Friday, Oct. 2, 1998
Historian talks of Spain's involvement in
American Revolution
While rummaging through the archives and storage area at the Museum of New Mexico several years ago now, Tom Chavez of Santa Fe came across three silk flags. His curiosity aroused, Chavez set out to find out the origin of the flags.
Chavez learned the flags were replicas of Spanish flags that had been donated to the state to celebrate the United States bicentennial in 1976. They were a revelation, Chavez said.
"That started me on my quest," Chavez said Wednesday during a talk about the Spanish involvement in the American Revolution at the Laboratory's Physics Building Auditorium.
Chavez spent days, probably weeks he said, calling museums in Spain and Mexico before learning how the state museum system ended up with the flags.
Later, Chavez spent 10 months in Spain in 1987 on a Fulbright Scholarship learning more about the flags and about Spain's involvement in America's struggle for independence. He visited archives in Valladolid, Spain, talked with historians, wrote and visited other archives in Spain and Mexico.
"What do they have to do with our independence?" Chavez asked. Well, unless you're a historian, you probably don't know that Spain spent more money on the American Revolution than did France and Mexico, he explained.
Chavez's talk was part of the Laboratory's observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. "400 Years of Technology in New Mexico: A Cuarto Centenario Commemorative," is the theme for the Lab's celebration of national Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
Chavez is a historian by profession and directs the state-run Palace of the Governors, which is part of the Museum of New Mexico system. Chavez conducts an annual lecture series at the Palace of the Governors and has authored numerous books.
Chavez said Spanish armies -- including soldiers from South America and Mexico -- fought British soldiers on what is today New Mexico. They also joined U.S. soldiers under the command of General George Washington to fight British soldiers in present day Michigan; Massachusetts; Mobile, Ala.; Pensacola, Fla.; and the Bahamas.
"Our revolution wasn't just a revolutionary war tied to the 13 colonies," said Chavez. "It was a world war."
Chavez said the largest armada of ships at the time belonged to Spain. The Spanish armada fought the British navy, he said.
Chavez also noted that in 1781, the king of Spain imposed a tax on certain alcoholic beverages to help finance the war effort. At the end of the Revolutionary War, a Spanish government report noted that Spain received 3,677 pesos from people living in New Mexico. "So my ancestors were taxed," Chavez laughed.
And Spain received 4,216 pesos in tax collections from people living in California.
Chavez also noted that the dollar symbol -- $ -- that is used commonly today, originated from the Spanish peso.
Spain and the American colonists had other problems to overcome, Chavez noted. Britain had the Quartering Act on their side when they needed to take private property to house and feed British soldiers. George Washington had no naval forces like Britain; he had to mass and move troops over land with soldiers having to walk miles, often in inclement weather and otherwise poor conditions.
"There are accounts of whole contingents cutting trees and clearing land so [Washington's] troops could go through," said Chavez.
Britain's strategy to win the Revolutionary War, Chavez said, was to split the Spanish army to weaken its forces. If Britain's army got into trouble, he explained, its naval forces could come to the rescue.
Ultimately, what would prove to be a turning point for the colonists in winning independence from Britain, was the fact that General Francisco Saavedra, who led the French navy, was able to deliver money to George Washington, who in turn was able to compensate his troops. They marched north and won the battle of Yorkstown. The French navy at that time was commanded by Spain, Chavez said.
Hispanic Heritage Month continues at the Lab Monday with a panel discussion on Hispanics in science and engineering from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Auditorium at Technical Area 53. All Hispanic Heritage Month events are free and open to the public.
Other speakers scheduled to speak at the Laboratory during Hispanic Heritage Month include
-- Eliseo Torres, vice president of Student Affairs at the University of New Mexico, will talk about herbal medicinals at noon next Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Building Auditorium.
-- On Oct. 14, archaeologist Brad Vierra of Ecology (ESH-20) will talk about the findings of his archaeological excavation of a campsite in the late 1980s near the Coronado Monument in Bernalillo. Vierra's talk begins at noon in the Department of Energy's Los Alamos Area Office conference room at Technical Area 43.
A traveling timeline highlighting 400 years of technology in New Mexico also has been produced. The timeline is sponsored by the Environment, Safety and Health (ESH) Division and the Diversity Office.
The Hispanic Diversity Working Group also is partnering with MANA del Norte, IMAGE de Los Alamos and the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists to sponsor a fundraising banquet Oct. 17 in Pojoaque. The banquet is in the Cities of Gold Hotel in Pojoaque. Admission is $25.
The keynote speaker at the banquet is Santiago Rodriguez, a management and marketing consultant who has been involved in civil rights, community and diversity issues for more than 25 years.
