The history of Spain has been, between the 15th and 18th centuries, the history of the world. Great explorations, scientific discoveries, the discovery and subsequent liberation of America, the globalisation of trade, … all happened under the Spanish banner. But history has distorted, falsified or forgotten many of the great Spanish exploits for the benefit of others who came later, British, French, …
In this section we will try to put things in their place; we will tell the story as it was, without additions, putting in the place they deserve such important characters as Francisco Javier Bamis and the nurse Isabel Zendal, Bernardo de Gálvez, Fray Junipero Serra, Andrés de Urdaneta, Ana María de Soto and many many many more Spaniards whose actions should be filling up bookshelves and movie theatres but, instead, are hidden in dusty unknown archives.
We will also review some of the exagerated achievements of other nations and put them in context, far from propaganda and embellishments.
On This Day
- 1494 Christopher Columbus founded the city of Concepción de la Vega (Dominican Republic), on the island of Hispaniola.
- 1524 Francisco Hernández de Córdoba founded the city of Granada (Nicaragua), one of the first on the American mainland.
- 1537 The Spanish captain Alonso de Cáceres founded the city of Comayagua, Honduras, in New Spain, with the name of villa de Sta Mª de la Concepción de Comayagua.
- 1548 The Spanish captain Alonso de Mercadillo founded the city of Loja, Ecuador, in the viceroyalty of Peru.
- 1659 The city of Paso del Norte was founded in New Spain and would later be divided into El Paso (United States) and Ciudad Juarez (Mexico).
- 1709 Jesuit Lucas Caballero founded the mission and town of Concepción (Chiquitos) in curent Bolivia.
- 1744 The city of Copiapó (Chile) was founded by Governor José Manso de Velasco, with the name of San Francisco de la Selva de Copiapó.
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