SALINAS, Calif.- The Alisal Union School District confirmed Monday it decided to rename a new school in the Monte Bella neighborhood after a famous bandit, who they say is seen as a hero by some Mexican-Americans.
Tiburcio Vasquez was convicted of murder and hung for the crime in the 1800's. He was born in Monterey to a prominent family. According to several online sources, like Wikipedia, he organized a gang, robbed travelers, had gunfights with police and killed three innocent bystanders during a robbery in San Benito County.
Vasquez is already "honored" today by two place names in southern California.
According to CaliforniaHistory.com, Vasquez was something of a celebrity, a hero to hundreds of his fellow Spanish-speaking citizens. Scores of visitors brought him flowers, wines, notions and other tokens of esteem to where he was in jail during his trial. An appeal for clemency was denied by Governor Romualdo Pacheco. On March 19,1875, in San Jose, California, Tiburcio Vasquez, bandido and folk hero, calmly met his death by hanging.
As for the school, construction has been underway for months on Tuscany Blvd., off Williams Rd. The $20 million dollar school will allow the Alisal Union School District to balance its growing enrollment. More than 8,000 students are enrolled in the district, that's 400 more than expected this year.
