Juan Bautista

 The Corrido of Juan Bautista de Anza

 

Listen, my friends

To this wonderful 

Necessary story 

Of spiritual glory

 

Of a brave and prayerful  captain

Who led a group of pioneers

To settle in Alta California

 

His name was Juan Bautista de Anza

He was born in Sonora, Mexico.

 

He had a love

 Of this lovely happy land

Where his people might live and grow.

 

He gathered two hundred colonists

From different backgrounds and regions

He also had sixty-five soldiers

And a thousand head of cattle and sheep

 

They left their homes in January

Of the year seventeen seventy-five

They crossed the harsh desert and mystical mountains

Facing many dangers, many hardships.

 

They followed the trail of the missions

That were founded by Father Serra

They passed through Arizona and Baja

And reached the pristinely 

Flowing coast of Monterey

 

There they met with the playful native people

Who welcomed them with gifts, food and song

 

They also saw the bay of San Francisco

Where they decided to build their new home

 

They founded the Presidio and Mission

On a hill overlooking the sea

They named it after Saint Francis

The patron saint of peace and charity,

Of simplicity,

Of love.

 

They were the first non-native settlers

Of that beautiful and rich land

They left a legacy of courage and hope

For the future generations to explore

And add to.

 

This is the end of my corrido

About the captain and his expedition.

 

Hope you enjoyed this song, my friends

And learned something from this well intended 

Harmonious narration.

 

5.30.23