HispanicVista Columnists
Julian Nava – the journey of his name
- ____________________________________________________________
-
John Schmal was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.
He attended Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles and St. Cloud State
University in Minnesota, where he studied Geography, History and Earth
Sciences and received two BA degrees. Mr. Schmal has been a life-long
history buff and is also a skilled genealogist. His genealogical specialties
including tracing lineages in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Southwestern
U.S.A. He is the coauthor of "Mexican-American Genealogical Research:
Following the Paper Trail to Mexico" (Heritage Books, 2002). He has
also coauthored three other books on Mexican-American themes, all of them
published by Heritage Books in Maryland. He is an Associate Editor of
www.somosprimos.com and a board member of the Society of Hispanic
Historical and Ancestral Research (SHHAR). Presently, in addition to writing
weekly columns for HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com),
he is writing a book on the indigenous peoples of Mexico
and on the ports of entry along the Mexican-US border. Mr. Schmal has
a passionate love of Mexican history and has been writing short histories of
each state, which are being compiled at the following link:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/states.html
By John P Schmal/HispanicVista.com
According to the "Population Research website,
19,300 persons living in the United States bear the last name Nava, giving
it a rank of Number 1803 among American surnames. However, among Spanish
surnames in the United States, Nava ranks Number 213. By comparison,
Rodriguez - with a shared population of 631,000 persons - is Number 22
among all American surnames. Gonzalez - with a population of 457,400 - is
Number 38, while Sanchez (with 231,500 persons) ranks at Number 99.
The United States Census Bureau - in its Technical Working Paper No.
13 - ranked Nava as Number 198 among Spanish surnames in America
in 1996. According to "Population Research," the surname Nava is even less
common in Spain, where it has a shared population of 1,900 individuals and
is ranked at Number 599.
The surname Nava is a very ancient noble line that originated in Asturias
in northern Spain. The etymology of the surname Nava is discussed in great
detail by the García Carraffa's Diccionario de Apellidos.
According to this source, Nava has the same origin and root as the Asturia
y Alvarez line from Asturias. They share a common origin and history,
stretching deep into the ancient northern kingdoms of Asturias and León.
Individuals with the surname Nava - over time - made their way southward
into the Spanish provinces of Castilla, Andalusia and Extremadura.
Andalusia, boasting almost 34,000 square miles in area, is the
southernmost and most extensive region of Spain. Sevilla, Córdoba and
Granada all lay within its boundaries. Castilla and Extremadura are
located within Spain's arid central region, adjacent to Andalusia.
One of the Andalusian branches of the Nava surname, residing in Granada,
earned noble status as the Counts of Noroña. This branch of the family is
discussed in some detail in Diccionario de Apellidos.
Alvaro Vásquez de Nava, one of the conquerors of Granada during the
Fifteenth Century and a member of the Order of Santiago, served a
distinguished career as a cavalryman. He was noted for his great valor and
received by Queen Isabel several times. Alvaro and his son Alonso Vásquez
de Nava established a new branch of the Nava line in Tenerife, Canary
Islands in 1535.
The earliest known Nava to arrive in the Western Hemisphere from Spain was
Diego de Nava who left Spain on September 23, 1512 for the West Indies.
Diego had been born in Palencia in the northern part of Old Castilla. At
this time, Spain had not yet discovered the existence of Mexico or Peru,
so Diego's ultimate destination - if he left the West Indies at all - is
not known.
The second Nava to set foot in the Americas left Spain on May 19, 1517.
This pioneer's name was Diego de Nava and he was a native of Sevilla in
southern Spain. He was followed in June 1527 by Juan de Nava, a resident
of Quesada, in the land of Ubeda in the southern province of Andalusia.
Then in 1554, Alonso de Nava and his wife Juana de Godoy embarked from
Spain for the young and prosperous colony of Nueva España (Mexico). Later
in the year, Juan de Nava - the son of Juana de Nava and Maria Gonzalez
and a resident of Sevilla - departed from Spain with his wife Gregoria
Rodriguez. Both explorers left Spain with the intention of making their
homes in Nueva España.
Three years later in 1557, Francisco de Nava, the son of Juan de Nava and
Catalina Gonzalez and a resident of Sevilla, arrived in Mexico. Not long
after this, Juan de Nava, the son of Juan de Nava and Catalina Gonzalez,
left Sevilla with his wife Maria Hernandez. On July 1578, Juan de Nava, a
native of Santillana, Spain, the son of Pedro de Nava and Aldonza Pérez,
left Spain for Nueva Galicia as a servant of Doctor Juan de Pareja, a
judge of the Audiencia (Government) of Nueva Galicia.
