Taking nothing from the Pilgrims, the first Thanksgiving in the New World took place in TEXAS, not Plymouth.
When Don Juan de Onate crossed the Rio Grande near San Elizario, Texas with 500 settlers on April 30,1598 he paused with his caravan to thank God for their safe travels thus far and ask His blessing on the remainder of their journey toward modern-day Santa Fe, New Mexico. This event, the first formal thanksgiving, took place 22 years before the Pilgrims’ celebration in 1620. The caravan would need God’s blessings. Their trek was known as La Jornada del Muerte–the journey of death.
Don Juan de Onate established the western branch of El Camino Real (the royal road), which provided an essential supply and communications link between Mexico City and Santa Fe. His was the first Spanish settlement. He is also credited with naming El Paso and introducing the horse, the Catholic religion, European plants and livestock to the New World. Unfortunately, his legacy also includes extreme cruelty to the Indians he encountered. Demanding that they supply his settlement with food they could not spare, he attacked and enslaved them when they could not meet his demands.
I don’t know about you, but that gives me much to ponder. Please comment. What do you observe through this historical out-take?
