Recently in Hispanic Heritage Category

Charles

Send a comment to Charles

We learned recently that Arturo Garcia passed away earlier this year.

Mr. Garcia was Wells Fargo's first Hispanic Bank Manager. His longtime dream had been, he said, to become a banker and make his way up the corporate ladder to Officer. It happened when he was named Branch Manager in 1967.

After 34 years with Wells Fargo, Mr. Garcia retired and began compiling his life story. He had a deep interest in history and his own role in it — something we at Guided By History feel is absolutely central to properly understanding the past. We all are history, living it every day, with every act. Arturo Garcia understood that, and we are pleased to get a copy of his history, to get the story as he tells it.

It is sad to lose an old friend, but the service he provided to his community is as much his legacy as the dozens of family members who survive him.

Goodbye, Art. And thank you.

Charles

Joycee Wong is Curator at Wells Fargo's San Francisco History Museum. (Her previous blog is here!) For Hispanic Heritage Month, Joycee reflects on the common sense we all have of celebrating family and life, whether we hail from Oaxaca or Hong Kong. (CR)

Recently, I went to the memorial park to pay respects to my dearest mom on the 4th anniversary of her death, lugging 2 large handle bags. In them were some flowers and vases, a thermos of tea and a freshly made scone, a camera (to capture the visit and share with out-of-town family later), a few old letters (to reminisce) and some tissues (for the inevitable tears). All this was my paraphernalia for a visitation to my mother's columbarium where her ashes are kept in a peaceful sanctuary.

I am reminded of the similarities between cultures when I saw a flyer a few days earlier about "Day of the Dead"  celebrations that will take place this month among many Hispanic families.

If you've never heard of it, "Day of the Dead" (El Día de los Muertos)  isn't some macabre Halloween game, but a time-honored tradition going back almost 3000 years. This holiday focuses on gatherings of families and friends, for prayer and to remember friends and family who have died. Traditions include building private altars, making sugar skulls, displaying marigolds and serving the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. Everyone visits graves with these gifts.

As a Chinese-American, I grew up with light touches of traditions on the multitude of Chinese holidays and celebrations, including those honoring our deceased loved ones. Growing up in Hong Kong, I remember periodic excursions to the cemetery where my parents and sisters — saddled with armloads of food, flowers, and cleaning supplies — spent a few hours with my paternal grandmother who was buried there. Honoring the dead according to Chinese customs require certain rituals, which our family followed to some degree....

Ileana

Picture this: It's 1886, you're a restaurant owner in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and you need a new refrigerator. (Yes, they had them! Not your Frigidaire  or anything, but they had them.) You would especially like one of the latest, most efficient models, but can't find one anywhere. What do you do?

Wells Fargo has you covered.

We're currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and I found it the perfect time to share one of my favorite artifacts at our L.A. museum. We call it the Guia. The whole name is quite a mouthful: "The "Guide for the Department of Sales and Commissions of Wells Fargo: Where and How to Buy American-Manufactured Items." This Spanish-language guide was printed in 1886, and it's basically a guide Mexican consumers and business owners could use to purchase a variety of items from the U.S. Wells Fargo had many offices in Mexico and would ship all over the country. The company had guides like this handy for customers. Agents would have samples of products and prices, and they took orders.

The introduction to the guide states that gone are the days of "taking advantage of friends and acquaintances who travel" by asking them to get you so-and-so item during their visit abroad (I think many of us are occasionally guilty of this even today, though) or entrusting such orders to strangers.

Wells Fargo's Express was easier, faster and more reliable. You just placed your order at an office, and you could get American-made items delivered to you from hundreds of miles away!

The items offered in the Guia were ones that were difficult to find or not found at all in Mexican markets. Making it convenient for people to order all sorts of items certainly helped the development of modern commerce in Mexico.

This guide is definitely a fun "read." It has any kind of item you can think of: shoes, carriages, farming equipment, dentist tools, cookies, music boxes, dried coconut...you name it!

And yes, refrigerators.

Charles

Arturo Garcia was a 20th century pioneer, the first Hispanic bank branch manager for Wells Fargo Bank.

Born into a family of farm laborers in Brawley, California  and raised in the state's Central Valley , Garcia knew and understood his customers in the agricultural communities where he managed Wells Fargo's banking business. Garcia became manager of the San Joaquin banking store in 1967. He also managed Wells Fargo's banking stores in Clovis and Fresno, and hosted a local Spanish-language radio show promoting financial literacy.

Throughout his 34-year career with Wells Fargo, Garcia received numerous internal sales awards as a store manager. A business leader in his community as well as a banker, Garcia was also a founding member of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce  and National  Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Charles

It’s a long career path from bank teller to Treasurer of the United States .

