Posted in Reflections on Spain on Jan 26th, 2010
Few are aware of what happened at that spot along the James River thirty-six years before, and how the history of America might have been quite different. It is the extraordinary tale of a lost Spanish colony in Virginia and the men who died trying to bring the Christian faith to the Ajacan Indians.
In 1571, eight Jesuit missionaries were killed by hostile tribesmen at the mission they founded on Virginia’s Lower Peninsula, near the Chesapeake Bay. It was close to the site where the English would permanently settle just thirty years later.
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In the town square there were bonfires, lots of people in traditional medieval costume, and typical wares of the region. There were drummers, and recorder players, and traditional dances. Santiago Martin is the customary Grand Marshall of the fiesta, and he presides over the activities in traditional dress. This year he let Jose Andres have the honors. Speeches were made, the pig made its appearance and was raffled off, although it was so crowded we couldn’t actually see what happened to the pig. Afterwards, long tables with food and wine were set up and everyone (several hundred people) ate and drank – for free!
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Dear Friends, Modern Spain is complex — an amalgam of medieval kingdoms. In fact the autonomous region of Navarre still refers to itself as the “Kingdom of Navarra.” I find it fascinating when I stroll the streets of many historic towns of Spain to recall the “place in the sun” they once enjoyed. It is [...]
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Posted in Reflexiones en Español on Jan 11th, 2010
Queridos Amigos, La España moderna es compleja, una amalgama de reinos medievales. De hecho la autonomía de Navarra aún sigue denominándose “Reino de Navarra”. Me resulta fascinante el pasear por las calles de muchas ciudades históricas españolas y rememorar aquel “lugar al sol” del que una vez gozaron los españoles. Es una buena forma de [...]
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Three dates you might keep in mind if you are planning a trip to Spain in 2010
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I am including an entertaining email account of the boys’ first encounter with Spanish culture coming from staid, very Anglo Williamsburg.
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