wiki143 - User contributions [en]

Tex-Mex

2025-03-12T14:55:32Z

2600:1700:271:6A30:25C2:60D3:FA42:7E3D: ungrammatical

{{Short description|Cuisine in the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
[[File:CornmealProducts.jpg|thumbnail|upright=1.00|Examples of modern Tex-Mex dishes and ingredients: corn, tortilla chips, cheese, tacos, salsa, chilis, and beef dishes.]]
'''Tex-Mex cuisine''' (derived from the words ''[[Texas]]'' and ''[[Mexico]]'') is a regional [[American cuisine]] that originates from the culinary creations of [[Tejanos|Tejano]] people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the [[Southwestern United States]] to the rest of the country. It is a subtype of [[Cuisine of the Southwestern United States|Southwestern cuisine]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Walsh|first=Robb |title=The Tex-Mex Cookbook|publisher=Broadway Books |location=New York |edition=XVI}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1 = Feniger|first1 = Susan|last2 = Siegel|first2 = Helene|last3 = Miliken|title = Mexican Cooking for Dummies|publisher = Courage Books|year = 2002|location = Scranton|first3 = Mary Sue}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.lightmillennium.org/2005_15th/emartinez_tex_mex_cuisine.html |title=Mexicans in the U.S.A: Mexican-American / Tex-Mex Cuisine |last=Martinez |first=Etienne|website=Lightmillennium.org|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref> found in the American Southwest.

==Common dishes==
[[File:Selling baked beans and tortillas.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|
"Preparing plates of [[tortilla]]s and [[fried beans]] to sell to [[1938 San Antonio pecan shellers strike|pecan shellers]], [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]" by [[Russell Lee (photographer)|Russell Lee]], March 1939]]

Some [[ingredient]]s in Tex-Mex cuisine are also common in [[Mexican cuisine]], but others, not often used in Mexico, are often added, such as the use of [[cumin]], introduced by Spanish immigrants to Texas from the [[Canary Islands]],<ref name=NYT010615>{{cite news|author1=Jennifer Steinhauer |title=If It's Chili, It's Personal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/dining/if-its-chili-its-personal.html |access-date=6 January 2015 |work=The New York Times |date=February 10, 2014 |quote=it was Canary Islanders who brought a taste for it in heavy doses}}</ref> but used in only a few central Mexican recipes.

Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of shredded [[cheese]], [[bean]]s, [[meat]] (particularly [[Chicken as food|chicken]], [[beef]], and [[pork]]), [[chili pepper]]s, and [[spice]]s, in addition to flour [[tortilla]]s.

Sometimes various Tex-Mex dishes are made without the use of a tortilla. A common example of this is the "fajita bowl", which is a [[fajita]] served without a soft tortilla.

Generally, cheese plays a much bigger role in Tex-Mex food than in mainstream Mexican cuisine, particularly in the popularity of [[chile con queso|queso]], which is often eaten with tortilla chips (alongside or in place of [[guacamole]] and [[salsa (sauce)|salsa]]), or may be served over [[enchiladas]], [[tamales]], or [[burritos]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Goodgame |first=Dan |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/chile-con-queso/ |title=Recipe: Chile con Queso – Texas Monthly |date=15 July 2013 |publisher=Texasmonthly.com |access-date=2019-03-28}}</ref>

[[Nachos]], although invented in the US-Mexico border town of [[Piedras Negras, Coahuila]], became extremely popular in Texas before spreading across the US. They were named after its inventor, [[Ignacio Anaya|Nacho Anaya]].

Tex-Mex circa the 1950s relied on combination platters using American-style cheeses, did not often have margaritas, and involved pecans in desserts.<ref name=Sharpe101>{{cite magazine|last=Sharpe|first=Patricia|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/tex-mex-101/|title=Tex-Mex 101 |magazine=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=August 2003|access-date=2023-12-20}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Chili with garnishes and tortilla chips.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|right|Chili with garnishes and tortilla chips]]
[[File:Ninfasfajitameat.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.75|Original Ninfa's ''tacos al carbón/[[fajita]]s'']]

The cuisine that would come to be called Tex-Mex originated with ''[[Tejanos]]'' as a mix of native Mexican and Spanish foods when Texas was part of New Spain and later Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/tracing-the-history-of-tex-mex|title=Tracing the History of Tex‑Mex|work=History|date=2 September 2020 |last1=Pruitt|first1=Sarah}}</ref>

[[File:Fajitas_Wraps.JPG|thumb|right|upright=0.75|''Fajitas'', wheat ''tortillas'' as ''taco'' wraps]][[File:Chili-con-carne.jpg|thumb|Bowl containing ''[[Chili con carne]]'' served in a Tex-Mex style, with pork, beef, [[Cheddar cheese|cheddar]] and [[Monterey Jack|monterey jack]] on top.]]
From the [[South Texas]] region between [[San Antonio]], the [[Rio Grande Valley (Texas)|Rio Grande Valley]] and [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]], this cuisine has had little variation, and from earliest times has always been influenced by the cooking in the neighboring northern states of Mexico.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.eater.com/2018/3/7/17081968/best-food-texas-tex-mex-barbecue|title=Everything You Know About Tex-Mex Is Wrong|last=McCarron|first=Meghan|date=7 March 2018|work=Eater|access-date=2018-06-13}}</ref>

The [[ranch]]ing culture of South Texas and Northern Mexico straddles both sides of the border, where beef, grilled food, and tortillas have been common and popular foods for more than a century.<ref name=":0" />

A taste for ''[[cabrito]]'' (kid [[goat]]), ''[[barbacoa]] de [[cabeza]]'' (barbecued beef heads), ''[[carne seca]]'' ([[Beef aging#Dry aged beef|dried beef]]), and other products of [[cattle]] culture is also common on both sides of the [[Rio Grande]].

In the 20th century, as goods from the United States became cheap and readily available, Tex-Mex took on such [[Americanized]] elements as [[Cheddar cheese|Cheddar]], [[Monterey Jack|jack]], and [[pimento cheese]]s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NMBnDwAAQBAJ&dq=tex+mex+20th+century+american+cheeses&pg=PA16|title=Tex-Mex Cookbook: Traditions, Innovations, and Comfort Foods from Both Sides of the Border|isbn=978-0-525-57387-6 |last1=Fry |first1=Ford |last2=Dupuy |first2=Jessica |date=23 April 2019 |publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed }}</ref>

In much of Texas, the cooking styles on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border were the same until a period after the [[U.S. Civil War]]. With the railroads, American ingredients and cooking appliances became common on the U.S. side.<ref>{{cite news|last=Walsh |first=Robb |title=Pralines and Pushcarts |newspaper = [[Houston Press]] |date = 27 July 2000 |url = http://www.houstonpress.com/2000-07-27/restaurants/pralines-and-pushcarts/2/ |access-date = 11 December 2011}}</ref>

Around the 1970s the composition of dishes popular in Tex Mex changed; [[Ninfa's]] popularized the [[fajita]] beginning in 1973.<ref name=Sharpe101/>

A 1968 ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' feature wrote "[i]f the dish is a combination of Old World cooking, hush-my-mouth [[Cuisine of the Southern United States|Southern cuisine]] and Tex-Mex, it's from the Texas Hill Country."<ref>"Pedernales Recipes 'Good for What Ails.'" ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. 12 September 1968. p. K30</ref>