Katherine Davalos Ortega was Treasurer of the United States during the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, (1983-1989) As Treasurer, Davalos Ortega’s signature appeared on millions of dollars of U.S. currency. But her first job in finance was as a teller at the community bank in her rural hometown of Tularosa, New Mexico .

While in high school, Davalos Ortega worked at Otero County State Bank to earn money for college. This bank, where the future Treasurer of the United States began her career, became a part of Wells Fargo in 1999. While in school, Davalos Ortega aspired to become a teacher, but she learned she likely would not be hired for a teaching position. In those years, prior to the huge movement for Civil Rights , routine discrimination plauged women and minorities. Davalos Ortega entered the accounting field instead, climbing steadily in accounting and financial services firms. In 1975 she became chief executive of Santa Ana State Bank, and the first woman bank president in California.

As her influence expanded, Davalos Ortega had become active in politics. She served on several federal commissions and advisory councils, and in 1983, was nominated as Treasurer by President Reagan. Davalos Ortega was the tenth woman and second Latina to hold the post. As Treasurer of the United States, Ortega oversaw production of coins and currency and the United States Savings Bond program. She also raised $40 million, through commemorative coin sales, to restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Davalos Ortega gave the keynote speech at the 1984 Republican National Convention, the first woman of Hispanic descent to deliver a keynote at a national political convention.

Treasurer Davalos Ortega left her post, and Washington, in 1989. She returned to her family’s financial business in New Mexico, where she served on several corporate boards. In recognition of her lifetime achievements and rise from humble beginnings to the highest levels of public service, she received the Horatio Alger Award  in 2002.

Treasurer Davalos Ortega acknowledged her heritage at her swearing-in  in 1983. "And so," she said, "it is with a deep sense of honor and pride that I shall serve as our country's 38th Treasurer. And following the Hispanic tradition, I have chosen to have my name appear on our currency as Katherine Davalos Ortega. For in doing so, I will be honoring my father as well as my mother. Thank you."

Charles

It's that time of year again! We haul out the decorations, start addressing cards to loved ones, plan get-togethers...Yes, it's Hispanic Heritage Month , one of my favorite times of the year.

These past couple years here at GBH, we've reflected on Salvadoran heritage, famous customers and a memorable team member. We got a well-timed visit from a norteño band. Hispanic business has certainly a part of Wells Fargo's success. Latino customers transact business, and Latino team members provide customer service.

Wells Fargo's Express network moved from east to Golden West via Panama.  Wells Fargo had agents in Panama to assist pioneers in their journey to the Gold Rush. In January 1853, Henry Wells traveled by sea to San Francisco, to assess the business.

From Panama, he wrote, "I am alive & kicking but awful sore & some tired. I have found our Agents the very best men on the entire route — men of the highest standards & great energy."

In North America, Overland stagecoaches rolled through territories that had been northernmost Mexico only a few years earlier. Colorado House was opened in Old Town San Diego in 1852 and housed the Wells Fargo Express office. Jose Guadalupe Estudillo, scion of an old Californio  family, became Wells Fargo Agent in 1870.

In Wells Fargo's early years, gold and other important business were carried by side-wheel steamships from the Columbia River basin to points in Latin America. The steamers called at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Acapulco, where Wells Fargo agents served the growing Pacific Coast communities.

Wells Fargo established a Mexican subsidiary in 1860, Wells Fargo y Compañía Express, S.A. (Sociedad Mexicana). Offices were opened in grocery and department stores, hotels, drug stores and real estate offices.

Wells Fargo's business in Mexico (pdf) grew with the expansion of railroads in the last half of the 19th century. Wells Fargo provided rapid delivery and was the only U.S. express company offering direct service. By the turn of the century, la Compañía had over 300 offices, and fully ninety-eight percent of employees were Mexican.

Wells Fargo's first General Agent in El Salvador was J.C. Ybarra (pdf) in 1913. He oversaw thirteen agents and their offices, five messengers and seven other workers. Ybarra was an eyewitness to Wells Fargo's role in the economic stability of that era. He wrote that he and his staff had the "honor of being employees of a Company which has enlarged, in the commercial history of the New World, the era of progress and prosperity." In Cuba, (pdf) Wells Fargo had regularly scheduled business via steamships since the late 1800s. Wells Fargo handled money orders and traveler's checks for Cubans and tourists, and expanded steamship services to various destinations from the island.

We all personally celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month because we Historians are keenly aware that Hispanics have been a critical part of Wells Fargo's presence since the very beginning.

Charles

When I wrote about Wells Fargo's 1916 office in the Philippines a couple weeks ago, I got this response:

Thanks for this entry. My wife grew up in the Philippines and I just eat up anything I can regarding FIlipino [sic] history, especially pre WWII. I think it is very important for me to learn as much about Pinoy history and culture as I can so I can help my childeren [sic] understand and be proud of their own heritage and see Filipino culture as something deeper than what we see on ASAP & The Buzz (popular Filipino TV shows). So, thanks for the post. A question: how long did Wells maintain a presence in the Philippines and what were the reasons for their exit from the island?

