Sanchez, Joseph P.

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Sanchez, Joseph P.

PERSONAL:

Male.

ADDRESSES:

Home—NM.

CAREER:

Writer. Petroglyph National Monument, Albuquerque, NM, superintendent; Spanish Colonial Research Center, Albuquerque, director.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Medalla del Merito Civil, from King Juan Carlos I of Spain, for promoting Spanish Colonial heritage, 2005.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with John V. Bezy) Pecos, Gateway to Pueblos & Plains: The Anthology, Southwest Parks and Monuments Association (Tucson, AZ), 1988.

(Compiler, with others) Bibliografia Colombina, 1492-1990: Books, Articles and Other Publications on the Life and Times of Christopher Columbus, National Park Service, Spanish Colonial Research Center (Albuquerque, NM), 1990.

The Spanish Black Legend: Origins of Anti-Hispanic Stereotypes, National Park Service, Spanish Colonial Research Center (Albuquerque, NM), 1990.

Spanish Bluecoats: The Catalonian Volunteers in Northwestern New Spain, 1767-1810, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 1990.

A Selected Bibliography of the Florida-Louisiana Frontier with References to the Caribbean, 1492-1819, National Park Service, Spanish Colonial Research Center (Albuquerque, NM), 1991.

Spanish Colonial Research Center Computerized Index of Spanish Colonial Documents, U.S. Department of the Interior (Albuquerque, NM), 1991.

(Translator and editor, with others) Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá, Historia de la Nueva México, 1610 (epic poem), University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 1992.

(Compiler, with others) Guide to the Spanish Colonial Research Center Map Collection of North America, U.S. Department of the Interior (Albuquerque, NM), 1994.

The Aztec Chronicles: The True History of Christopher Columbus as Narrated by Quilaztli of Texcoco: A Novella, TQS Publications (Berkeley, CA), 1995.

Explorers, Traders, and Slavers: Forging the Old Spanish Trail, 1678-1850, University of Utah Press (Salt Lake City, UT), 1997.

(With others) Memorias del Coloquio Internacional El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, National Institute of Historical Anthropology [Mexico], 2000.

SIDELIGHTS:

Joseph P. Sanchez serves as the director of the Spanish Colonial Research Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and also as superintendent of the Petroglyph National Monument. Sanchez is devoted to the preservation of native and Spanish heritage in the western United States and received the Medalla del Merito Civil from the king of Spain in 2005 in recognition of his efforts. He is the author of several books on the Spanish colonial influences and history of the New Mexico/Texas region and has also served as translator on a number of early Spanish colonial works, including Historia de la Nueva México, 1610. The epic poem begins at the close of the sixteenth century and continues through the founding and official first year of Spanish New Mexico. Writing for the Sixteenth Century Journal, John Frederick Schwaller remarked: "This new edition is an important contribution to the early history of New Mexico. The sources which describe this crucial time of cultural contact are extremely limited, and Pérez de Villagrá's work is a welcome edition."

In Spanish Bluecoats: The Catalonian Volunteers in Northwestern New Spain, 1767-1810, Sanchez analyzes this short period in history following the Seven Years War, during which time it became vitally important for Spain to send reinforcement troops to New Spain in order to maintain both order and their claim to the land. The Free Company of Catalonian Volunteers was sent to help quell the numerous dangers in the region. These troops reflected the European system of naming a highly trained and elite corps of soldiers after a specific region meant to reinforce and advertise their superiority. Sanchez's book recounts the stories surrounding the Catalonian Volunteers, commenting on their success and their reputation within Spain. Janet R. Fireman, in a review for the Journal of San Diego History Online, noted the book included "all the components of the Catalonian Volunteers' exploits. For the first time, a single volume contains the complete compendium of both published and archival sources, a number of them in print for the first time." Ralph H. Vigil, writing for the Latin American Research Review, noted: "The Indians of California and the Pacific Northwest are mentioned in this study but are usually characterized merely as either friendly or hostile. Sanchez does point out that some Catalonian troopers married Indian women in California."

Explorers, Traders, and Slavers: Forging the Old Spanish Trail, 1678-1850 offers readers a solid overview of the history of Latino frontiersmen who participated in creating the first trails between New Mexico and California, including the Old Spanish Trail, despite the absence of many early documents regarding the Latino migrations at that time. Sanchez draws upon Spanish exploration and cartography of the period to assist him in piecing together the history of the area. Donald E. Chipman, in a review for the Journal of American History, remarked: "Overall, the book achieves its purpose…. Throughout, Sanchez displays an admirable preservationist bent, no doubt nurtured by his long association with the National Park Service."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Ethnohistory, summer, 1995, John L. Kessel, review of Historia de la Nueva México, 1610, p. 540.

Hispanic American Historical Review, August, 1997, Carlos R. Herrera, review of Historia de la Nueva México, 1610, p. 509.

Journal of American History, March, 1998, Donald E. Chipman, review of Explorers, Traders, and Slavers: Forging the Old Spanish Trail, 1678-1850, p. 1485.

Latin American Research Review, winter, 1994, Ralph H. Vigil, review of Spanish Bluecoats: The Catalonian Volunteers in Northwestern New Spain, 1767-1810, p. 155.

Sixteenth Century Journal, winter, 1995, John Frederick Schwaller, review of Historia de la Nueva México, 1610, p. 962.