=== Outside the US ===
[[File:Zarillo Western & Tex Mex Puutarhakatu 8.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Zarillo Western & Tex Mex restaurant in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]]]
In [[France]], [[Paris]]'s first Tex-Mex restaurant opened in March 1983.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2000-11-23/restaurants/the-french-connection/2/|title=The French Connection|last=Walsh|first=Robb|date=23 November 2000|website=Houstonpress.com|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref> According to restaurateur Claude Benayoun, business had been slow, but after the 1986 release of the film ''[[Betty Blue]]'', which featured characters drinking [[tequila]] shots and eating ''[[chili con carne]]'', "everything went crazy."<ref name=":3" /> According to Benayoun, "''Betty Blue'' was like our ''[[Easy Rider]]''; it was unbelievably popular in France. And after the movie came out, everybody in Paris wanted a shot of tequila and a bowl of chili."<ref name=":3" />

Tex-Mex became widely introduced in the [[Nordic countries]] and the [[United Kingdom]] in the early 1990s through brands like [[Old El Paso]] and ''Santa Maria'', and very quickly became a staple meal in the Nordics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/norway/articles/how-taco-tuesday-became-taco-friday-in-norway/|title=How Taco Tuesday Became Taco Friday in Norway|access-date=9 July 2021|date=23 July 2018|website=The Culture Trip}}</ref> Minor local variations on Tex-Mex in these areas are to use [[gouda cheese]], or to substitute taco shells with stuffed [[pita]] breads. Previously, Tex-Mex had been sold on a limited scale in [[Stavanger]], Norway since the late 1960s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrk.no/rogaland/_-vi-solgte-taco-og-tortillachips-for-alle-andre-1.14297697|title=– Vi solgte taco og tortillachips før alle andre|language=nb|access-date=9 July 2021|date=23 November 2018|website=[[NRK]]}}</ref>

Tex-Mex has also spread to [[Canada]], where it has become as naturalized as in the United States. The cuisine is also readily found in [[Argentina]], [[India]], [[Japan]], [[Mexico]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Thailand]], and many other countries.<ref name=":3" />

==Terminology==
[[File:Tex_Mex_Time.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.75|Ingredients commonly used in Tex-Mex [[cuisine]]|alt=small bowls of corn, tomatoes, peppers, guacamole, and other ingredients]]
[[File:Nachos with Guacamole.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Nachos]] with [[guacamole]]]]
The word "TexMex" (unhyphenated) was first used to abbreviate the [[Texas Mexican Railway]], [[charter]]ed in southern Texas in 1875.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/tracing-the-history-of-tex-mex|title=Tracing the History of Tex-Mex|last=Pruitt|first=Sarah|website=HISTORY|language=en|access-date=2019-10-04}}</ref> In the 1920s, the [[hyphen]]ated form was used in American newspapers to describe Texans of Mexican ancestry.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{cite news|title=Tex-Mex|date=23 May 1922|newspaper=Mexia Evening News|location=Mexia, Texas}}</ref>

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' supplies the first-known uses in print of "Tex-Mex" in reference to food, from a 1963 article in ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'', and a 1966 item in the ''Great Bend'' (Kansas) ''Tribune''.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'' entry for Tex-Mex: 1963 ''N.Y. Times Mag''. 11 Aug 50/1 Star of the evening was her Texas or Tex-Mex chili. 1966 Great Bend (Kansas) Daily Tribune 19 Oct 5/4 It's too bad that it has become known as ‘chili powder’ because some homemakers may associate it only with the preparation of ‘Tex-Mex’ dishes.</ref>

However, the term was used in an article in the ''Binghamton'' (New York) ''Press''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Spallone|first=Roz|date=20 May 1960|title=Miss New York State's crown just 'old hat' to family|page=15|work=Binghamton Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/252622091/?terms=%22tex-mex%22%20taco|access-date=16 Mar 2021}}</ref> in May 1960 and a syndicated article appearing in several American newspapers on October 6, 1960, uses the Tex-Mex label to describe a series of recipes, including chili and enchiladas.<ref>{{Cite web|title=6 Oct 1960, 32 - The Record at Newspapers.com|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/490585932/?terms=%22Tex-Mex%22|access-date=2021-02-20|website=Newspapers.com|language=en}}</ref>

The recipes included the suggestion of "cornmeal pancakes" in place of tortillas, which at the time were not reliably available to readers outside of the Southwest.

[[Diana Kennedy]], an influential food authority, explained the distinctions between [[Mexican cuisine]] and Americanized Mexican food in her 1972 book ''[[The Cuisines of Mexico]]''. Robb Walsh of the ''[[Houston Press]]'' said the book "was a breakthrough cookbook, one that could have been written only by a non-Mexican. It unified Mexican cooking by transcending the nation's class divisions and treating the food of the poor with the same respect as the food of the upper classes."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2000-09-28/restaurants/mama-s-got-a-brand-new-bag|title=Mama's Got a Brand-new Bag|first=Robb|last=Walsh|date=28 September 2000|website=Houstonpress.com|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref>

The term "Tex-Mex" also saw increasing usage in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' from the 1970s onward while the Tex-Mex label became a part of U.S. vernacular during the late 1960s, '70s, and '80s.<ref>Wheaton, D.R. & Carroll, G.R. (2017). Where did Tex-Mex Come From? The Divisive Emergence of a Social Category. ''Research in Organizational Behavior'', 37, 143 – 166.</ref> Adán Medrano, a chef who grew up in San Antonio, prefers to call the food "Texas Mexican," which he says was the indigenous cooking of South Texas long before the [[Rio Grande]] marked the border between Texas and Mexico.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/22/dining/texas-mexican-food.html|title=Don't Call It Tex-Mex|last=Wharton|first=Rachel|date=2019-04-22|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-22|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Influential chefs ==
* [[Felix Tijerina]] was a successful restaurateur and civic leader who helped pioneer Tex-Mex cuisine through his dishes.
:Born in 1905, Tijerina began working as a busboy at the Original Mexican Restaurant after moving to [[Houston]] in 1922.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Pilcher|first=Jeffrey|title=[[Planet Taco A Global History of Mexican Food]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press, Incorporated]]|year=2012|pages=135}}</ref> He rose through the ranks and opened his restaurant, the Mexican Inn, in 1929.<ref name=":4" />
:After serving in World War II, Tijerina opened a chain of restaurants named the Felix Mexican Restaurant.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=TSHA {{!}} Tijerina, Felix|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/tijerina-felix|access-date=2020-10-12|website=www.tshaonline.org}}</ref>
:With mildly-spiced dishes and reasonable prices, Tijerina's restaurants catered more towards an [[Anglo]] audience.<ref name=":4" /> His ''spaghetti con chile'' special exemplifies how Tijerina americanized traditional Mexican food to appeal to the local Texans.<ref name=":4" />
:Tijerina used his influence and economic profit from the restaurant business to become active in politics.<ref name=":4" /> In 1935, Tijerina joined the local council of LULAC ([[League of United Latin American Citizens]]), and eventually became the national president of the organization, holding the position from 1956 to 1960.<ref name=":4" />
:Tijerina died in 1965, but his chain of Felix Mexican Restaurants continued to promote Tex-Mex cuisine until operations stopped in 2008.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Press|first=Houston|date=2008-03-21|title=Felix Mexican Restaurant Closes After 60 Years in Business|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/felix-mexican-restaurant-closes-after-60-years-in-business-6406894|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Houston Press}}</ref>
* [[Josef Centeno]] grew up in [[San Antonio]], becoming familiar with Tex-Mex cuisine through his [[Tejanos|Tejano]] family's cooking.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro-Pecan Pesto Recipe|url=https://www.sunset.com/recipe/roasted-cauliflower-with-cilantro-pecan-pesto|access-date=2020-10-31|website=Sunset Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>
:In 2011, Centeno opened his first restaurant, Bäco Mercat which became an instant success due to the multicultural menu.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|last=Snyder|first=Garrett|date=August 1, 2020|title=Josef Centeno's downtown restaurant Bäco Mercat has closed permanently|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
:Centeno subsequently opened Bar Amá,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bar Amá|url=http://www.bar-ama.com/|access-date=2021-03-27|website=Bar Amá|language=en-US}}</ref> then Orsa & Winston<ref>{{Cite web|title=Orsa & Winston|url=http://www.orsaandwinston.com/|access-date=2021-03-27|website=Orsa & Winston|language=en-US}}</ref> which received a Michelin star in June 2019.
:Centeno's most recent Tex-Mex restaurant, Amácita,<ref>{{Cite web|title=amá•cita|url=https://www.ama-cita.com/|access-date=2021-03-27|website=amá•cita|language=en-US}}</ref> opened in July 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-02|title=LA chef Josef Centeno has a Michelin star restaurant and a new cookbook, now he's on a mission to defend Tex-Mex cuisine|url=https://www.dailynews.com/la-chef-josef-centeno-has-a-michelin-star-restaurant-and-a-new-cookbook-now-hes-on-a-mission-to-defend-tex-mex-cuisine|access-date=2020-10-31|website=Daily News|language=en-US}}</ref>
:Centeno has also written two cookbooks: Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles (2017)<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Centeno|first1=Josef|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5cXaDgAAQBAJ|title=Bäco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles|last2=Hallock|first2=Betty|date=2017-09-05|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-1-4521-5578-4|language=en}}</ref> and Amá: a modern Tex-Mex kitchen (2019).<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hallock|first1=Betty|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JPCjDwAAQBAJ|title=Ama: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen|last2=Centeno|first2=Josef|date=2019-10-01|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-1-4521-5685-9|language=en}}</ref>
:Centeno has become a leading chef in Tex-Mex cuisine, receiving praise for both his restaurants and his cookbooks. While the New Yorker listed Centeno's Amá: a modern Tex-Mex kitchen as one of the best cookbooks in 2019, the LA Times named Orsa & Winston as the "Restaurant of the Year" in 2020.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Rosner|first=Helen|title=The Best Cookbooks of 2019|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2019-in-review/the-best-cookbooks-of-2019|access-date=2020-10-31|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":5" />