Thanks!
Dave

Before I answer Dave's question, this is a great example for why we celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month. (Indeed, all diversity.) Not only have people from different places and cultures contributed to our national parade, as it were, they also have — are! — contributing every moment. As with Dave and his family, they get married, move to new places, have kids and send them to school. They do everything that everybody does. Recognizing diversity isn't about calling out the differences one day or one month each year, it's about seeing all we have in common, beneath the physical and cultural differences.

From there, sharing any differences makes everybody better off. I mean, how can you be suspicious of Southeast Asian differences after you've eaten cuisine from the region? How can you dismiss Latin Americans' differences after you learn Spanish and discover its poetic genius, maybe the loveliest expression of being human?

OK, I'm getting all worked up about the potential of One World , so I'll stop. Just promise me you'll go to the next local ethnic festival , eat the food and listen to the sounds. It's a day well spent, and I stake my good looks on it!

Back to Dave's question about Wells Fargo in the Philippines. Wells Fargo & Co.'s Express opened offices there starting in 1902. In 1918, the Express was absorbed by the U.S. Government as a wartime measure, but Wells Fargo Bank continued operations in San Francisco. With dozens of correspondent offices worldwide, including 16 in the Philippines, Wells Fargo Bank transacted financial services around the globe.

In 1935, Wells Fargo Chairman Frederick L. Lipman declared, "The Bank of the Philippines at Manila is an old correspondent." Since the 1960s, relationships with other international financial services companies, and Wells Fargo's own remittance services, continue Wells Fargo's global reach.

Short answer: Wells Fargo is still there!

Charles

Today is Inauguration Day, as the nation swears in its 44th President of the United States. It's a big day on all levels, which I needn't detail here — everybody knows them because everybody feels it. Politics and government are very personal.

Most important for all of us — I'm speaking historically, now — is the great Change we embark upon. Not just in the person of President Obama himself, but in the dramatic break with where we were, to where we are headed. Whether or not we actually get started (politics and government are as cumbersome as they are personal), a historic shift in attitudes has taken place. The gift of our system is that a collective will makes itself known. Your will.

Congratulations, everybody. It's YOUR day!

Charles

Thirteen years ago, in 1995, Wells Fargo joined with Banamex , Mexico's largest bank, to inaugurate a program of sending money between people in the United States and Mexico. It became enormously popular quickly — four years ago, Wells Fargo's remittances could be cashed at 4,000 branches and 10,700 ATMs.

This program, while innovative in itself, merely continued Wells Fargo's twentieth-century presence in Mexico. In 1924, following the Revolution , the express business still operated in Mexico, shipping produce to the United States and selling farm equipment. Wells Fargo also ran the largest tourist and travel agency. Wells Fargo's services included Gray Line bus tours  and elegant hotels, such as the Rancho Telva in the silver mining town of Taxco .

These express-related services ended in the early 1960s, to be followed by Wells Fargo Bank's financial services in later decades. On November 9, 2001, Wells Fargo became the first financial services company to accept Mexican Government-issued identification cards and consular-issued Matricula cards as primary forms of identification to open accounts in the United States.

Ileana

September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month every year. (In case you're wondering why it starts mid-September, read here).  It's a time that's special for me, being Salvadoran-American, and it's also the time of year when Wells Fargo celebrates Latino heritage. Posters and brochures at our museums, as well as our website, illustrate how Wells Fargo has served and employed Latinos since its founding.

At the Los Angeles museum last month, we had an opportunity to continue this legacy of involvement with the Latino community. We opened our doors and shared a little bit of history with "Trancazo Musical,"  a local Spanish language television show. KRCA , which carries the show, conducted a TV shoot here for a segment on "Trancazo Musical."

They used the museum as the backdrop for an interview with renowned Norteño band , Los Cadetes de Linares. Los Cadetes  sure make an impression on people. The band (or conjunto) walked into the museum in the traditional outfit. (Also called conjunto!) Clothes, hats and boots all matched. People really took notice. A small group gathered outside our front glass walls to see these modern-day cowboys meet the Wells Fargo stagecoach and delve into some Western history.

During the shoot, the host spoke to Los Cadetes about their new album — no doubt featuring many new corridos . These ballads usually tell the stories of famed criminals and heroes in the rural areas of the US-Mexico border, and they are the type of songs that have made Los Cadetes famous. The host casually incorporated bits of Wells Fargo history into the different segments. She also interviewed our Curator, Juan Colato, and encouraged the audience to visit our "beautiful museum." It was a fun experience.

But there's a question I should've asked Los Cadetes: Who makes their ornate and decorative outfits? Kudos to their tailor!