Do you know that there are nine states in the US that got their name from a Hispanic root?
- Florida (FL): From the Spanish “Pascua Florida,” meaning “Feast of flowers.” But Florida seems to be better known for its beaches and people.
- Texas (TX): A Caddo word used by the Spanish settlers to describe the Caddo people and the region they lived in. This word means “Allies,” which was then incorporated into the state motto: Friendship.
- Colorado (CO): ”Ruddy” or “red” in Spanish, in reference to the color of the Colorado River. It is the only conservative state (getting neutral in recent years) that allows the recreational use of marijuana.
- New Mexico (NM): The New Mexico.
- Montana (MT): “Mountain” in Spanish. There are a lot of mountains in Montana.
- Arizona (AZ): Name gotten from an earlier Spanish name “Arizonac,” derived from the O’odham name meaning “small spring.” Also pronounced like “Arissona.”
- Nevada (NV): “Snow-capped” in Spanish. In reference to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
- California (CA): From a novel called “Las Sergas de Esplandian,” which described an island, very close to the Garden of Eden, full of gold, which was rule by strong and beautiful black ladies.
- Oregon (OR): Disputed. One theory is that the name derives form early Spanish settlers who referred to the big, ornamente ears of the region’s native people by the name “Orejon.”