Although several Nava's left Spain to go to Peru and Central America, it
is believed that several settled the Nueva Galicia area of Mexico, which
was then composed primarily of the present-day states of Jalisco and
Zacatecas. It is likely that some of the Nava's living in the United
States and Mexico today may be descended from some of these early
voyagers.
Eventually, the newly-settled areas around northern Jalisco,
Aguascalientes, and Zacatecas began to receive significant numbers of
Nava's. A significant cluster of Nava's developed in southwestern
Zacatecas near the towns of Jerez, Juanchorrey, and Tepetongo. The large
population of Nava's living in Tepetongo seems to derive in large part
from Rafael de Nava and his wife Maria Josefa Romana Correa, who lived
around 1750. The lives and accomplishments of the Nava's in Tepetongo has
been discussed in some detail by José León Robles de la Torre's 1999
publication Filigranas, Fundaciones y Genealogias, Tepetongo,
Zacatecas.
Two notable persons bearing the Nava surname have earned an important
place in American culture. These two individuals - the filmmaker
Gregory Nava and the educator/writer Julian Nava -
are discussed below:
The screenwriter and film director, Gregory Nava, was born on April 10,
1949 in San Diego, California of Basque-Mexican ancestry. He attended the
University of California in Los Angeles, where he had studied filmmaking.
At the age of 28, Mr. Nava directed Confessions of Amans,
which he had cowritten with his wife, Anna Thomas. This movie - released
in 1977 - described the tale of a tragic medieval love affair.
Mr. Nava and Ms. Thomas also wrote El Norte, which was
released by Cinecom International in 1984. El Norte, which was Mr. Nava's
third film, was praised by film critics and audiences alike. The movie
depicted the journey of a Guatemalan brother and sister who flee their
native land after the murder of their father (a spokesman for land reform)
and travel through Mexico to the United States to find work. The film
highlights the glaring contrast between a Third-World impoverished Mexico
and the prosperity of the industrialized United States. After experiencing
some problems with cultural adjustment, the brother and sister eventually
find some measure of success in their adopted land.
In the mid-1990s, Mr. Nava wrote and directed Mi Familia, My Family
and Selena, both of which featured the outstanding
acting talents of Edward James Olmos, Jennifer Lopez, Constance Marie and
Jacob Vargas. Mi Familia is the three-generation chronicle
of the Sanchez family of East Los Angeles spanning a sixty year period
that starts in the 1920s when the father leaves Michoacán.
Selena was released in 1997 to critical acclaim. The movie
follows the life of Abraham Quintanilla as he molds and guides the career
of his talented daughter, Selena Quintanilla. Nava's film brilliantly
portrays Selena's charisma and perseverance as she climbs to the top of
the Tejano music scene, only to be murdered in 1995 by the President of
her fan club.
Most critics agree that Mr. Nava, as a director of films, has an uncanny
knack for capturing the epic drama of ordinary lives. Today, Gregory Nava
continues to be involved in movie and television production.
Julian Nava - from the Tepetongo Nava family - is one of the most renowned
and distinguished elder statesmen in the Hispanic community of the United
States. The child of poor Mexican immigrants, Julian rose through years of
hardship and hard work to achieve what no other Latino in the United
States had achieved before him: he was appointed to serve as the first
Mexican American ambassador to Mexico.
The great-grandfather of Julian Nava was Gregorio Nava Miranda, a resident
of Tepetongo, Zacatecas. On June 6, 1818, the 23-year-old Indian Gregorio
was married in Tepetongo to 17-year-old Margarita de Acosta, who was of
Spanish descent. Gregorio was the son of José Maria Nava and Maria
Gregoria Miranda. Gregorio and Margarita are believed to have had several
children, including José Julian Nava, who was baptized on February 19,
1822 in the Tepetongo Church. José Julian Nava is the grandfather of
Professor Julian Nava.
Among Professor Nava's ancestral surnames, the Salazar, Correa, Gusteo,
Casas, Carlos and Bañuelos ancestors are believed to be of predominantly
Spanish descent, while his Nava, Miranda, Rosales and Avila lines are
believed to be predominantly Indian in origin.
Julian Nava was born on June 19, 1927 in Los Angeles California, as the
second son of eight children of immigrant Zacatecas parents. His parents
had fled Mexico during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). Young Julian
attended public schools in the Mexican barrio of East Los Angeles, while
helping his family with migrant agricultural work. He volunteered for
naval service in World War II and served as a combat aircrewman.
Returning from the war, Julian first worked with his older brother in the
auto repair business. However, as a veteran of World War II, Julian soon
decided to utilize the G.I. Bill to get himself a college education. He
attended East Los Angeles Junior College, where he became student body
president. He moved on to Pomona College, where he received an A.B. degree
in 1951.
