Old Town in San Diego Celebrates Dia De Los Muertos.

When you come to San Diego one place you should check out is Cabrillo National Monument. Perched atop the cliff at the end of point Loma is a large cream colored statue of a Spanish seaman named Juan Luis Cabrillo. This conquistador was the first European to set foot in the west coast of what is today San Diego. This warrior, whose origins are a bit shaded through the veils of time, was sailing in the name of Spain during the early 1500’s. Cabrillo became well known for his crossbow skills after showcasing his talent with the mechanized bow and arrow during his service under Cortez in their battle for Tenochtitlán (The Capital of the Azteks) (Dickey).

The Cabrillo National park was dedicated as an army reserve in 1851; the site was originally a Light house which was built in 1854 as a land mark for ships. In 1913 President Wilson acknowledged the site as a national preserve and in 1933 Roosevelt dedicated the site to the national Parks association. The statue of Cabrillo was brought to the site in 1949 from Portugal and the visitor’s center was constructed in 1965. During both World War I and II the reserve was used by the military as a defense system. The altitude of the peninsula served as a lookout point, and guns were mounted on the cliff as a first line of defense. The old light house was repainted in an olive green color and it was used as a military command fort equipped with communication technology. (Dickey)[i].

The site became a national monument in 1913 in honor of the explorations of Juan Luis Cabrillo. Cabrillo National Monument has a museum which showcases the Spanish Colonization of the Americas. There is special focus on the first Europeans to land in San Diego. This museum has artifacts from the Spanish colonial era, including swords, armor, helmets and other protective equipment worn by the Spanish warriors. It also pays homage to the ships and sea cultures of the Spanish during these times. There are statues of conquistadores and blue prints and explanations of the way the ships were built and how they worked. There are obviously plaques with facts and stories about the conquistadores with special attention devoted to Cabrillo (which is to be expected from a site called Cabrillo national monument) as well as stories about the Kumeyay Indian. There was much more devotion to the Spanish conquistadores and there conquests, however they did mention multiple times the hardships that the Kumeyay Faced during that time.

The museum definitely depicts Cabrillo in favorable light telling sea stories of his life. 16^th century historian Antonio De Herrera identified Cabrillo as being Portuguese as well as “a man well versed in matters of the sea”, however others say he was Spanish. After serving under Cortez in battle with the Aztecs Juan Rodriguez Cortez abandoned the life of a conquistador and settled in Guatemala. There he took an Indian common law wife and had children. Latter he set sail with 3 ships El Salvador, Victoria and San Miguel to explore the west coast of what is now the United Stated of America. He was also on a mission to find a trade route to the orient because the thought at the time was that the Pacific Ocean was quite small. He landed in San Diego and described the area as a “good harbor.” He also “discovered LA and San Francisco before his Death  (plaques)

The museum also showcased the life of the Kumayaay Indians who were the local San Diegans before the arrival of the Europeans. This was rather refreshing since I was expecting a love fest with Cabrillo and not much at all on the Kumeyaay or any natives for that matter. According to plaques at the museum, the Kumeyaay had lived in San Diego for thousands of years. They traded with neighboring tribes as well as maintained a unique relationship with the land. They also used fire techniques to burn the shrubs to produce more arid lands. It describes the fact that many natives lost their health as well as their lands to the newcomers. But the plaques do have disclaimers that say although “knowledge, tradition and language are lost forever”, much of the culture of the natives survives today in the form of modern Indians who live in reservations. The plaques do however mention the fact that many Indians died from small pox in fact they had the same quote that is mentioned in Out of Many on a plaque which reads.

“In 1519 small pox a disease unknown in the Americas arrived on a Spanish ship. According to Indian testimony in 1560, “it spread over the people as great destruction. Some it covered with pustules on all parts of the body. Very many died of it. They could not walk. They only lay in their beds. They could not move, and if they stirred, much did they cry out. Great was its destruction.””

Which depicts the suffering of the unfortunate victims of this illness in much detail. This gives some balance to the theme of the museum in my opinion by acknowledging the fact that many Indians suffered from European “Exploration.”

There is also a plaque that describes the discovery of the Americas by Cristobol Colon which reads “In 1492 Christopher Columbus “discovered” a “new world” and unleashed a half century of Spanish ambition.” They use quotes over the words discovered and new world which is interesting to me because it sort of pays homage to the fact that using these words is certainly viewing the world through a European lens and it undermines the fact that to the Indians this was not a new place. In fact one of the quotes from one of the pamphlets actually states that “the Indians thought of their land as the old world.” Which I felt was a good balance in his portrayal of the history.

            The site is definitely paying homage to the Spanish conquistadores and their explorations as well as their conquests. The 14 foot statue of Cabrillo paints a picture of his grandeur and is a way to mystify him almost as a spiritual being. The Spanish are portrayed in favorable light and the museum is skewed in the favor of the Spanish. However the culture of the natives is on display. They showcase the Indians in a favorable light by discussing the cultural artifacts and daily cultural activities of the Indians. The Kumeyaay are by no means left out nor ignored in this context and neither is their suffering. Although the Spanish are portrayed in more glorious fashion there is a surprising amount of attention payed to the natives.

            This is not to say that the curators of the museum didn’t leave out much of the gory details of the treatment of the Indians nor did they include the gruesome details of the Spanish behavior toward the Indians. Barthelme De Las Casas and his condescension of Spanish behavior towards the Indians is also mentioned in little detail. This site is more of a balance in that it paints both cultures simultaneously in a positive light I remember thinking as I came away from the site that if I were either Spanish or Kumeyaay I would be leaving with a feeling that my culture was portrayed favorably. 

Bibliography

Dickey, cliff. “Cabrillo National Monument California.” Pamphlet. GPO: 2007-330-358/00646 reprint, 2007.

plaques. “Plaques at Cabrillo National Monument Museum.”

As Joss Stone sang in front of 80,000 fans the union jack and star spangled banner were stretched out side by side in a great symbol of unity as this international sporting event brings two nations and three cities together.

According to the Guardian the NFL is gaining popularity in the UK. Sharing national sports is a great way to exchange culture with the international community. Much like Beckham coming to play “football” in the US in an effort to boost the popularity of the sport here in America.

As a San Diegan who has not only vacationed in the UK but lived in London for various stretches of time I am excited to see this exchange of culture in action.