== Related cuisines ==
* [[Mexican cuisine]]
* [[New Mexican cuisine]]
* [[Southwestern cuisine]]
* [[American cuisine]]
* [[Texan cuisine]]

==See also==
{{American cuisine}}

* [[Tex-Mex cuisine in Houston]]
* [[List of Mexican restaurants]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Cookbook|Tex-Mex Cuisine}}
* "[https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/tex-mex-foods Tex-Mex Foods]" entry in the ''[[Handbook of Texas]]''
* Robb Walsh's "Six-Part History of Tex-Mex" in the ''Houston Press'':
** [https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/pralines-and-pushcarts-6564138 Pralines and Pushcarts] (July 27, 2000)
** [https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/combination-plates-6563946 Combination Plates] (August 31, 2000)
** [https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/mamas-got-a-brand-new-bag-6563658 Mama's Got a Brand-new Bag] (September 28, 2000)
** [https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/the-authenticity-myth-6587532 The Authenticity Myth] (October 26, 2000)
** [https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/the-french-connection-6591134 The French Connection] (November 23, 2000)
** [https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/brave-nuevo-world Brave Nuevo World] (December 21, 2000)

{{Chicano and Mexican American topics}}
{{Cuisine of the United States}}
{{Mexican cuisine}}
{{Cuisine}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tex-Mex cuisine| ]]
[[Category:American cuisine]]
[[Category:Cuisine of the Southwestern United States]]
[[Category:Mexican cuisine]]
[[Category:Mexican-American cuisine]]
[[Category:Texan cuisine]]

Ignacio Anaya

2025-03-12T14:38:12Z

2600:1700:271:6A30:25C2:60D3:FA42:7E3D:

{{short description|Mexican executive chef (1895-1975)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{family name hatnote|Anaya|García|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ignacio Anaya
| image = Ignacio Anaya Inventor of Nachos.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Ignacio Anaya García
| birth_date = {{birth date text|August 15, 1895}}
| birth_place = Acuña, [[Coahuila]], Mexico
| death_date = {{death date and age|1975|11|9|1895|8|15}}
| death_place = [[Piedras Negras, Coahuila]], Mexico
| known_for = Inventor of [[nachos]]
| spouse = Marie Antoinette Salinas
| children = 9
| occupation = [[maître d']], [[restaurateur]]
}}

'''Ignacio Anaya García''' (August 15, 1895 – November 9, 1975) was a Mexican [[Maître d'hôtel|maître d'hotel]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=LaRoche|first=Clarence J.|date=May 23, 1954|title=Nacho's? Natch!|work=San Antonio Express and News}}</ref><ref name="haram">{{cite news|author1-last=Haram|author1-first=Karen|title=The Legend of Nacho's Appetizer|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2002-02-14-0202120506-story.html|newspaper=[[Sun Sentinel]]|publisher=Sun Sentinel|access-date=22 August 2022|date=2002-02-14}}</ref> who invented the popular [[Tex-Mex]] dish [[nachos]] at the Victory Club restaurant a couple miles from the border of [[Texas]] in [[Mexico]] in 1943.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=March 25, 1974|title=Action Line|work=Corpus Christi Caller-Times}}</ref><ref name="oxford">{{cite book |author=Andrew F. Smith |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/209 |title=The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink |date=March 2009 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0195387094 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/209 209–10]}}</ref><ref name="haram"/> After nachos grew in popularity, Anaya was promoted to chef, and he eventually started his own restaurant in the 1960s.<ref name=":1" />

His nickname was ''Nacho'', derived from the Spanish ''Ignacio'', the Spanish version of ''Ignatius''.<ref name="Latina">{{cite web |title=Nach derivation |url=http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/our-issues/unusual-spanish-nicknames |website=latina.com |accessdate=19 August 2019 |quote=Nacho is a nickname for Ignacio, the Spanish form of Ignatius. |archive-date=21 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921115540/http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/our-issues/unusual-spanish-nicknames |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Life and career==
Born in San Carlos, [[Manuel Benavides Municipality|Manuel Benavides]], [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], [[Mexico]]<ref name=":1" /> on August 15 , 1895,<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Berrueto|first=Gonazález|title="Anaya Garcia, Ignacio". Diccionario biográfico de Coahuila.|publisher=Gobierno del Estado.|year=1999|isbn=9789687568287}}</ref> he worked at the Victory Club restaurant in [[Piedras Negras (Coahuila)|Piedras Negras]], [[Coahuila]], [[Mexico]], a restaurant close to the US border and popular with Americans from a nearby base during [[World War II]]. Anaya created nachos while working there one day in 1943 <ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> when a group of US Army wives entered and the chef was nowhere to be found.<ref name="oxford"/> As recounted by his son:

{{Cquote|My father was maître d' and he said "Let me go quick and fix something for you." He went into the kitchen, picked up tostadas, grated some cheese on them—Wisconsin cheese, the round one—and put them under the [[Grilling#Salamander|salamander]] (a broiling unit that browns the top of foods). He pulled them out after a couple of minutes, all melted, and put on a slice of jalapeño.|author=Ignacio Anaya Jr.<ref name="haram"/>}}

