Jeff Bingaman: “I rise to speak about Senate Resolution 148, designating 1998 as the ``Onate Cuatro-centenario,'' the anniversary…”

“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.”