BOOTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME - PART 3

BOOTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME - PART 3

by f.g.lopriato y lopez

Fray Marco Niza and Estebanico, accompainied by a contingent of Native Mexicans bearers, traveled North, along the western coast of New Spain. (Mexico) and then northwest through the desert of the what is now Arizona, until they reached the Zuni Mountains, in what is now west-central New Mexico.

Estebanico seemed to have a plan of his own. The further they traveled into the "Cibola," the more he took on the mannerisms of a native celebrity dressing like an Indian; shaking his featured gourd and demanding tribute of turquiose and women from tribes along the way.

Diaries kept my the marooned survivors of the Cabeza de Vaca document the practice of tribes raiding eache others encampments. Honors bestowed on "healers" seems to suggest that Estebancio was practicing what was already an accepted way of life among the northern tribes. In the Cabeza de Vaca diaries, tribal raids are made to seem like games. One tribe would raid the othe camps site and make off with everything they had them that tribe would raid another and do the same to them and so on.

One writer states that songs and legends of the Zuni indians tell about, "the death of the Black Mexican from the land of eternal summer," but either those songs were not beleived or the writer just dreamer it up. The truth is that no one really knows.

As for Fray Niza, he did accompany Coronado as he explored what is now The Great American Southwest, and he became a laughing stock as his report proved to be false. What made him emerld-studded houses is also a mystery, but it did give rise to the saying, "el Goloso y El Hambriento, solo en la tortilla pienzan." (The glutton and the starving man think only of food.) In other words, Spain's lust for gold was so great that they saw gold even where there was none.

History does make Fray Niza the fool of the Spainish Conquest of New Mexico, until recently, when public radio mentioned that the Coronado Expedition would not have been at all were it not for Fray Niza. However, the good friar is held in hugh esteem in the Wopajo community because he may just be the first Italian to set foot in the Land of Enchantment.

Marcos de Nizas is the Spanish spelling for Marco di Nizza. During Fray Marco's lifetime on royalty and nobility had last names. Commers were identified by their occupations or their place of birth. Nizza is the Italian name of a city in France. You may know it as Nice. It belonged to the Italian city of Sardinia. Sardinia cede France in 1796, long after Fray Marco died. It reverted back to Sardinia in 1814, then went back to France in 1860, after a plebiscite.

Boot Prints in the Sand of Time

Boot Prints in the Sand of Time

by F. G. Lopriato y Lopez

For better or worst, New Mexico's past in firmly rooted in the Italian boot. The deeper one digs into the hard Caliche clay of The Land of Enchantment, the more evidant that indesputible fact becomes...

One has but to scan the pages of history of the Queen Mother City of the state, Albuquerque, to see that the pllars of her community are names such as: Domenici, Mattuecci, Franchini, Schifani, Brunachini, Bonaguidi, Dinelli, Giomi, Del Frati,

lecioni,Pucetti, etc and more Italian family names than we can list here, but the Rozzi's and De Blassis will remember.

Twice in its history Albuquerque has proudly numbered foreign born Italian immigrants as most prevalent in its census. Italians have been second only to Mexican foreign born immigrants in the city.

Why is it that first generation Italians faired so well in New Mexico? All kinds of conjectures have been handled every time that question is asked. From, "because everyone here is an immigrant in their own right" to " the Spanish culture, language, religion and temperament are similar." Youwould be closer to the truth if you choose the latter. The former has no basis in fact or in practice, but that is only part of the story.

First generation Italians didn't come here to colonize and exploit New Mexican society wit the intention of taking everything of value that was not nailed down and returning to their own home ground. No! They came here to be part of the society. To help it grow and to evolve together, improving as the society improved.

Oh Yes! There were many who came to line their own pockets. Some did just that and went back home, but most remained and became the best citizens in their town, county and state. Their children and grandchildren are now achieving national and international fame, Napolaone and Domenici for instance. By not resisting assimillation, Italian immigrants to New Mexico were able to slide into the vacuum created the the change in the state culture of New Mexico. Acting as a bridge bewteen a society that was undergoing transition from an agricultural society to an industrial society to a business society and from a Spanish speaking society to an English speaking society, from one system of education to another, and from one set of state values to another.