The dish became so popular, the owner of the Victory Club, Roberto de los Santos, put his creation on the menu as ''Nacho's Especiales''.<ref name=":1" /> When the Victory Club closed in 1961, Anaya opened his own restaurant, Nacho's Restaurant, in Piedras Negras.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="salter">{{Cite news |last=Salter |first=Bill |date=June 15, 1969 |title='Nacho' Inventor Hasn't Profited |work=San Antonio Express and News}}</ref>

Anaya married Marie Antoinette Salinas, with whom he had 9 children.{{sfn|Jiménez|2008}}

==Death and legacy==
Anaya died on November 9, 1975,<ref name=":2" /> leaving a son, Ignacio Anaya Jr., who went into banking,{{sfn|Ellerbee|2005|p=74}} and 5 other surviving children.{{sfn|Jiménez|2008}} Posthumously, he was honored with a bronze plaque in Piedras Negras.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news|author=Andrew, Scott|date=15 August 2019|title=Thursday's Google Doodle honors the man who invented nachos|agency=[[CNN]]|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/us/google-doodle-nachos-trnd/index.html|accessdate=16 August 2019}}</ref> To celebrate Anaya's invention, the city of Piedras Negras holds a three-day Nacho Fest every year around October 21, the International Day of the Nacho.<ref name=":1" />

''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian Magazine]]'' ranked nachos as a sports stadium favorite in 1976, following the invention of a [[Nachos#Nacho cheese|processed cheese sauce]] by Frank Liberto.<ref name=cnn/> [[Howard Cosell]] added to the popularity of nachos during a September 4, 1978 NFL game by weaving "nachos" into his commentary.<ref>{{cite web
| last1 = Munsey
| last2 = Suppes
| title = Arlington Stadium
| work = Ballparks.com
| url = http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/arling.htm
| accessdate = 2008-12-30}}</ref> Although the original nachos contained only three ingredients, nachos can now be found with a wide variety of toppings, reflecting the enduring popularity of Anaya's contribution.<ref>{{cite web
| title = History
| work = Originators of Concession Nachos
| publisher = Ricos Products Co., Inc.
| url = http://ricos.com/history.htm
| accessdate = 2008-12-30
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090214025239/http://ricos.com/history.htm
| archive-date = 2009-02-14
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| first=Raymond
| last=Sokolov
| title=The Search for the Perfect Nacho
| date=2006-02-06
| url =https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113900648565664767?mod=todays_us_pursuits
| work =[[Wall Street Journal]]
| accessdate = 2008-06-27}}</ref>

On August 15, 2019, [[Google]] honored Anaya with a [[Google Doodle|Doodle]] celebrating what would have been his 124th birthday.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ignacio-anaya-garcia-google-doodle-nachos-who-profile-124-birthday-mexico-city-a9060801.html|author=Young, Sarah|title=Ignacio Anaya García: Google Doodle honours the man who invented nachos|work=[[The Independent]]|date=15 August 2019|accessdate=16 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/08/15/google-doodle-nachos-inventor-ignacio-anaya-garcia-honored/2015881001/|title=Chips and cheese: Google's latest doodle honors Ignacio Anaya García, the inventor of nachos|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|author=Brett Molina| date=15 August 2019|accessdate=16 August 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite encyclopaedia|encyclopaedia=Diccionario biográfico de Coahuila|author1-first=Arturo|author1-last=Berrueto González|publisher=Gobierno del Estado|year=1999|isbn=9789687568287|article=Anaya Garcia, Ignacio}}
* {{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_2724023/|title=Ellerbee's looking forward to next bite|newspaper=[[Denver Post]]|author1-last=Browning-Blas|author1-first=Kristen|date=May 11, 2005|accessdate=April 4, 2013}}
* {{Cite book|last=Nickel|first=Sandra and Oliver Dominguez|title=Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack|publisher=Lee and Low|year=2020|isbn=9781620143698|location=New York}}
* {{cite book|title=Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table|author1-first=Linda|author1-last=Ellerbee|publisher=Putnam's Sons|year=2005|isbn=9780399152689|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/takebigbitesadve00elle_0}}
* {{cite web|ref={{harvid|Google|2019}}|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/ignacio-anaya-garcias-124th-birthday/|title=Ignacio Anaya García's 124th Birthday|website=Google.com|date=15 August 2019}}
* {{cite book|title=Celebrating Latino Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions|editor1-first=Maria|editor1-last=Herrera-Sobek|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2012|isbn=9780313343407|page=825|article=Nachos}}
* {{cite news|title=Honran a don Ignacio Anaya en universidad|author1-first=José Luis|author1-last=Jiménez|newspaper=ZÓCALO|url=http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/articulo/honran-a-don-ignacio-anaya-en-universidad|date=2008-11-01}}
* {{cite magazine|magazine=OED News|url=http://www.oed.com/learning/word-stories/nachos.html|title=''Nachos'', anyone?|publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|author1-last=Orr|author1-first=Adriana P.|date=July 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113062556/http://www.oed.com/learning/word-stories/nachos.html|archive-date=November 13, 2007|accessdate=April 4, 2013|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|title=The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos|author1-first=Robb|author1-last=Walsh|publisher=Broadway Books|year=2004|isbn=9780767914888}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite magazine|magazine=Hispanic Link Weekly Report|page=2|title=Everyone Knows His Name...|publisher=Hispanic Link News Service Incorporated|year=2006}}
*Nickel, Sandra and Oliver Dominguez (2020). ''Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack''. New York: Lee and Low.

{{Restaurants in Mexico}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaya, Ignacio}}
[[Category:Mexican inventors]]
[[Category:People from Piedras Negras, Coahuila]]
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:Restaurant staff]]
[[Category:People from Acuña, Coahuila]]
[[Category:20th-century inventors]]
[[Category:Mexican restaurateurs]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican businesspeople]]
[[Category:Restaurant founders]]

Downtown El Paso

2025-03-11T21:23:42Z

2600:1700:271:6A30:25C2:60D3:FA42:7E3D: consistency with above text

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Downtown El Paso at sunset.jpeg|300px|thumb|upright|Contemporary downtown]]
'''Downtown El Paso''' is the [[central business district]] of [[El Paso, Texas]].

== Historical downtown ==
[[File:El Paso Downtown 1908.jpg|thumb|upright|Downtown in 1908]]
James Day, an El Paso historian, said that downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a later point,{{when|date=December 2019}} the main business area was centered on Stanton Street and Santa Fe. In the late 1800s, most [[white American]] residents lived directly to the north of the nonwhites in brick residences along Magoffin, Myrtle, and San Antonio streets. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic American]] residents lived in an area called [[Chihuahuita]] ("little [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]]"), which was located south of Santa Fe and west of Second.

Several [[African American]]s and around 300 [[Chinese American]]s also lived in Chihuahuita. Many of the Chinese Americans built railroads in the El Paso area.<ref>Metz, Leon. "[http://www.elpasotimes.com/sunbowl/ci_4749639 Downtown El Paso has colorful history] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120731023721/http://www.elpasotimes.com/sunbowl/ci_4749639 |date=2012-07-31 }}." [[El Paso Times]]. November 30, 2006. Retrieved on March 6, 2010.</ref> [[El Segundo Barrio|El Segundo Barrio]] is another historic neighborhood in the downtown area.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/el-paso/2016/10/05/segundo-barrio-chihuahuita-endangered-list/91548474/|title=Segundo Barrio, Chihuahuita on endangered list|last=Sanchez|first=Sara|date=5 October 2016|work=El Paso Times|access-date=2017-04-18}}</ref>

== Government and infrastructure ==
[[File:Anson Mills Building.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Anson Mills Building]]]]
The [[Texas Courts of Appeals|Texas Eighth Court of Appeals]] is located in downtown El Paso.<ref>"[http://www.8thcoa.courts.state.tx.us/court/contact.asp Contact Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125194501/http://www.8thcoa.courts.state.tx.us/court/contact.asp |date=2010-01-25 }}." Texas Eighth Court of Appeals. Retrieved on March 9, 2010.</ref> The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, sitting in El Paso, is located in downtown. The years 2011–2012 mark the first survey–census ever conducted for Downtown El Paso, which identified key demographics and now benchmarks to move downtown revitalization forward.