The Hispanic Diversity Working Group is sponsoring Hispanic Heritage Month activities at the Laboratory. The Diversity (DV) Office is providing funds to pay for expenses associated with the Hispanic Heritage Month activities.
More information about Hispanic Heritage Month can be found at http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/dvo/hdwg/hhmonth.html online.
--Steve Sandoval
Tom Chavez, left, director of the Palace of the Governors, talks
with Environmental Management (EM) Programs Director Tom Baca after Chavez'
talk Wednesday in the Physics Building Auditorium. Chavez spoke about Spanish
involvement in the American Revolution as part of the Laboratory's Hispanic
Heritage Month celebration. The Palace of the Governors is part of the Museum
of New Mexico system. For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month,
go to http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/dvo/hdwg/hhmonth.html
online. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez
Car show winners announced
A 1923 T-bucket and a 1957 Chevrolet Nomad were two of the winners at the Laboratory's Hispanic Heritage Month car show last Friday at Ashley Pond downtown.
The car show was sponsored by the Nuclear Materials Technology (NMT) Division and was part of the Hispanic Diversity Working Group's community tent event.
Technicians Ron Chavez from Actinide Process Chemistry (NMT-2) and Ernie Montoya from Advanced Technology (NMT-6) judged the car show entries.
Winners in three categories received plaques from the Diversity (DV) Office. The winners by category are as follows:
Custom
Hot Rod
Oldies
--Steve Sandoval
Salary increases went into effect Monday
University of California Laboratory employees who receive a pay raise for the 1999 fiscal year will see the increase in their Oct. 8 payroll checks. The salary increases went into effect on Monday.
On the Oct. 8 paycheck, employees will be paid for one week at their present salary and one week at the new salary. The first full pay check for employees at their new salary will be on Oct. 22.
Hispanic scientists and researchers at the Laboratory will talk about their experiences as a Hispanic scientist at the Lab in a panel discussion on Monday in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) Auditorium at Technical Area 53. The panel discussion is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to badgeholders. The panel discussion is part of the Laboratory's observance of national Hispanic Heritage Month. "400 Years of Technology in New Mexico: A Cuarto Centenario Commemorative" is the theme for the Laboratory's celebration of national Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues through Oct. 15. Panel members are Donald Sandoval of Nuclear and Hydrodynamic Applications (X-NH); Carlos Garcia of Integrated Science and Technology (EM-IS&T); Octavio Vela of the Engineering Sciences and Applications (ESA) Division Office; Abad Sandoval of University Programs in the Science and Technology Base Programs Office (STB-DSTBP); Jacob Perea of the Dynamic Experimentation (DX-DO) Division Office; Leonard Romero of Health Physics Measurements (ESH-4); and Richard Castro of Materials Technology: Metallurgy (MST-6). For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month activities at the Lab, see the Sept. 23 Daily Newsbulletin or go to http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/dvo/hdwg/hhmonth.html online. --Steve Sandoval |
Nominations sought for Fellows Prize for Outstanding Research in Science or Engineering
Policy: To reward outstanding research performed at the Laboratory that was published within the last 10 years and that has had a significant impact on its discipline or program.
Purpose: To recognize and stimulate high-quality investigations in science or engineering by Laboratory staff members and to encourage publication in appropriate journals, books or reports.
Eligibility: Nominees must be full-time employees of the Laboratory at the time of nomination. All staff members of the Laboratory are eligible, but Fellows and postdoctoral researchers are not eligible. The work may be classified or unclassified.
Prize Nomination: Nominations should be submitted to the coordinator or deputy coordinator of the Los Alamos Fellows, and statements of justification (two pages or less) and letters of support (not exceeding five) from leaders in the field, both internal and external, are desirable. All supporting material -- which should include the publications on which the nomination is based -- should focus strongly on that particular research and the contributions of the investigators. Nomination packages should be simple and brief.
Award Review Procedure: A review committee selected from the Fellows will be appointed by the coordinator of the Los Alamos Fellows. The committee will make the prize selections.
Number of Awards: The number of prizes in any given year will not exceed three.
Amount of Awards: The prize will carry a maximum award of $3,000 for each individual. An appropriate certificate will commemorate the award.
Granting the Prize: The Director will present the prize at a formal colloquium, during which the recipients will describe their research.
Nominations should be received on or before Nov. 2 by either J.B. Wilhelmy, coordinator of Laboratory Fellows, CST-11, Mail Stop J514, 5-3188, or by J.C. Solem, deputy coordinator of Laboratory Fellows, T-DO, Mail Stop B210, 7-3856.
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