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Famous Afro-Hispanics

Be it as saints, sluggers or singers, Afro-Latinos have made their mark

By Diego Sorbara and Sara Stoltz
Adelante Staff Writers

historical figures

Estevanico
The distance from Morocco to New Mexico is long by today's standards, but Estevanico undertook the journey in the 1530s. Sold into slavery by the Portuguese, he was put on a journey to explore the then-undiscovered land of Florida. After sustaining heavy casualties, Estevanico and other survivors made crude rafts and floated to Mexico. Of the eight who survived the sail to Mexico, Estevanico was the only one who volunteered to lead a small expedition into Arizona and New Mexico. When he arrived in northwest New Mexico, he was met with distrust by the native Zuni and was subsequently killed.
   
Negro Primero
From slave to cavalry officer, Pedro Camejo, or Negro Primero, became a hero in the Venezuelan war of independence. After impressing Simón Bolívar with his mental prowess and skill with a lance, he was one of the 150 lancers in the battle of the Queseras del Medio, where he received the Order of the Liberators of Venezuela. His bravery and valor extended to his death when, after being mortally wounded, he presented himself to General José Antonio Páez and said, “My general, I come to say goodbye because I am dead.”
   
San MartÍn de Porres
San Martin de Porres, a mulatto boy born in Lima, Peru, to an unknown father and a black mother, went from surgeon to saint in about 380 years. Under the patronage of a Spanish nobleman, de Porres was trained as a barber, pharmacist, doctor and surgeon. However, de Porres’ love for people drove him to devote himself to the poor, and he eventually entered a Dominican monastery. His works of compassion and purity of life made him a saint in the eyes of many, including Pope John XXIII.
   
Music and Literature
Celia Cruz
Only one person could burst into a room, shout “azúcar” in her booming voice and receive a standing ovation. After becoming a star in Cuba, Afro-Cuban singer Celia Cruz left her native land in 1960 and was never allowed return. She persevered, however, and through her recordings, especially those in partnership with Tito Puente, earned the nickname “the Queen of Salsa.” Cruz took Latin music from the fringes into the American mainstream, paving the way for other Hispanic artists. Cruz died in July 2003 at the age of 79 after making 70 albums, winning five Grammy awards and earning three honorary doctorate degrees, including one from Yale University.
   
Nicolás Guillén
Paralleling the writings of his close friend Langston Hughes, Nicolás Guillén took it upon himself to chronicle the travails and hardships that Afro-Cubans, like himself and his family, suffered at the hands of the pre-revolutionary Cuban government. His intense and poignant poems helped legitimize black culture in the scope of Cuban literature and helped Cuba as a whole realize the racial inequities that existed in its society. After returning from Spain as a delegate to the Second International Congress of Writers for the Defense of Culture, Fidel Castro put him in charge of creating a new cultural policy and organizing the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba.
   
Sports Figures
Nene
One of the best basketball players to ever come out of Brazil, 21-year-old Nene (formerly Maybyner Rodney Hilario) gives hope to the Denver Nuggets as the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft. He made the NBA Rookie All-Star team in his first season and now leads his team with a .708 shooting percentage. Nene is part of a recent influx of international players in the NBA.
   
Pelé
After helping the Brazilian national soccer team take the World Cup in 1958 at the age of 17, it's no wonder Pelé is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé played professional soccer from 1956, starting on a club team, until his retirement in 1974, after having won two more World Cups. He even came out of retirement to play professional soccer in the United States and is credited for popularizing the sport in the United States.
   
Ana Fidelia Quirot
Born in Havana, Cuba, Ana remains Cuba’s premier female track star at age 39. She placed third in the 800-meter dash at the 1992 Olympics, won second place in the 1996 Olympics and recently came out of retirement to continue her career. She was the world champion of the 800-meter in 1995 and 1997, overcoming an accident in 1993 that left burns on almost 40 percent of her body. The International Association of Athletic Federations named her the Female Track Athlete of the Year in 1989.
   
Sammy Sosa
Sosa made history during the 1998 Major League Baseball season, racing with Mark McGwire for the single-season home run record. He finished the 2003 season with 539 home runs, placing him tenth on the all-time home run list. He left his home of San Pedro de Marcoris, Dominican Republic, to play for the Texas Rangers before finding a home with the Chicago Cubs. There he set numerous records, including being the first player to hit more than 60 home runs in three seasons.


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