The key census type information targeted employers, employees, and households in the downtown area about who eats, shops, and plays in downtown El Paso. This information was shared with entrepreneurs and companies evaluating business investment opportunities in the downtown area and property owners seeking new tenants to better target their marketing, recruitment and outreach efforts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://downtownelpaso.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Annual_Report_Final-2.pdf |title=Annual Report 2011 |date= |website=El Paso Downtown Management District |accessdate=}}</ref> Downtown El Paso is part of District 8.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://gis.elpasotexas.gov/districting/index.html|title = City of El Paso Representative Districts|date = |access-date = 24 February 2016|website = City of El Paso|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref> Currently, the district is represented by Cissy Lizarraga.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.elpasotexas.gov/district-8|title = District 8|date = |access-date = 24 February 2016|website = City of El Paso|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>

== Education ==
[[File:El Paso Independent School District HQ 04.jpg|thumb|EPISD headquarters]]
[[El Paso Independent School District]] provides K-12 educational services. It has its headquarters in Downtown, moving there in 2021.<ref name=CarreonEPISDHQ>{{cite web|last=Carreon|first=Cristina|url=https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/education/episd/2021/01/28/episd-move-into-new-headquarters-downtown-el-paso-2021/4220558001/|title=EPISD administration to move into new downtown headquarters in 2021|newspaper=[[El Paso Times]]|date=2021-01-28|accessdate=2022-06-25}}</ref> The headquarters were previously on the grounds of [[El Paso International Airport]].<ref name=EPISDHQFAQ>{{cite web|url=https://www.episd.org/Page/1374|title=EPISD Central Office Relocation to Downtown El Paso FAQ|publisher=El Paso Independent School District|accessdate=2022-06-25}}</ref>

[[El Paso Public Library]] operates the Main Library in Downtown.<ref>"[http://www.ci.el-paso.tx.us/library/ourlibraries/main_library/main_library.asp Main (downtown) Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225095202/http://www.ci.el-paso.tx.us/library/ourlibraries/main_library/main_library.asp |date=2010-02-25 }}." [[El Paso Public Library]]. Retrieved on March 7, 2010.</ref>

== Diplomatic missions ==
The [[Diplomatic missions of Mexico|Consulate-General of Mexico in El Paso]] is located in downtown.<ref>"[http://www.sre.gob.mx/elpaso/ Bienvenido a Nuestra Portal]." [[Diplomatic missions of Mexico|Consulate-General of Mexico in El Paso]]. Retrieved on March 7, 2010.</ref>{{clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Central Business Districts in Texas|state=collapsed}}

{{coord|31.7575|-106.4950|type:adm2nd_globe:earth_region:US-TX|display=title}}

[[Category:Downtown El Paso, Texas| ]]
[[Category:Central business districts in the United States|El Paso]]
[[Category:Geography of El Paso, Texas]]
[[Category:Neighborhoods in El Paso, Texas]]

Abaco Islands

2025-03-11T21:16:53Z

2600:1700:271:6A30:25C2:60D3:FA42:7E3D: precision

{{Short description|Group of islands in the Bahamas}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox islands
|name = Abaco
|image =
|image_caption =
|image_size =
|image_map = Districts of Abaco Bahamas.png
|image_map_caption= The five [[Districts of the Bahamas|administrative districts]] of the Abaco
|native_name =
|native_name_link =
|nickname =
|location = Atlantic Ocean
|archipelago = [[Bahamas]]
|total_islands =
|major_islands = Great Abaco Island, Little Abaco Island
|area_km2 = 2009
|area_footnotes =<ref name=Colliers>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Bower|first1=Paul|editor-first=Bernard|editor-last=Johnston|encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia |title=Abaco Islands|edition= First |year=1997|publisher=P.F. Collier|volume=I A to Ameland|location=New York, NY|pages=4}}</ref>
|length_km =
|width_km =
|highest_mount =
|elevation_m =
| pushpin_map = Bahamas#North Atlantic
| pushpin_label =
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_relief = 1
| pushpin_map_caption =
|coordinates = {{Coord|26|28|N|77|05|W|region:BS_type:isle|display=title, inline}}
|country = {{BHS}}
|country_admin_divisions_title = Island
|country_admin_divisions = Abaco
|country_admin_divisions_title_1 =
|country_admin_divisions_1 =
|country_admin_divisions_title_2 =
|country_admin_divisions_2 =
|country_largest_city = [[Marsh Harbour]]
|country_largest_city_population = 5,314
|population = 16,587<ref>{{cite web |title=Census population and housing |url=https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/c0d9fae8-54df-49e3-b4b9-92e29e0b264c/2022+CENSUS+PRELIMINARY+RESULTS_FINAL+April+12+2023.pdf?MOD=AJPERES |website=Bahamas Gov |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref>
|population_as_of = 2022
|density_km2 = 8.6
|ethnic_groups =
|additional_info =
}}

The '''Abaco Islands''' lie in the north of [[Bahamas|The Bahamas]], about 193 miles (167.7 [[nautical miles]] or 310.6 km) east of [[Miami, Florida]], US. The main islands are Great Abaco and Little Abaco, which is just west of Great Abaco's northern tip.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/little-abaco-iba-bahamas|title=Important Bird Area factsheet: Little Abaco|website=Data Zone|publisher=BirdLife International|author=BirdLife International|year=2023|access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref>

There are several smaller barrier [[cay]]s, of which the northernmost are [[Walker's Cay]] and its sister island [[Grand Cay]]. To the south, the next inhabited islands are Spanish Cay and [[Green Turtle Cay]], with its settlement of New Plymouth, [[Great Guana Cay]], private Scotland Cay, [[Man-O-War Cay]] and [[Elbow Cay]], with its settlement of [[Hope Town]]. Southernmost are Tilloo Cay and Lubbers Quarters. Also off Abaco's western shore is Gorda Cay, a Disney-owned island and cruise ship stop renamed [[Castaway Cay]]. Also in the vicinity is [[Moore's Island]].

On the Big Island of Abaco is [[Marsh Harbour]], the Abacos' commercial hub and The Bahamas' third-largest city, plus the resort area of [[Treasure Cay]]. Both have airports. Mainland settlements include [[Coopers Town]] and Fox Town in the north and Cherokee and [[Sandy Point, Bahamas|Sandy Point]] in the south.<ref name="Estabrook">{{cite web |url=http://www.AbacoEscape.com |title=Welcome to the Abacos |first=Sandy |last=Estabrook |publisher=abacoescape.com |access-date=28 July 2015}}</ref>

Administratively, the Abaco Islands constitute seven of the 31 Local Government [[Districts of the Bahamas|Districts of The Bahamas]]: [[Grand Cay]], [[North Abaco]], [[Green Turtle Cay]], [[Central Abaco]], [[South Abaco]], [[Moore's Island]] and [[Hope Town]].

