The first Thanksgiving was celebrated long before the Pilgrims arrived. Don Juan de Onate led settlers from Mexico into what is now New Mexico. On April 30, 1598, the scouts in the colonists’ party made camp along the Rio Grande and prepared to drink and eat their fill, for there they found fishes and waterfowl. Villagrá wrote,
“We built a great bonfire and roasted meat and fish, and then sat down to a repast the like of which we had never enjoyed before.” Before this bountiful meal, Don Juan de Oñate personally nailed a cross to a living tree and prayed, “Open the door to these heathens, establish the church altars where the body and blood of the Son of God may be offered, open to us the way to security and peace for their preservation and ours, and give to our king and to me in his royal name, peaceful possession of these kingdoms and provinces for His blessed glory. Amen.”
Ah, a nice feast after a long day of enslaving and killing millions of “native Americans” and claiming all land within view for the king of Spain. Kinda brings a tear to my eye. Or at least brings a tear to La Raza’s eye anyway. They long for the good ol’ days.
Helping keep mankind warm for 65 years.