The region of the United States know as MexAmerica is know for the Spanish influence on its culture.This influence is obvious in parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas where Spanish architecture, place names and foods are common.
Spanish Architecture in Texas
Spanish/Mexican Food
New Orleans, while usually associated with French culture, has a strong Spanish influence as well. Evidence of this is clearly apparent when looking around the city, particularly in the French Quarter. Despite its name the Quarter and the city has a Spanish history which is apparent when one knows where to look:
The architecture of the French Quarter is actually Spanish, despite the fact that the city's early residents were French. France gave up control of Louisiana to Spain to pay a war debt. Spain then controlled the colony from 1763 to 1803. During these years, several fires raged through the Quarter destroying the original French style architecture. The charming style that is admired to this day must be credited to the Spanish for it was Spain's administrators who rebuilt the city.
The flat-tiled roofs, tropical colors, and ornate ironwork of the French Quarter are Iberian touches brought from across the Atlantic. In order to prevent fires, the Spanish-controlled government mandated that stucco replace wood for construction material and that all buildings be placed near the street and each other. Where there used to be yards and open spaces surrounding the buildings, the French Quarter was now rendered both more intimate and more secretive, with continuous facades, arched passageways, and gorgeous rear gardens and courtyards hidden from street view. Construction on the Cabildo and the Presbytere, the matching edifices flanking St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, occurred during the Spanish era. The Cabildo served as Spain's administrative headquarters for Louisiana. Unlike other nationalities who immigrated to New Orleans, the Spanish never formed a cohesive community, and throughout Spanish rule, French Creole culture still dominated.
The men who served under the Spanish crown didn't come to New Orleans with their families, and they either married local women or eventually returned to their homeland. Any lingering Spanish influence dissipated once Louisiana became American. Still, one has to credit the Spanish with helping to establish New Orleans by improving infrastructure and giving the city decades of stability. Walking through the French Quarter one can find many plaques indicating the old Spanish names for streets, elsewhere in the city, street names honor historical figures from the Spanish era such as Galvez, Ulloa, Miro, and Gayoso. New Orleanians love fine European cuisine, so it's not surprising the city has several successful Spanish restaurants. Today Spanish influence in New Orleans is once again being reasserted through the city's relatively new but growing Hispanic community. After hurricane Katrina, many new residents to the city were of Hispanic ancestry.
Photo Sources: Google Images
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