Don Francisco de Paula Marin, a Spanish sailor, was the first Hispanic on record to arrive in 1794 on the beautiful island of Hawaii but not the last.
Vaqueros or Mexican cowboys soon followed from California in the mid-1800’s to teach the locals roping and herding skills in order to manage the growing longhorn cattle population. Then Hawaiian’s decided to import a large Puerto Rican work force to work on the plantations.
All of these Hispanic pioneers have created the basis of the Hispanic population on the island that now greets and sends an Aloha to President Obama as he arrives for his Christmas holiday.
Approximately 16 percent of the Hawaiian island’s population is Hispanic, the largest ethnic minority in Hawaii, and their influence can be seen everywhere from taco trucks to Mexican restaurants.