==Geography==
The Abaco Islands consist of [[limestone]], with some elevation, and are protected on the Atlantic-facing sides by the third-largest barrier reef in the world. The cays are primarily made up of tidal [[mangrove swamps]], as well as white-sand beaches. Most of the islands are uninhabited. The Abaco Islands and their associated cays are the Out Islands, Family Islands, and Friendly Islands.<ref name="Estabrook"/>

==History==
The Abaco Islands were first inhabited by the [[Lucayans]], who called the Abaco Islands ''Lucayoneque'', meaning "the people’s distant waters".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ahrens |first=Wolfgang P. |date=2015 |title=Naming the Bahamas Islands: History and Folk Etymology |url=https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/oc/article/view/14910 |journal=Onomastica Canadiana |language=en |volume=94 |issue=2 |pages=101 |issn=2816-7015}}</ref> The first European settlers of the islands were [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] fleeing the [[American Revolution|American War of Independence]] who arrived in 1783, as was also the [[Cat Island, Bahamas|Cat Island]] case. These original Loyalist settlers made a modest living by salvaging wrecks, by building small wooden boats, and basic farming.

=== Pre-Columbian and Spanish eras ===
The Lucayans were the first people to inhabit the Abaco Islands. They were a branch of the [[Taíno]]s who inhabited most of the Caribbean islands at the time. The Lucayans were the first inhabitants of the Americas encountered by [[Christopher Columbus]]. The Spanish started seizing Lucayans as slaves within a few years of Columbus's arrival, and they had all been removed from the Bahamas by 1520. {{citation needed|date=August 2019}} After the extermination of the Lucayans, there were no known permanent settlements in the Bahamas for approximately 130 years.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

Spain laid claim to the Bahamas after Columbus discovered the islands but showed little interest in them. The Italian explorer [[Amerigo Vespucci]] spent four months exploring the Bahamas in 1499–1500. [[Juan de la Cosa]]'s first map of the New World, printed in 1500, shows the Abaco Islands with the name Habacoa. The [[Peter Martyr map]], in the first edition of ''De Orbe Novo'' in 1511, shows the Bahamas' islands but does not name them. The Spanish explorer [[Juan Ponce de León]] landed on Abaco in 1513. The Turin map of 1523 clearly shows Abaco, then named Iucayonique. The Turin map remained the most accurate map of the area until the Bahamas' first English maps were produced. {{citation needed|date=September 2019}} Both John White's map of 1590 and Thomas Hood's map of 1592 show the islands, as did a map produced in 1630 by the Dutchman de Laet. At this time, the Spanish empire in the Caribbean was focused on Havana. Spain regarded the depopulated Bahamas as unprofitable and treacherous to navigate;- in 1593, a Spanish fleet of 17 ships wrecked off the Abaco. {{citation needed|date=September 2019}} Also, English and French pirates and freebooters had begun preying on Spanish vessels north of Cuba. A Spanish ordinance of 1561 forbade any merchant ship to enter the Bahamas without an escort.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} Ownership of the Bahamas passed back and forth between Spain and Great Britain for 150 years. A treaty was established in 1783 by Great Britain. Great Britain ceded East Florida to Spain, receiving the Bahamas in return.

=== British colonial era ===
In 1783, a call for those wishing to help settle Abaco was published in the Royal Gazette in New York City. About 1500 [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] left New York and moved to Abaco in August 1783.<ref name="Exiles">{{cite book|first=Maya |last=Jasanoff|author-link=Maya Jasanoff|publisher= Harper Press|year=2011|title=Liberty's Exiles, The Loss of America and the Remaking of the British Empire|isbn=978-0-00-718010-3}}</ref> The Loyalists settled on a small sandy harbor about six leagues north of Marsh Harbour near modern-day Treasure Cay.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Abaco, the history of an out island and its cays|first=Steve|last=Dodge|date=2005|publisher=White Sound Press |isbn=0932265766|edition= 3rd|location=New Smyrna Beach, FL|pages=37–40|oclc=70334700}}</ref> They planned and built the town of Carleton, named after Sir Guy Carleton.<ref name="AHB">{{cite book |first=Michael |last=Craton |publisher=Collins |orig-year=First published 1962 |date=1969 |title=A History of the Bahamas |ol=2653684W}}</ref> Disputes over food distribution and misinformation about the resources available led some of these settlers to found a rival town near [[Marsh Harbour]] called Maxwell. The conflict between disgruntled settlers and the officials responsible became a constant life feature on the islands. [[Gossypium barbadense|Sea island cotton]] was sown by the settlers in 1785, and although both 1786 and 1787 produced good crops, the 1788 crop was blighted by caterpillars.<ref name="Exiles" /> Other settlements on the islands were [[Green Turtle Cay]], [[Man-o-War Cay]], and [[Sandy Point, Bahamas|Sandy Point]].<ref name=Colliers/> In the 1790s, a group of Loyalists from the Carolinas arrived on the islands via Florida, founding the isolated settlement of [[Cherokee Sound]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncsu.edu/linguistics/ncllp/sites/abaco.php|title=Abaco Island, The Bahamas|work=North Carolina Language and Life Project|publisher=North Carolina State University|access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

===Slave Revolt===
Two slave ships from the United States, The Encomium and the Comet, wrecked off the coast of Abaco in December 1830 and 1834 respectively. The customs officers of Nassau seized the 165 slaves from the Comet and the 48 slaves from the Encomium, freeing them despite the protests of the crew. A later indemnity passed hands between the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States in 1855.<ref>SR</ref>

The Hermosa, another slave ship, wrecked in Abaco in 1840. The slaves aboard were unilaterally emancipated by the Bahamians involved. These situations influenced the later revolt led by [[Madison Washington]].<ref>SR</ref>

===Bahamian Independence===
In June 1971, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, [[Lynden Pindling]], announced his government's independence from Britain. On Abaco, the [[Greater Abaco Council]] formed to lobby for continued British rule. In July 1971, the Greater Abaco Council submitted a petition to the [[Elizabeth II|Queen]] asking that Abaco become a 'completely self-contained and fully self-supporting' territory under British jurisdiction.<ref name="Lowe1"/> In August 1971, the British government refused to consider the petition. The [[Bahamian general election, 1972|September 1972]] general election in The Bahamas showed a clear majority for independence across the country.

However, on Abaco, the results were less clear-cut; the pro-independence [[Progressive Liberal Party]] won one of Abaco's two seats by a small majority and, by comparison, the [[Free National Movement]] (which opposed early independence) won the other chair by a large majority. Starting in December 1971, all-party talks took place in London, to draft a new constitution for The Bahamas. The Greater Abaco Council sent their representatives to London for a 'collateral conference' to run alongside the official talks. The British refused to consider granting Abaco independence ([[secession]]) from the rest of The Bahamas. The GAC accepted this, and the group ceased activity at the end of 1972.<ref name="Lowe1"/>

Shortly afterward, [[Errington Watkins]], the Free National Movement representative for the Abaco-Marsh Harbour seat, formed a successor group called the [[Council for a Free Abaco]]. A second petition was organized and signed by half of the registered voters on the island. Errington Watkins took this petition to London in May 1973, hoping to influence The Bahamas Independence Order, then-debated in the British Parliament. A sympathetic [[Member of Parliament#United Kingdom|MP]], [[Ronald Bell (British politician)|Ronald Bell]], introduced an amendment that would have excluded Abaco from an independent Bahamas and have the islands remain a British colony.<ref name="Hans">{{cite web| website= [[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=May 1973|title=Bahamas Independence Bill|access-date=17 December 2012 |url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1973/may/15/bahamas-independence-bill}}</ref> Defeated in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] and The Bahamas Independence Order,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Bahamas Independence Order, 1973 |url=http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/46057fb9-9bd4-4200-a7c1-995c6ef81a77/Citation+commencement+and+Construction+of+Constitution.pdf?MOD=AJPERES|website= bahamas.gov.bs| publisher= Government of the Bahamas|access-date=13 October 2014}}</ref> this amendment was approved on 22 May 1973. Three weeks later, a similar motion on Abaco was defeated in the [[House of Lords]].

