settlements were soon established 
throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Arizona, California, Colorado, and 
Texas following the long-established settlements in Florida.
  As much as this resolution commemorates the early Spanish settlements 
on this continent, it is meant to do much more. This resolution 
celebrates the Hispanic people themselves and the many contributions 
they have made to the history of this continent and this country over 
the last 400 years.
  Indeed, many Hispanics have earned a place in American history. 
During the American Revolution, Bernardo de Galvez, a Spanish 
aristrocrat and governor of the Spanish province of Louisiana, was 
instrumental in helping defeat the British navy and army near the Gulf 
of Mexico.
  During the Civil War, David Glasgow Farragut, also of Spanish 
descent, commanded a Union naval expedition against the city of New 
Orleans. Because of his leadership at the battle for Fort Jackson, 
President Lincoln promoted Farragut to Rear Admiral.
  Hispanics have made significant contributions also in the area of 
Science. Luis Alvarez, for example, won the Nobel Prize for Physics. 
Alvarez taught at University of California-Berkeley and was later 
instrumental in the development of radar at the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology. In 1944, he went to work on the development of the 
atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
  Of course, I cannot speak of distinguished Hispanics without speaking 
of New Mexico's own Dennis Chavez, whom many of my Senate colleagues no 
doubt remember well. Dennis Chavez was one of eight children and 
through hard work and determination became one of New Mexico's 
distinguished Congressmen in 1934. Not long after that, he became 
United States Senator, and while in the Senate worked tirelessly for 
fair employment and civil rights legislation.
  Madam President, I easily can point to all aspects of our American 
society, from literature to sports, and identify many Hispanic 
individuals who have made significant contributions. It is a tremendous 
history--indeed, more than 400 years of history. Through this 
resolution, I wish to help New Mexico and our Nation celebrate that 
history. Thank you, Madam President.
  Mr. DOMENICI. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. KENNEDY. I suggest the absence of a quorum, with the time to be 
charged equally.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
able to speak for 15 minutes as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair.

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