Los Islenos Cultural Heritage Society

Los Islenos Cultural Heritage Society is one of my favorite places that in Southern Louisiana. It is located in St. Bernard Parish, an area originally settled by the Los Islenos Canary Islanders and rich in Spanish History and Culture.

The people in this parish suffered huge loss during Katrina. Every building in the parish was damaged and in many parts the parish was 30 feet under water. Everyone living there has had to do work if not entirely rebuild their homes, and yet despite all this the community’s strong ties to its cultural roots has come together to continue the legacy of the society and rebuild the historic site that it is located on.

The site itself is as remarkable as the people whose history it reflects both in past and present. Five “pirate” camps built by some of the original Canary Island settlers remain standing despite Hurricane Katrina. While damage was done to many of them, the bar room is still in amazing condition and the people of the community came together voluntarily to do physical work to put the grounds back together. Four of the forts are under various stages of rehabilitation, and the land surrounding, was cleared out so that people could walk through the trails. Many of the original Cypress trees planted on this site are gone, but Bill Highland, local historian, pointed out one that is still standing and showed us the line of new cypress that the community planted about three years after the storm.

The Los Islenos Society was founded in 1975 when local historian Emeritus Frank Fernandez worked with several people and a local TV station to create a documentary of oral histories of families whose roots traced back to the Canary Islands. Despite regionalisms Islenos Spanish is still spoken in parts of the Parish.

he Society is still struggling to get back on its feet according to current historian Bill Highland, but they are doing great things at the center. Spanish Dance Classes, Costumed Festivals, Christmas Bonfires, and the annual Fiesta, and are hoping that this will continue to build local support as well as tourism to the site.

Personally, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the people of that community for their inspirational will-power, and dedication to their heritage. Each person I have met in my trips out there has been not only extremely generous, but an amazing story teller.

Both the site and the people surrounding it are something important to experience on any trip made to New Orleans, it’s a short drive, and definitely worth it.