It was a pleasure meeting distant cousins during my first experience with the group at the annual Walk to LA in 2004. We had arrived early in the morning at the mission for registration, and the first thing I noticed was that those who are actual descendants wear red sashes to identify themselves with. Some LP200 members wear festive costumes at public events to represent those founding fathers, farmers, of a time over two centuries ago. After the kick-off announcements had finished the walk began. The nine-mile trek takes about three hours to complete. Many of the older members don't actually walk the entire trip and are picked up to be taken to the end to greet arriving walkers. Finally, the participants cross the street at Union Station as Pobladores descendants lead the way to the plaza to the sounds of cheers and festive music.

The 2005 walk was a little different. Apparently, the crowd left San Gabriel a bit late and less than a mile from the end a few of us were walking as a group, including our president Paul Guzman, when his nephew pulled up in a van saying, "The mayor's waiting for you guys - get in!" That year marked the first time a Los Angeles mayor walked with everyone and there must have been a tight schedule to keep. The plaza ceremony began without us! But much fun was had as the year before. I wanted to be more festive that year and wore a Franciscan priest's robe that my cousin Felix had actually made. Later after the ceremony, Anthony and I managed to get a picture with Mayor Villaraigosa.

It's always fun when someone new comes along. I recently met someone at the 75th anniversary of Olvera Street, for which the Pobladores marched in a short parade. She found out about her genealogy while researching online and discovered LP200. The experiences I've had so far with the group at our different events have truly been a blast. At last year's annual Mexican Independence Day celebration at Pio Pico State Historical Park in Whittier we got to be interviewed for a CBS2 News segment on California: a special series called California Dreams. Newsman Josh Rubenstein did a fine job of putting together the piece which has aired several times. Every once in awhile someone tells me they saw me on TV. I'm hoping my 15 minutes of fame does not end too soon. I was eventually asked to be parliamentarian for the group, which I gladly accepted, however, that was a briefly held position that I had to give up to take on the secretary and newsletter editor positions that became open in early 2006. What a great way to kick off the start of our 25th anniversary year!

Something special that Felix can say he experienced as a Pobladores member was to meet King Don Juan Carlos I and Queen Dona Sofia of Spain when they visited LA in 1987 for the dedication of the statue of King Carlos III at the plaza. Also, the year before LP200 was founded, Felix was among twelve descendants to be interviewed for a special televised film to be sent to Spain at the request of the King who was interested in learning about Los Angeles history for which one of his ancestors, King Carlos III, was responsible for directing the founding.