IBERIA PARISH — Just three days before his birthday, New Iberians came together to celebrate Francisco Bouligny, the Spanish officer who founded the city in 1779, with a day filled with culture, history, and family pride.
The New Iberia Spanish Festival Board hosted the event, featuring presentations, genealogy displays, a walking parade, and a reenactment of the Spanish families’ arrival. Descendants of all seven founding families, the Garys, Lopezes, Migueses, Prados, Romeros, Seguras, and Viators, took part in the festivities.
For many, the celebration wasn’t just about remembering history, but about passing it forward.
“If you don’t know who you are, you don’t know why you are as you are and where you came from, well, then you’re at a distinct disadvantage,” remarked historian William Hyland.
Bouligny’s legacy runs deep in Iberia Parish. Born in 1736 in Alicante, Spain, he served in the Spanish army in Havana during the 1760s before returning to Europe to write about Louisiana’s agricultural promise.
By 1777, he was back in Louisiana, appointed lieutenant governor by Bernardo de Gálvez, and working to settle Catholic immigrants in the region.
That mission led him to bring 500 colonists, mostly Malagueños and Isleños, up Bayou Teche in 1779 to establish what became New Iberia.
Centuries later, his vision continues to unite families.
“A lot of elderly families that are so involved… the fun part for me is seeing them just shine, showing all the work they did to figure out where they come from.” That pride, descendant Donna Gary says, is the heartbeat of the celebration.
Through family stories, cultural traditions, and the annual Spanish Festival, New Iberians continue to honor the man who gave their city its roots, and ensure those roots stay strong for generations to come.