Receiving two scholarships, Julian attended Harvard University, from which
he received his Doctorate in History in 1955. Early on, he became an
instructor in English and U.S. History. In addition to teaching history as
an assistant professor at California State University at Northridge
(1957-1961), Professor Nava lectured in Puerto Rico for two years.
Professor Nava became an associate professor in 1961 and received the
status of full professor of history, starting in 1965. By this time, he
had earned a very respected place in the Los Angeles academic community.
So it was that, when he ran for a position on the Los Angeles Unified
School Board in 1967, he won an impressive victory, garnering a larger
majority than any Hispanic American candidate for office up to that time.
Julian Nava became the first Mexican American to serve on the school
board, at a time when school walkouts, boycotts, desegregation and
bilingual education were primary concerns to Los Angeles residents. He
served in this capacity from 1965 to 1980, dedicating a great deal of time
to the growing problems of a large urban school district.
With a growing concern about Mexican-American issues, Professor Nava
became involved in the Chicano Movement and served as a member of the
board of the Plaza de la Raza and the Hispanic Urban Center and on the
advisory committee of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education
Fund (MALDEF).
Julian Nava's commitment to education and to his community earned him the
appointment as Ambassador to Mexico in January 1980 when President Carter
appointed him to that office. He served in this capacity until the next
year, when the newly-elected Reagan Administration replaced him with John
Gavin. At this time, Professor Nava returned to his teaching position at
Northridge.
In addition to his teaching and political careers, Julian Nava is the
author of many books dealing with Mexican-American history and issues. One
of his many works, Mexican Americans: Past, Present, and Future
was published in 1969 and has been used as a public school textbook.
Julian Nava's autobiography, Julian Nava: My Mexican American
Journey was published several years ago. His previously untold
story was made available to readers in the hopes of inspiring others to
achieve a life dedicated to education, commitment and perseverance.
© Copyright 2005 by John P. Schmal.
Sources:
Susan Avallone (ed.), Film Writers Guide (Los Angeles: Lone
Eagle, 1991), p. 213.
Cristobal Bermudez Plata: Catalogo de Pasajeros a Indias - Siglos
XVI, XVII y XVIII, Volumen I (1509-1533), Volumen II (1535-1538), Volumen
III (1539-1559), Volumen IV (1560-1566), (Madrid: Archivo General
de la Indias, 1930 - 1980). Found in Microfilms 0277577, 0277578, 1410933
and 1410934 of the Family History Catalog.
Alberto García Carraffa and Arturo García Carraffa, Diccionario
heráldico y genealógico de apellidos españoles y americanos
(Madrid: Nueva Imprenta Radio, 1952-1963), 86 volumes.
Francisco A. De Icaza, Conquistadores y Pobladores de Nueva España:
Diccionario Autobiográfico Sacado de los Textos Originales
(Madrid: El Adelantado de Segovia, 1923).
María del Carmen Galbis Diez, Catálogo de Pasajeros a Indias -
Siglos XVI, XVII, y XVIII, Volumen VI 1578-1585 (Madrid:
Ministerio de Cultura, Dirección de Bellas Artes, y Archivos, 1986).
María del Carmen Galbis Diez, Catálogo de Pasajeros a Indias -
Siglos XVI, XVII, y XVIII, Volumen VII 1586-1599 (Madrid:
Ministerio de Cultura, Dirección de Bellas Artes, y Archivos, 1986).
Nicolás Kanellos (ed.), Hispanic-American Almanac (Detroit:
Gale, 1993).
Matt S. Meier, Mexican American Biographies: A Historical
Dictionary, 1836-1987 (New York: Greenwood Press, 1988).
José León Robles de la Torre, Filigranas, Fundaciones y Genealogias,
Tepetongo, Zacatecas (Torreón, Coahuila: Editorial del Norte
Mexicano, 1999).
Luis Romera Iruela and Maria del Carmen Galbis Diez, Catálogo de
Pasajeros a Indias - Siglos XVI, XVII y XVIII, Volumen V 1567-1577
(Madrid: Ministerio de Cultura, Dirección de Bellas Artes, Archivos y
Bibliotecas, 1980). 2 volumes.
Bryan Ryan (ed.), Hispanic Writers: A Selection of Sketches from
Contemporary Authors (Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1991).
John P. Schmal, The Ancestors of Professor Julian Nava
(unpublished: Los Angeles, California, 2000).
David L. Word and R. Colby Perkins, Jr., Building a Spanish Surname
List for the 1990s - A New Approach to an Old Problem, Technical
Working Paper No. 13 (Washington, D.C.: Population Division, U.S. Bureau
of the Census, March 1996).