A last-ditch attempt by Errington Watkins to pass a resolution in The Bahamas House of Assembly calling for a United Nations-supervised referendum on Abaco was easily defeated in June 1973,<ref name="Lowe1">{{cite web|first=Rick |last=Lowe|publisher=The Nassau Institute|date=July 2010|title=Forgotten Dreams: A People's desire to chart their own course in Abaco, Bahamas Part One |url=http://www.nassauinstitute.org/files/ForgottenDreamsPt1.pdf| website= nassauinstitute.org| access-date= 15 December 2012}}</ref> and The Bahamas became independent on 10 July 1973.

===Abaco Independence Movement and onward===
{{Main|Abaco Independence Movement}}
In August 1973, shortly after The Bahamas became independent, the Abaco Independence Movement was formed as a political party whose stated aim was [[self-determination]] for Abaco within a federal Bahamas. Chuck Hall and Bert Williams created AIM.<ref name="Lowe2"/> They sought support from the US [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] and an American financier named [[Michael Oliver (real estate)|Michael Oliver]], who through his [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] [[Phoenix Foundation]] agreed to support AIM financially. [[Mitchell WerBell]], an American arms dealer and mercenary, also supported AIM. His talk of an armed insurrection and attempts to recruit mercenaries to go to Abaco greatly discredited AIM.<ref name="Esquire">{{Cite journal |last=St. George|first=Andrew |date=February 1975 |title=The Amazing New-Country Caper |journal=Esquire}}</ref> The [[Progressive Liberal Party]] victory in the [[Bahamian general election, 1977|1977 general election]] effectively marked the end of the movement.<ref name="Lowe2">{{cite web|first=Rick |last=Lowe|publisher=The Nassau Institute|date=October 2010|title=Forgotten Dreams: A People's desire to chart their own course in Abaco, Bahamas Part Two|access-date=15 December 2012|url=http://www.nassauinstitute.org/files/ForgottenDreamsPt2.pdf}}</ref>

===Hurricane Dorian===
{{Main|Effects of Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas}}
On 1 September 2019, [[Hurricane Dorian]] made landfall on [[Elbow Cay]] in the Abaco Islands at 16:40 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] with winds of {{cvt|185|mph|round=5}}<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/hurricane-dorian-bahamas-warning-florida-carolinas|title=Hurricane Dorian, Category 5 storm, makes landfall in Bahamas with 185 mph winds |last= Fedschun| first=Travis|date=1 September 2019| website= foxnews.com| publisher=[[Fox News Channel]]|access-date=1 September 2019}}</ref> and wind gusts up to {{cvt|225|mph|round=5}}, tying Dorian with the [[1935 Labor Day hurricane]] as the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane on record.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/dorian-slows-crawl-over-grand-bahama |title= Dorian Slows to a Crawl Over Grand Bahama |publisher= [[National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service]], [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] | website= nesdis.noaa.gov |access-date= 2019-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/01/catastrophic-hurricane-dorian-turns-into-category-5-nhc-says.html |title='Catastrophic' Hurricane Dorian makes landfall on the east of Grand Bahama Island|last1=Turak|first1=Robert |last2=Ferris |first2= Natasha| date= 2019-09-01 |publisher= | website= [[CNBC]].com |access-date=2019-09-02}}</ref> There are reports of major damage throughout the islands which has been described as "catastrophic damage" and "pure hell".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://abcnews.go.com/US/extremely-dangerous-hurricane-dorian-expected-hit-abaco-islands/story?id=65323753|title='Pure hell': Hurricane Dorian now Category 5 storm, makes landfall in northwest Bahamas|last=Wnek|first=Samatha|date=1 September 2019| work= abcenews.go.com| publisher= [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=1 September 2019}}</ref>

Hurricane Dorian caused 87 percent of the damage in the Abaco Islands. 75 percent of the island's homes were damaged or destroyed.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://reliefweb.int/report/bahamas/facts-hurricane-dorian-s-devastating-effect-bahamas| title= The facts: Hurricane Dorian's devastating effect on The Bahamas | agency= Mercy Corps | website= reliefweb.int| publisher= | date= 15 August 2020 | access-date= 14 December 2021}}</ref> The total cost of Hurricane Dorian's impacts and effects on The Bahamas was $3.4 billion. As of October 18, 2019, there were 67 confirmed deaths as a result of Hurricane Dorian, with 282 people still missing. The damage also impacted the homes and assets of another 29,472 people. Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc on Grand Bahama and Abaco, with damaging winds and storm surges, as well as the island of New Providence. The $3.4 billion in damages, losses, and additional costs were split as follows: 72 percent damage, 21 percent losses, and 7% additional costs, with the private sector absorbing nearly 90 percent of total losses. Abaco was responsible for 87% of the losses and 76% of the damage.<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.iadb.org/en/news/damages-and-other-impacts-bahamas-hurricane-dorian-estimated-34-billion-report|title = Damages and other impacts on Bahamas by Hurricane Dorian estimated at $3.4 billion: Report| website= IADB.org| publisher= [[Inter-American Development Bank]] | date= | access-date= }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{More citations needed|date=May 2012}}
[[File:Abaco Islands 15ft 4p572 shaded.png|thumb|right|200px|Topographic map of the Abaco Islands]]
The combined population of the islands was about 17,224 {{As of|2010|lc=y}}, and the principal settlement and capital is Marsh Harbour.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

In addition to Marsh Harbour there are several other settlements on Great Abaco including [[Cherokee Sound]], [[Coopers Town]], [[Crossing Rock]], [[Green Turtle Cay]], [[Hope Town]], [[Little Harbour, Bahamas|Little Harbour]], [[Rocky Point, Bahamas|Rocky Point]], [[Sandy Point, Bahamas|Sandy Point]], [[Spring City, Bahamas|Spring City]], [[Treasure Cay]], [[Wilson City, Bahamas|Wilson City]], and [[Winding Bay]].

Surrounding Great Abaco are several smaller islands known as [[cay]]s, many of which are popular with tourists visiting the islands. A few notable cays include [[Castaway Cay]] (formerly Gorda Cay), [[Elbow Cay]], the [[Grand Cays]], [[Great Guana Cay]], Green Turtle Cay, [[Man-O-War Cay]], [[Moore's Island]], Tilloo Cay, and [[Walker's Cay]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://the-bahamas.net/attractions-and-activities/diving-in-abaco-bahamas/ |title= Diving in Abaco Bahamas| website= the-bahamas.net| publisher= | access-date= 6 November 2013}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! width="100" | Race (2010 census)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/13b049fe-be74-4389-be1c-da9945543345/ABACO+2010+CENSUS+REPORT.pdf?MOD=AJPERES|title=Department of Statistics of the Bahamas|website=bahamas.gov.bs|access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref>
! width="80" | Number
! width="80" | Percentage
|-
| [[Afro-Bahamians|Black]] || 14,080 || 81.75%
|-
| [[White Bahamians|White]] || 2,370 || 13.76%
|-
| Black and White || 384 || 2.23%
|-
| Black and Other || 97 || 0.56%
|-
| White and Other || 90 || 0.52%
|-
| East Indian || 25 || 0.15%
|-
| Asian || 24 || 0.14%
|-
| Other races || 60 || 0.35%
|}

