SAN ANTONIO \u2013 America is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, but for some, the history dates back much further.<\/p>\n
Nearly 300 years ago, 16 families traveled thousands of miles from the Canary Islands to present-day San Antonio. When they arrived, they helped establish the first civilian government in Texas.<\/p>\n
The descendants of these families said their story is not just part of San Antonio\u2019s legacy, but part of the American story.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important for us to know who we came from,\u201d said Julia Lopez, president of the Canary Islands Descendants Association. \u201cThat\u2019s how we know what tomorrow brings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canary Islanders were sent by the King of Spain to settle the \u201cNew World\u201d in 1730. They landed in San Antonio on March 9, 1731.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can only imagine the journey,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cThey sailed across the Atlantic, they walked across Mexico and up into San Antonio.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Spanish missionaries arrived in 1718, descendants of the Canary Islanders said they were the first to establish the city\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur families were the first mayors of San Antonio,\u201d Sharon Pelayo Simonick. \u201cOur families were the first council people, our families were the first sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Canary Islanders were also early benefactors of San Fernando Cathedral.<\/p>\n
A devotion to Our Lady of Candelaria, the patroness of the Canary Islands, remains inside the cathedral to this day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our story is so important because we are the story of America,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cWe\u2019re the story of immigration, we are the story of people who came to find a better life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anthony Delgado said learning more about his ancestors changed the way he sees American history.<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning about our ancestors\u2019 contributions to the American Revolution makes that history more personal,\u201d Delgado said. \u201cI now have an ancestral investment in this thing called America and its revolution and independence.\u201d<\/p>\n
For many descendants, the story of the Canary Islanders is a reminder that resilience, sacrifice and the search for a better life have always been part of the American story.<\/p>\n
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