Pair to present research on Stockton's Latino history (California)
STOCKTON - "Las fiestas patrias" - patriotic holidays - were announced more than a century ago by the shooting of artillery cannons in the Mexican neighborhoods of Stockton.
Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day, and other observances such as Cinco de Mayo were elaborate celebrations in the mid- and late 1800s.
That snapshot of the past has surfaced from research conducted by a local historian and a cemetery manager.
Ruben Sanchez, manager of Stockton Rural Cemetery, recently sifted through the old records of deceased Mexicans and Mexican-Americans and collaborated with Stockton historian Grant Louis Ashley to bring to life some of the city's history that has been overlooked.
Ashley and Sanchez will present an educational program based on their research - "Mexican Pioneers of the 1800s Stockton" - today at St. Mary's Church. Proceeds will go to the church's youth program.
"It's important to show the real history of what happened during that time," Sanchez said. "We're doing this so it doesn't get lost in the future."
Sanchez, who also teaches catechism at St. Mary's, said his goal is to provide Latino young people with a more positive picture of pioneering Mexicans than what has been recorded. He wants this and future generations to better understand their ancestors' contributions to the shaping of Stockton...
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Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day, and other observances such as Cinco de Mayo were elaborate celebrations in the mid- and late 1800s.
That snapshot of the past has surfaced from research conducted by a local historian and a cemetery manager.
Ruben Sanchez, manager of Stockton Rural Cemetery, recently sifted through the old records of deceased Mexicans and Mexican-Americans and collaborated with Stockton historian Grant Louis Ashley to bring to life some of the city's history that has been overlooked.
Ashley and Sanchez will present an educational program based on their research - "Mexican Pioneers of the 1800s Stockton" - today at St. Mary's Church. Proceeds will go to the church's youth program.
"It's important to show the real history of what happened during that time," Sanchez said. "We're doing this so it doesn't get lost in the future."
Sanchez, who also teaches catechism at St. Mary's, said his goal is to provide Latino young people with a more positive picture of pioneering Mexicans than what has been recorded. He wants this and future generations to better understand their ancestors' contributions to the shaping of Stockton...