Re: The origin of "Gringo"

["John S. Quarterman" <jsq@mids.org>]

>There is certainly a rather unhappy relationship between the Mexican Republic 
>and the USA.

And before that between Mexico and the Republic of Texas.
And before that between Spain and the British and the French.
Not to mention between Mexico and the French, who took the
opportunity of the U.S. Civil War to intervene in Mexico
and prop up the puppet emperor Maximilien.

>Undoubtedly the names of the Southern US States owe more to the 
>Spanish Americans than to those of European orgin: California, Oregon, Texas, 
>Nevada and Florida, for example!

Not to mention New Mexico and Arizona.

The oldest continuously inhabited European city in North America
is St. Augustine, Florida, founded as San Agostin in 1565.
The next year missions were established at Santa Catalina de Guale
(on what is now St. Simons Island, Ga.) and at Santa Elena, which
is now Parriss Island, S.C.

What does this have to do with Scots?

Darien, Georgia was founded in 1736 by John McIntosh Mohr as the
southernmost outpost of the British settlements in North America.
Settlers from there and from Charleston and Savannah several times
fought the Spanish in Florida.

My Sinclair ancestors arrived in Georgia a century later, and some
of them lived in Darien.

> It is often said "Pobre México, tan lejos de 
>Dios y tan cerca de los Estados Unidos" (Poor Mexico, so far from God and so 
>close to the USA."! 

That saying is usually attributed to Benito Juarez, the greatest president
of Mexico.

John S. Quarterman <jsq@mids.org>
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