Time to Give Thanks. After all , San Eli was First

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 Did you know that years before the Pilgrims feasted at Plymouth, Texas claims to have held the first Thanksgiving? And it happened right outside El Paso, in present-day San Elizario in 1598.

After traveling for days throughout the difficult desert terrain, around 400 Spaniards led by Juan de Oñate reached the Rio Grande, and feasted with the Mansos tribe. This Thanksgiving feast was followed by Spain’s 200+ year reign over what would become Texas and much of the Southwest.

Juan de Oñate is credited with naming the area “El Paso del Rio del Norte”, a name that was later shortened to El Paso. Oñate’s sculpture at the El Paso Airport still stands, it took 10 years and $2 million to complete. There have been calls to take the statue down in protest of the difficult history behind Oñate’s treatment of Native Americans.

#ChucoThrowbackThursday #thanksgiving#juandeonate #sanelizario #elpasohistory