Thanksgiving More than Pilgrims And Turkey

By:Victor Escalante NewsTaco

El Paso, Texas is known for many things; Chico’s Tacos, Fort Bliss, cowboy boots, the Sun Bowl, and the first Thanksgiving celebrated in America? Yes! But more on that later.

El Paso is a unique city that is almost like another country. A mixture of three cultures, old Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas. Separated by the Sonoran Dessert from other parts of the country, it has a culture all its own. For centuries Latinos, Anglos, and Native Americans have figured out how to get along and work together to form a prominent bustling community.

The city is made up of 80.7 % Latinos, 14.2 % White, with 5.1 % made up of Native Americans, Blacks, Asians,  and other mixed races. After the free trade agreement, the city became one of the busiest ports for assembled products coming from the twin plants American manufactures built in the sister city Juarez Mexico.

In order to succeed in this part of the country being bilingual is a definite advantage. For that matter, due to the large Latino purchasing power, many corporations are now recruiting bilingual staff for key positions.  With the Latino electorate reaching the tipping point, we can expect a more moderate acceptance of Spanish and our culture. We are now experiencing a reverse assimilation of cultures with the Latinization of America.

El Paso del Norte as it was known in ancient times was colonized by Spanish explorer Juan de Oñate. An oasis in the dessert, El Paso provided water and food after he and his expedition party nearly died trying to cross the dessert. They celebrated with native Indians eating game and fish from this fertile valley. The first Thanksgiving in America was celebrated here in 1598, 23 years before the New England festival. That my friends is the rest of the story. May your Thanksgiving be filled with merriment full of turkey and tamales.