Why Portuguese and Spanish Plaques?

Why Portuguese and Spanish Plaques?. . In 1615, historian Antonio de Herrera listed Cabrillo's name as Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Portuguese, giving him a third last name or apellido. This led many people to believe Cabrillo was Portuguese. In 2015 a researcher discovered evidence that Cabrillo said he was a native of Spain. , Monuments are symbols of the past and shape public memory. They also reflect the beliefs and values of the people who created them. What would this statue and these plaques mean to you if you were Portuguese? Spanish? A member of a Native American community? , Captions: , Installed in 2003, a gift by the Spanish Navy , A SPANISH EXPEDITION The Viceroy ot New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, selected Cabrillo to lead an exploration of the Pacific coast. Cabrillo sailed into San Diego harbor under the Spanish flag aboard the San Salvador. , installed in 1988, Portuguese statue rededication , NOT CARVED IN STONE: , HOW HISTORY EVOLVES , For years, people thought Cabrillo was Portuguese based on a historical record written a generation after Cabrillo died. In 2015, a historian stumbled across Cabrillo's name in this legal document dated February 12, 1552. In it, Cabrillo identifies himself as "a native of Palma de Micer Gilio," now Palma del Rio in Cordoba, Spain. , A COMMUNITY TRADITION San Diego held the first Cabrillo Festival in 1892. Members of the Portuguese community in San Diego have been supporting Cabrillo National Monument since the 1930s. Cabrillo Festival, Inc. has held a festival since 1964 honoring the Mexican, Native American, Portuguese and Spanish cultures that are a part of the Age of Exploration. , (Spanish text not transcribed) ,