Was it Chance? The Will of God? Fate? Destiny? Or the experience of an older way of life that had already overcome similar conditions in the Old World? We'll never know, but one thing for certain is that Italian immigrant to New Mexico, even before the 1880's, rose higher and faster than Italians immigrants who chose Eastern states in which to settle. Italian immigrants to New Mexico may have been aware, but were not personally affected by Anti-Immigrant sentiments of the Nationalists Movement elsewhere that forced many Italians into isolation in "Little Italy's" seeking the aid of criminal organizations that expolited their own people.

You be the judge as we present the story of The Real Architects of New Mexico, in what promises to be last and longest series that the Wopajo Cry has ever undertaken.

The first Europeans, to set foot in what is now the Great American Southwest, were three survivors of the ill-fated Spanish expedition of what is now the State of Florida. What had begun as a sizeable force made up of several nationalities had been rebuffeted by the defending Indians of the peninsula, malaria and hunger which thinned their ranks. After killing their horse and eating the meat, they used the horse hides to fashion boats hoping to escape to Mexico via the Gulf, but the skins had not been allowed to cure enough and the boats sank in mid-sea. Three Spaniards and a black Moorish slave survived. (to be continued.)

ADIEU Gene Franchini, Nostro Caro Geno!

ADIEU

NOSTRO CARO GENO!
by: f. g. lopriato y lopez

As great as all those post-mortem accolades in the mainstream media are; No one can fully appreciate Gene Franchini unless one knows where Gene Franchini came from and why it was so important that he fulfill the American Dream and become a role model and an inspiration to the community.
In the old days, when a death would occur in the Colonia Italiana di Albuquerque, families would gather to console each other and in doing so they would relive the person’s life, but then they were the first generation and “life” for them started when they arrived in the United States. Anything before that was said to belong to another era, in a different compartment, between which there was a door that closed. “Una porta che si chiude, e si apre mai Piu,” and is opened no more.
The first Italian immigrants to New Mexico were few, so back then everybody knew everybody else’s story, Gene was “second generation” more numerous. There was no door between them and their values. Everything they were, needed, or wanted was here. Still they lived in two worlds, the old world values of their family and the Italian Community, (La Colonia) and that in which they were building for themselves in their own country, completely aware that they were the role models and inspiration that would make all the difference. As Gene himself once put it; “All of us, meaning all second generation Italians in New Mexico, had some very big shoes to fill. Our parents had been the first generation anywhere to rise from poor immigrants to be the leading ethnic class in all sectors of New Mexican Society.”
The Franchini Saga of Hard Work and Courage begins with Ettore Franchini’s arrival in New York, from Pistoia, Italy, in l899, at the age of nineteen. The year was l899. He could not speak a word of English but somehow he made the officials in New York understand that he had an Aunt living in Albuquerque. They gave him a basket of food and put him on the train. His food ran out before he got to Kansas City and he found a grocery store close to the station and with more sign language got himself something more but that did not last either. He was famished when he arrived in town on May 4, l899.
The first thing he saw as he got off the train was a policeman of whom he inquired; “Bachechi?” To La Colonia, these words are equivalent to “The Eagle has landed a few short steps for Ettore, a giant step for the Franchini Clan.”
The cop pointed across the street to Oreste Bachechi’s office, where the aunt Oreste sought was employed. The rest is history, The Real History of Albuquerque and it only tells a bit about one Italian family. We have tried to honor Gene Franchini by honoring what he honored most, his family and his community. We are certain that the entire Franchini Saga, from rags to riches will be covered by the mainstream media and we have to put this on-line before Gene’s death is recognized and sent to that place where eternal heroes dwell.
We also want to thank readers such as Emily Sei, for making it clear to us that the future of the Wopajo War Cry depends on the history of the Italian People here in New Mexico, therefore we have decided to specialize only on that subject. ////fglyl