Did you know that Spanish influence in New Orleans dates back to the 1700’s when King Louis XV ceded the entire territory of Louisiana to his Bourbon cousin King Charles III of Spain in 1763?  From 1769 to 1801 Spain controlled the city. Despite that brief rule, the Spanish influence on the city is pronounced.  In 1788 and 1794 fires ravaged the French Quarter, destroying hundreds of buildings each time.  In fact, St. Louis Church was destroyed by fire and was later erected as a cathedral thanks to generous donations from Spanish citizens such as Don Andres Almonaster y Roxas.  As the Spanish rebuilt, they used the wrought iron balconies and central courtyards that were so prominent in Spain and thus became dominant in New Orleans.  Even today, the most famous architectures in New Orleans, the magnificent St. Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo, which once was the seat of Spanish government, clearly reflect the Spanish influence.

In 1803, through a series of maneuvers, Napoleon Bonaparte purchased the Louisiana Territory back from Spain.  Prior to this turn of events, Spanish influence was prevalent.  In religion, for example, the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, created in 1793, was originally called the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas.  The Diocese stretched from Key West, Florida, along the Gulf Coast, and Northwest of the Mississippi River into Canada.  The first bishop of New Orleans, Luis PeZalver y Cardenas, a native of Havana, Cuba, arrived in 1795.  Louisianians, led by Governor Bernardo de Galvez, joined the Anglo-American colonists in their War of Independence from England.  The British were defeated in a series of encounters at Manchac, Baton Rouge, Mobile and finally, in Pensacola, with the help, in part, of Spanish forces.  From then until the present day, New Orleans has continued to express a vibrant Hispanic influence.

El NOLA Cubano

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