==Activities==
The [[Bahamas National Trust]] maintains six national parks in the Abacos Islands.<ref name="bnt">{{cite web|url=http://www.bnt.bs/_m1731/The-National-Parks-of-The-Bahamas|author=Bahamas National Trust|year=2012|title=The National Parks of The Bahamas|publisher=BNT|access-date=17 October 2012|archive-date=28 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628042132/http://www.bnt.bs/_m1731/The-National-Parks-of-The-Bahamas|url-status=dead}}</ref> These are:
* [[Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park]]
* [[Abaco National Park]]
* [[Black Sound Cay National Reserve]]
* [[Walker's Cay National Park]]
* [[Tilloo Cay National Reserve]]
* [[Fowl Cays National Park]]

The Great Abaco Family Fitness Weekend takes place every March in Treasure Cay, attracting both domestic and [[international tourism]]. The events include an open water swim, sprint and Olympic triathlons, a children's race, and a 5k/10k fun run/walk. The Abaco Club features an 18 hole championship golf course, designed by Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie, which is home to [[The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic|Great Abaco Classic]].

[[File:Hopetown-lighthouse.jpg|thumb|right|The red and white striped lighthouse at [[Hope Town]] in the Abaco Islands is a noted local landmark.]]

Fishing, diving, snorkeling, and boating are available in the Abacos. Green Turtle Cay has an interactive Bahamas Pig Tour and Hope Town has a historic lighthouse. Restaurants and bars serving Bahamian food can be found in the hotels on Abaco Island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bahamasairtours.com/destination/abaco-bahamas/|title = The Abacos| date = 9 October 2017| website= bahamasairtours.com| publisher= | access-date= }}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[Marsh Harbour Airport]] (MHH) and [[Treasure Cay Airport]] (TCB) serve the needs of the Abacos, and all Abaco travel connects or originates in Florida or Atlanta. On the main island cars and boat rentals are available. On some of the cays, rental golf carts and boats are the main mode of transportation, along with bikes or scooters. Marsh Harbour Airport was the site of a plane crash on 25 August 2001, that claimed the lives of nine passengers, among them [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] singer [[Aaliyah]].<ref name="NTSB">{{cite report|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20010907X01905&ntsbno=MIA01RA225&akey=1|title=NTSB Identification: MIA01RA225|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date=11 June 2009}}</ref>

The cays can be reached by ferries. The southern cays can be reached from Marsh Harbour and another ferry leaves from the Treasure Cay ferry dock about a half-hour from Marsh Harbour by road. Ferry service is also to be found between Nassau and Sandy Point on the southern end of Great Abaco on weekends.

===Sandy Point===
Sandy Point is a small settlement at the tip of southwest Abaco, Bahamas. It is the location of "Sandy Point Airport", which has yet to serve any regular scheduled carrier, and a new police station. Sandy Point also has a few shops, some churches and a few bonefish lodges. The annual "Homecoming and Conch Fest" is held around [[Bahamian Labour Day]], the first Friday in June.
In the 1990s, [[The Walt Disney Company]] bought Gorda Cay and renamed it ''Castaway Island'' and made it a stop on their "Island in the Sun" cruise ship offering. Many Disney employees live in Sandy Point. There is no public access for tourists from shore. Also off shore and a little more to the north, lies [[Moore's Island]]. It has two settlements "[[Hard Bargain, Bahamas|Hard Bargain]]" and "[[The Bight]]". Hole-in-the-Wall, which is the site of a lighthouse, may seem nearby but should be a trip unto itself and only in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle when coming from Marsh Harbour.

==Economy==
The Abaco Islands have been long famous for [[shipbuilding]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Man-O-War's Boat Building Heritage | website= mowmuseum.com| url= http://www.mowmuseum.com/Our_Boat_Building_Heritage.html|publisher=Man-O-War Cay Museum|access-date=30 June 2013}}</ref> Their chief exports are lumber, fruit, and pearl shells. Crawfish ([[Panulirus argus|Caribbean spiny lobster]]) are exported to the United States. Pulpwood is shipped to a Florida plant for processing. Tourism is a major portion of the economy.<ref name= Colliers/>

Tourism has grown to the 300,000 visitors mark in 2019. This growth makes the Abacos the second most visited destination in The Bahamas. The reason for the recent increase in tourism is because of the waters. Boating, swimming, and fishing are popular activities in the islands and cays that make up the Abaco archipelago, which have hosted fishing tournaments and regattas. The real estate sector has grown due to the growing tourism; Elbow Caw saw the most activity in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web| url= http://www.thebahamasinvestor.com/2019/abaco-on-the-upswing/|title=Abaco on the upswing| work= The Bahamas Investor Magazine | via= thebahamasinvestor.com| publisher= | date= September 1, 2019| first= Catherine |last= Morris| access-date= December 14, 2021 }}</ref>

==Environment==
The Abaco Islands boast important natural areas, especially important coral reef areas, barrier-island terrestrial habitats and large [[Bahamian pineyards|forests]] of Bahamian pine ([[Caribbean pine|''Pinus caribaea'' var. ''bahamensis'']]), some of which still contain [[Old-growth forest|old-growth]] trees. As development expands in the Abacos, local groups have begun to fight for the preservation of their natural resources, such as in the development case on [[Great Guana Cay]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Teresa |last=Castle |url= http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/13/MNG88H7E5U1.DTL&hw=guana+cay&sn=001&sc=1000 |title=Reef defenders in Bahamas sue over mega-resort / S.F. developer sees Baker's Bay as model for sensitive construction on fragile islands |publisher= | website= sfgate.com |date=13 February 2006 |access-date=16 January 2010}}</ref>

Species of birds include the Bahamian subspecies of [[Cuban amazon]] (''Amazona leucocephala bahamensis''), which exists only in [[Cuba]], the [[Cayman Islands]], the southern Bahamas and Abaco.<ref name="SCSCB">{{cite web |url =http://www.scscb.org/working_groups/Actions/bird_Dec_06_Rose-throated_Parrot.htm |publisher =Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds |website= SCSCB.org |title =Rose-throated Parrot (Amazona leucocephala) |date =December 2006 |access-date =18 October 2012 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130113052450/http://www.scscb.org/working_groups/Actions/bird_Dec_06_Rose-throated_Parrot.htm |archive-date =13 January 2013 |url-status =dead}}</ref> This population is unique in that it nests in [[limestone]] solution cavities rather than tree cavities.<ref name=IUCN2012>{{cite iucn|access-date=25 May 2023|author1=BirdLife International.|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22686201A179212864.en|page=e.T22686201A179212864|title=''Amazona leucocephala''|volume=2020|year=2020}}</ref> Abaco is also known for its intact [[elkhorn coral|elkhorn]] and [[staghorn coral]] structures, and for a breed of feral horse, the [[Abaco Barb]], which became extinct in 2015.{{r|jd2|page=2}}

==Notable people==
* [[Thomas Winer Malone]], boat builder
* [[Steven Gardiner]], sprint athlete and Olympic medalist
* [[Shavez Hart]], sprint athlete and Olympian
* [[Elroy McBride]], sprint athlete who competed at the World Championships

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=jd2>{{cite book |first=Judith |last=Dutson |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pd1Kbhs2ltwC&pg=PT6 |title=Horse Breeds of North America: The Pocket Guide to 96 Essential Breeds |location=Pownal |publisher=Storey Publishing |isbn=9781580176507}}</ref>


}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Abaco Islands| ]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the Bahamas]]