|
|
Article: Southwest marking 400th anniversary of 1st Thanksgiving: Towns to honor conquistadores' visit.(Culture, Et Cetera)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- November 26, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Although it's no secret the first American Thanksgiving was on the banks of the Rio Grande instead of the New England seaboard, Americans have been reluctant to trade their turkeys for tamales.
Nevertheless, Spaniards endured great hardships to get here, including a trek across the Chihuahuan desert in present-day Mexico before they happened on the Rio Grande on April 20, 1598, a discovery that saved their lives and that of their horses.
Their ensuing feast of thanksgiving, or Dia de Las Gracias in Spanish, featured many of the same ingredients that's made New England's event so legendary: Friendly Indians, plentiful fowl to eat and a ceremony of ...