Hispanic Heritage Sites
The National Park System is well endowed to commemorate Hispanic contributions to American society. Some 20 national parklands represent Hispanic heritage in the United States. Some sites remotely display Hispanic contributions to American culture. The National Park System not only preserves the history and contributions of Hispanic Americans, it is also a part of the nation's history. Over the years, the National Park Service has reflected the nation's social history. Among the first Hispanics who influenced the course of the National Parks were:
Biologist
- George Melendez Wright was born in California in 1904. In 1927, he was hired at Yosemite National Park as assistant park naturalist. Through his studies and insight, the park service moved away from the destruction of predator to the scientific management of park plants, animals and scenery.
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- Julio Marrero-Nunez ;
- Edward C. Rodriquez Jr. ;
- Ray G. Martinez Jr. ;
- Edward C. Rodriquez Jr. ;
- Ernest W. Ortega ;
- José A. Cisneros ;
- Santiago Cruz ;
- Luis Garcia-Curbelo ;
- Robert C. Reyes ;
- David P. Herrerra
- Eddie L. Lopez ;
- Peter G. Sanchez ;
- Vidal V. Martinez ;
- Edward A. Lopez ;
- Ernesto Quintana, Midwest Region
National Park Units
- Christiansted National Historic Site
- *On Saint Croix, one of the Caribbean islands visited by Christopher Columbus.
- Cabrillo National Monument
- *Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer who claimed the West Coast of the United States for Spain in 1542, is memorialized here.
- Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
- *Construction on the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States was started in 1672 by the Spanish to protect St. Augustine. St. Augustine is the first permanent continually-occupied settlement in the continental United States.
- Chamizal National Memorial
- *The peaceful settlement of the 99-year boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico is memorialized here. International artists present cultural exchange programs in drama, dance, and music.
- Coronado National Memorial
- *The first European exploration of the Southwest is commemorated here at the spot whether the expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1540 entered what is now the United States.
- De Soto National Memorial
- *The landing of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1539 and the first extensive exploration of the southern United States by Europeans are commemorated.
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- El Morro National Monument
- *"Inscription Rock" is a soft sandstone monolith on which are carved hundreds of inscriptions. Included are inscriptions of the Spanish explorers and settlers of the American Southwest.
- Fort Matanzas National Monument
- *This Spanish fort was built to warn St. Augustine of British or other enemy approach from the south.
- Gulf Islands National Seashore Bateria de San Antonio
- *Offshore islands have sparkling sand beaches, historic forts, and nature trails.
- Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
- Padre Island National Seashore
- Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
- Pecos National Historical Park
- Presidio of San Francisco
- Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
- *This park preserves and interprets the best remaining examples of 17th-century Spanish Franciscan mission churches and coventos remaining in the United States.
- Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve
- San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
- *Four Spanish frontier missions, part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries are commemorated here.
- San Juan National Historic Site
- *These masonry fortifications, oldest in the territorial limits of the United States, were begun by the Spaniards in the 16th century to protect a strategic harbor guarding the sea lanes to the new world.
- Tumacácori National Historical Park
- *This historic Spanish Catholic mission building stands near the site first visited by Jesuit Father Kino in 1691.