Toward a History of Hispanic Literature in the United States

The roots of Hispanic literature were planted north of the Río Grande quite some time before the landing of the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock. In 1598 Juan de Onate’s colonizing expectation up from central Mexico into what is today New Mexico is doubly important as the beginning of a literary and oral tradition. The first is represented by the landmark epic poem La Conquista de la Nueva México, by one of the soldiers on the expedition, Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá. ¹ The oral Spanish literary tradition was introduced with the improvised dramas, directed by Captain Farfán ² during the expedition and, we must assume, by the introduction into these northern territories of romances (historical ballads) and other songs, some of which have survived to this date. ³