Tomorrow I'll be speaking at the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society’s general meeting. I'll be speaking and answering questions about historical resources available to the public at the Orange County Archives. Basically, I'll be telling folks how to use the Archives to discover the histories of their homes, communities and families. The program will be held Tues., March 8th, 7 pm at the Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion. The program is open to the public..
This Thursday, David Belardes will speak about San Juan Capistrano from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s at the Orange County Historical Society's general meeting. His presentation will include photos Alfonso Yorba, Belardes-Yorba, and Aguilar-Sepulveda collections. He will discuss the historic families of San Juan Capistrano, the city's "Town Center," and the historic adobes and Mission of San Juan Capistrano.
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Belardes is an Acjachemen/Juaneno descendent with over thirty years of experience as a "cultural advocate and cultural resource manager for the Acjachemen people." He has also worked as a Cultural Practitioner, ceremonial leader, tribal scholar, historian, genealogist and educator for his people. He is the founder and President of the Blas Aguilar Adobe Museum and Acjachemen Cultural Center, and is the Vice President and a founding member of the California Mission Studies Association.
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He lists among his many accomplishements the reorganization of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, in 1979-80, leading the Tribe toward federal recognition. He is also designated by the Native American Heritage Commission as "the most likely descendant (MLD) for Acjachemen traditional tribal territory."
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I've heard Belardes give this talk before and found it both interesting and very educational. I also got to see historic photos of Capistrano that I've never seen before. I think you'll find his talk time well spent.
[UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the OCHS meeting will begin tonight at 7:30p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. But really, you should know that by now anyway. Feel free to come a bit early to socialize.]
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Sorry it's been a while since my last missive. The last time I tried to post, I spent two hours writing, and then it all disappeared when I clicked "Publish Post." That's very disheartening.