LEGENDS OF THE SOUTHWEST:
               OUR HIDDEN HISPANIC HERITAGE

Beginning in the late 15^th century and continuing to the present day, the
influence of Hispanic culture has permeated societies both in North and
South America.  The Columbian exchange of peoples, ideas, religion,
foods, flora, fauna, and diseases changed both the old and new worlds
forever. Although often neglected in textbooks, the 400-year Spanish
presence in the Americas left an indelible imprint upon the history of
western civilization. 

Scarcely more than twenty years after Hernando Cortez uncovered the
riches of the Aztec empire, Francisco Coronado embarked on a 4000-mile
journey from the western coast of Mexico across unknown stretches of
the American outback.  Coronado, like those before and after him, would
change the cultural and physical landscape of the American Southwest.

Legends of the Southwest:
Our Hidden Hispanic Heritage
Curated by Steve Bogener,
Fabricated by Lyn Stoll
SWC-September 1999