In the Title, El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula, what does "Porciuncula" mean?
In the Title, El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula, what does "Porciuncula" mean?
5 Answers
This site partially explains it.
Contrary to the popular belief that the original name of Los Angeles was El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula (The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the (River) Porciuncula), scholars have determined from official documents of Governor Felipe de Neve, Commandant General de la Croix and Viceroy Bucareli that the settlement was simply named El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles.
Governor de Neve recorded the date, September 4, 1781, as the official date of establishment of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles
Source: Mexican Los Angeles by Antonio Rios Bustamante, Floricanto Press, 1992
I'd like to ask a related question. In following qfreed's link, I clicked on another link that came to a discussion of how to pronounce "Los Angeles." How do native Spanish speakers currently pronounce the name? I've always thought the correct Spanish pronunciation was "Lohss Ahn-hail-ess".
"Porciuncula" is the Spanish translation of the Italian "Porziuncola," which does mean "little portion."
However, The Porziuncola is a tiny chapel located inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Saint Mary or Holy Mary of the Angels) in Italy (and predating the Basilica by hundreds of years), where tradition says that the Franciscan Order was founded. As the Franciscans built the California mission system, it's almost certain that the original name for the Los Angeles River (El Río de Nuestra Señora La Reina de Los Ángeles de Porciúncula), and later the puebla, were named after the Franciscan chapel, and not simply a small piece of land.
After reading Qfreed's link, I can tell you it is the word porción modified to mean little portion.
