SLV Museum hosts ‘First Thanksgiving’ celebration

ALAMOSA — Many years ago, when Joyce Gunn started working at the San Luis Valley Museum, she read a lot about the history of the Valley. She learned about the Spanish history from one of the board members, Dolores Chavez. As Gunn read she asked many questions of Chavez, who shared with Gunn all of the many changes the Valley has gone through citing history and her own life.

Gunn read about the Spanish Inquisition, explorers in the New World, the cities of gold and Onante’s travels north from Mexico City to New Mexico. He led families north to find new homes in a new land with promises for a new future. What a massive undertaking!

A gentleman stopped at the museum and shared with Gunn his knowledge of the Onante events. He said that the Mass of Thanksgiving took place August 19th, 1598 or 23 years before the Pilgrims. It made Gunn want to learn more because she realized that the “First” Thanksgiving was NOT with the Pilgrims but with the Spanish. The Spanish had been exploring the Americas for years. Without their exploration and the stories going back to Europe, Europe would have probably never gotten involved in the “New World”.  (Side note: St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest city in the US, around 1547, settled by Spain.)

Gunn’s desire to have and celebrate the “First Thanksgiving” is to share history, not lost but overlooked. “None of us can afford to diminish or set aside history of another group especially when it affects all of us,” she said. “Our beginnings in the Americas are not the pilgrims, or the trappers or Jamestown. It is part of the history of Spain. They chronicled the Native Americans, the lands from the eastern seaboard to California. Understanding their history is like filling in several holes in our own European history. It is past time to learn, share and sometimes even agree to disagree but let us do it with tolerance, respect and understanding. So let us share the day, the family stories, the laughter and the smiles. We will all be better for it!”

The SLV Museum will celebrate the “First Thanksgiving” on Saturday, July 14. Lunch will be served at the American Legion on Fourth Street starting at 12:30 p.m. with a few words about shared history and prayers of Thanksgiving for having this time together. After lunch, the San Luis Valley Museum at 401 Hunt Avenue, Alamosa, will host music by Los Cancioneros Del Valle. They will perform from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Enjoy the music, dance, have dessert, tour the museum or visit with Geronimo Olivas, who creates santos and will have many on display. At 6 p.m. say goodnight to new and old friends.

On Friday July 13th, the San Luis Valley Museum will host Dennis Lopez. He is known for his vast and accurate knowledge of the history of the San Luis Valley. The museum is so honored to have him share this knowledge with all of the people who live here in the Valley. The program will begin at 6 p.m. Come, renew your knowledge, learn something new and share with others the Spanish history of the Valley.

For more information call 719-587-0667.

Caption: Santos artist Geronimo Olivas will attend the July 14th event at the San Luis Valley Museum in Alamosa and will have many of his santos on display./Courtesy photo