New Book Highlights History of Portuguese in San Diego

Dec. 3, 2009 - PRLog -- New from the Portuguese Historical Center and Donna Alves-Calhoun is Portuguese Community of San Diego, the latest title in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America Series.  The book boasts more than 200 vintage photographs along with a supportive narrative.

In a century’s time, Portuguese explorers had discovered two-thirds of the world. In 1542, Joao Rodrigues Cabrilho uncovered the west coast of America when he sailed into a large bay sheltered by a beautiful peninsula that would someday be known as Point Loma.

By the 20th century, a small group of Portuguese immigrants had settled in the La Playa area in pursuit of a life on the sea. They brought their unique traditions and folklore customs, built churches and halls, and celebrated with Holy Spirit Festas in the streets of their new homeland. Today 19,717 make up San Diego’s Portuguese community, where many of them still live in Point Loma.

The Portuguese Historical Center was established in 1977 by Basilio Frietas to preserve and capture Portuguese history for future generations to come. Displaying artifacts and archiving old photographs ensures San Diego’s Portuguese community will always be remembered.


Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.

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With more than 6,000 local history titles published to date, Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Widely recognized sepia books feature hundreds of vintage historical images.