Introduction
Louisiana is one of the southern states in the United States of America. As Louisiana was one of the Spanish and French colonies, it has a multicultural and multilingual heritage. When Louisiana became a Spanish colony, Spain had to make sure that it accommodates the already diverse population of Louisiana. At that time Louisiana had a large population of Native Americans, few African slaves plus a few black Americans.
Moreover, a little population of European considerably influential was also present. Most of the officials in Louisiana were French even though it was a Spanish colony. The reason for this was that Louisiana used to be a French colony before it officially became a Spanish one. As the number of Spanish people present in its own management was less and the number of French was more, therefore it was considered as a shaky government. The Spanish were aware of this fact and therefore were quite lenient and allowed French customs and traditions to be more dominant. (Library of Congress, n.d)
Louisiana has a very colorful culture. The Spanish influence eon the culture, heritage, traditions, architecture and even civil laws are noteworthy. All the influence dates back to the eighteenth century when Louisiana was a Spanish colony. Even though at first the Spanish culture was resisted by the French which were already present there due to the fact that earlier it was a French colony, however with the Spanish efforts Louisianans started to adapt Spanish culture and traditions. IT was during the Spanish rule that the agriculture of this areas flourished, before this, the colony purchased all its food from other countries. During the American Revolution, the main Spanish aid came to New Orleans, which is was the trade hub of this colony.
Influences and Significance of the Spanish Rule
Even though Louisiana was given more privileges than any other Spanish Colony however, it had to adhere to strict rules as far as trade was considered. Louisiana could not trade with Great Britain and Mexico. Moreover, whatever trade it did with Spain was allowed in only one condition. The Spanish port authorities made sure that no ship which had less than one-third Spanish crew was allowed to pass. Therefore, it is evident that the Spanish authorities were trying to keep their culture, customs, language and traditions alive. It was really hard at that time as most of the people were loyal to the French. In fact, a convention on October 29, 1768 reflected how the Louisianan people were biased towards the French rulers rather than the Spanish. (Library of Congress, n.d)
During the American Revolution the Spanish government tried to make the economy of Louisiana better than what it was. Trade laws were modified from time to time. The Spanish authorities helped the agricultural sector of the colony to grow in order to decrease the agricultural imports and so that the colony becomes self sufficient in food matters.
According to the 2005 census of America, there are almost 31.5% Spanish speaking Louisianans living in that state (MLA Language and Map data centre, 2008). The political and the legal structure of Louisiana have been inspired from the Spanish since the colonization of Louisiana in the eighteenth century. The civil law is not only based on the Spanish legal codes but also on the French and other legal codes. The civil law in Louisiana is one of the most common types and is used in many countries all over the world. Louisiana not only possesses common law but also civil law. (Kinsella, 1994; Yiannopoulos, 2000)
The culture of Louisiana is also an amalgam of Spanish, French, Italian and other cultures. This Creole culture is present to the immigration and due to colonization in the earlier centuries. An important culture in Louisiana is Islenos. This is a Spanish culture coming from the Canary Islands. People of the Canary Islands earlier migrated to Spain and then came to Louisiana and hence the Spanish culture is prevalent there. Fiesta is an annual celebration which reflects the prevalence of Spanish culture. This festival celebrates the existing Spanish heritage in Louisiana, its importance and how in many buildings, churches, street names and even cemeteries this culture is prevalent. Many people in this community of Isleno still speak Spanish.
Due to the colonization of Louisiana it has a unique culture. It has a joint heritage which comes mostly from Spanish and French backgrounds. Spanish is one of the major languages spoken in Louisiana, apart from French and English. Even English is affected by the Spanish dialect due to many people being Spanish in the state. The Yat dialect of English comes from the influence of French and Spanish in the language. (City data, 2008)
There is a large population of Roman Catholics in Louisiana. Again the main reason for this is the fact is the influence coming from French and Spanish backgrounds. The Catholics have a major influence on the state and politics also.
Louisiana has a prevalent Spanish architecture in its roots. During colonial rule of Spain on Louisiana, The main city, New Orleans changed a lot. In almost 20 years alterations could be noticed in its architecture. Two great fires had already destroyed major portion of the city, therefore, the rebuilding campaign had obviously new Spanish style. It was then when the Spanish architecture began to take hold in this state (Library of Congress, n.d). The architecture of Louisiana which is inspired from the Spanish culture has been broken down in categories. Five categories namely Acadian-Creole, Victorian, Classical, Arts & Crafts and modern have been adapted in this state. (FEMA, 2008)
New Orleans was the centre of trade. As new merchants came to this place for trade they brought in their traditions and cultures. The reason why New Orleans was considered as the centre of all trade activities was merely due to the fact that deep waters near the river could accommodate big ships and hence trade was easier. During the Colonial time as Great Britain and Mexico were already banned from trading in Louisiana, therefore, the main influence this place was from the Spanish themselves. (Library of Congress, n.d)
During the war between France and Spain, any influence which France had on Louisiana was already minimized. The new trade laws accommodated not only Spain but also countries with which Spain had close commercial ties with. The new regulations stopped any purchase from the French. Even with such restriction with many ships being rejected every day, finally New Orleans started accepting trade from other parts of the world too and hence finally a little influence came from all parts of the globe.
Apart from the architecture and trade laws, other Spanish laws were also introduced in Louisiana. The very First Spanish laws came from the Governor Alejandro O’Reilly. This was almost seven years after the Spanish rule began. From that to the present, the Spanish laws have played a very important role in the civil law system of Louisiana (Reynolds, n.d).
Conclusion
To conclude, it can be stated that Louisiana takes a lot of its cultural heritage from its colonial days. Two main powers France and Spain had a lot of impact on its laws culture and architecture. Even though in the beginning the Louisianans who were loyal to the French did not accept the Spanish culture and language, but it was evident that sooner or later the Spanish culture will take hold in the area. Even the food, way of living and the dialect of English reflects the significance of Spanish rule in Louisiana. Most of this cultural heritage which comes from Spain can be noticed in New Orleans, which was the trade hub during the colonial times.
References
City Data (2008) Louisiana – Languages. Web.
FEMA (2008) Which Louisiana Style of Architecture Does My House Fall Into? Web.
Kinsella, Stephan. (1994). A civil Law to Common Law dictionary. Louisiana State University. Volume 54, Number 5. Web.
Library of Congress (n.d) Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase a Special Presentation from the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress.
MLA (Language and Data centre) (2008). Most spoken languages in Louisiana in 2005. Web.
Reynolds, Russell (n.d). Spanish Law Influence in Louisiana; American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Web.
Yiannopoulos, A.N. (2000). The Civil Codes of Louisiana Reprinted from Civil Law System Louisiana and Comparative Law; Claitor’s Publishing Division; Baton Rouge.