MAHSM/mexican american historical society of the midlands

08/15/2026

Three hundred and five years ago, today, Spanish colonial forces made history on a battlefield located within the present borders of Columbus, Nebraska.
Historians consider Segesser Hide II one of the most significant early visual records of colonial American history. It illustrates not just a localized battle, but the broader 18th-century imperial rivalry between Spain and France for control over the North American Great Plains
This earliest documentation of Spanish involvement on the Great Plains, the Segesser Hide II painting is the catastrophic defeat and ambush of the Spanish Villasur Expedition on August 14, 1720.
The artwork depicts a combined force of Pawnee and Otoe warriors, heavily supported by French soldiers, annihilating a Spanish colonial military unit and its Pueblo allies.
The expansive, four-by-seventeen-foot hide painting—housed at the New Mexico History Museum—details the chaos of the colonial frontier skirmish:
The painting's central focus captures the final stand of the expedition, depicting 43 royal Spanish troops and 60 Pueblo Indian auxiliaries grouped in a defensive circle.
The Pawnee and Otoe attackers are illustrated on foot with painted, unclothed bodies, and shaved or close-cropped heads, carrying weapons such as buffalo-hide-covered spears.
The painting prominently features 37 European-style French soldiers wearing distinctive tri-cornered hats and firing long muskets into the Spanish lines.
The ambush occurred at dawn near the confluence of the Platte and Loup rivers, close to modern-day Columbus and Schuyler, Nebraska.
A Spanish force led by Lieutenant-General Pedro de Villasur was sent from Santa Fe to investigate growing French influence on the Great Plains. While they were camped, they were ambushed by Pawnee and Otoe warriors who were allied with the French.
The battle was a disaster for Spain. Villasur, along with 35 Spanish soldiers, 11 Pueblo allies, and a priest, were killed within minutes. Only 13 Spanish survivors managed to escape and return to Santa Fe, effectively ending Spanish expansion into the region.

07/19/2026

Greetings, Will be doing a "Magic City Charla", sometime in August at the South Omaha Immigrant Museum reflecting a historical dialogue of South Omaha's 24th & N, intersection. This intersection, has served as a architectural and cultural mirror of Midwestern urban life.
Since the late 1890s, what used to be a 4-way intersection, evolved from a chaotic frontier boomtown into a dense streetcar commercial hub, weathered mid-century industrial decay, and beginning in the mid 1980's, became a blueprint for modern immigrant-driven urban revitalization. The photographs attached is of what was the 24th & N St. Intersection, before it was radically altered over the 2nd half of the 21st Century. The view is to the west off the 24th & N Intersection, lookiing towards the Union Livestock Exchange Building, at 2907 "N" Street.

07/07/2026

Gifford Park Neighborhood Association represents a City-Hood bounded by 38th st., in the west, Dodge to the South, Cuming to the North and 30th street to the east. Bring your kids for a remarkable Summer Experience!

Looking for something fun for your kids this summer? Join our FREE Summer Drum Camp! 🥁 They’ll learn new rhythms, make friends, and build confidence in a fun and welcoming environment. Spots are limited, so register soon!