Hispanic America USA
Reenactment Organizations
Copyright (c) 1996-97 All Rights Reserved
Soldiers of Santa Barbara Royal Presidio
Representatives from Soldiers of Santa Barbara Royal Presidio
to honor American Hero Bernardo de Galvez, USA Revolutionary War
October 6, 1996 in a parade down Virginia Ave, Washington D.C.
Michael Hardwick
Mark Martinez
Donna Egeberg
Al Sorondo
Los Soldados are a living history reenactment group portraying
Soldados de Cuera of the Spanish Southwest. Los Soldados are affiliated
with the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation which is currently
restoring the Santa Barbara Presidio.
Founded April 21, 1782, the Santa Barbara Royal Presidio
was the last in a chain of four military fortresses built by the Spanish
along the coast of Alta California, then a wilderness frontier.
Others had been established at San Diego, San Francisco
and Monterey. Padre Junipero Serra, well known for his efforts in founding
the California missions, blessed the site of the Santa Barbara Presidio
four years prior to the establishment of the Mission of Santa Barbara in
1786.
El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park encompasses
the original Presidio site and is located in modern downtown Santa Barbara
at the intersection of Santa Barbara and Canon Perdido Streets.
Presidios played a vital role in the occupation of New
Spain. They protected the missions and settlers against attack by Indians,
provided a seat of government, and guarded the country against foreign
invasion.
The Santa Barbara Presidio was both military headquarters
and a governmental center of the entire region extending from the southern
limits of present day San Luis Obispo County to and including the Pueblo
of Los Angeles. The soldiers of the Presidio and their wives played an
important role in the colonization of California, and the families of the
military became the region's first non-native population
The troops manning the frontier presidios were a unique
branch of the armed forces, distinct from Spain's regular soldiers. They
were distinguished from Spanish regulars not only in having been born and
reared in the frontier provinces and thus adapted to the harsh conditions
but also in having their own regulations. Reglamentos of both 1729 and
1772 were distinct from those ordenanzas governing the regular army. Presidial
soldiers were more heavily armed and equipped than the regular army. In
addition to standard weapons of Spanish regulars (musket, pistols, and
saber), the presidial soldier carried a lance, a shield, and a heavy coat
of leather armor. The presidial soldier was in fact named for his leather
armor, "Soldado de Cuera". The reglamento of 1729 specified that
each presidial trooper was to have six horses and one mule at his disposal.
The ordinary Spanish dragoon only had two horses available to him.
In April of 1990, a reenactment group formed in Santa Barbara, California
to recreate the Soldado de Cuera soldier of the period 1769-1821. After
200 years, this soldier has come to life again under the auspices of Los
Soldados del Real Presidio de Santa Barbara. The charter of the group is
to authentically portray the Spanish presidial soldier by means of reeanctments
of military drill, use of period costumes, role playing, and research into
period history. Los Soldados have participated in numerous historic events
since their founding.
M. Hardwick 205 Vernal, Santa Barbara, Ca. 93105 (805)
687-8541 hardwic2@juno.com
