Portuguese Community of San Diego

Book excerpt: 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.