Scott and I received a grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation to research the last surviving musical link between the Canary Islands, Spain and Louisiana, USA. The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Morocco. Nearly 2000 Canary Islanders arrived in Louisiana in 1778 to colonize New Spain (Louisiana) and to serve in the American Revolution against Britain. The colonists lived in four settlements in Louisiana, Galveztown (now Glavez), Barrataria, Valenzuela and St. Bernard. I have five ancestors (also known as Los Isleños) from the Canary Islands with the surnames Rodriguez, Perez, Gonzalez, Corvo (Cabo), and Diaz. Having traveled to the Canary Islands twice now to research my heritage, I realize how Canarian my grandmother was even after over 200 years of our ancestors’ arrival. My grandmother, Irene Rodriguez, was very proud of her Canarian heritage, and she instilled that pride in me.
We arrived in Gran Canaria after fourteen hours in a plane, and were picked up from the airport, in true Canarian fashion, by our musician friend Tino Hernandez Aleman, who was not discouraged to wait for us during a two hour delay! After settling in to our hotel, we had a delicious typical meal of papas arugatas, sardines, and gambias (garlic shrimp in oil). Papas arugatas is a staple of the Canarian cuisine. It is new potatoes boiled in salt water to create a crystalized skin. The papas are served with a red mojo (a sauce made with garlic, pimento and tomatoes).
Tune in for the next post about our Canary Islands adventures!
