
Longtime La Jollan Alfonso de Bourbon has given a unique gift to the University of California, San Diego — an authentic map of the United States that details the exploration of Spanish conquistadors from 1512 to 1825. The map, signed by King Juan Carlos of Spain, was given to de Bourbon in 1983 by the late Alejandro de Muns, who was a Spanish lawyer and importer. De Bourbon said the map is of a “very limited edition” and the Spanish king and his wife presented another existing copy to former U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1976 in commemoration of the U.S. bicentennial. De Bourbon’s gift, presented earlier this month, was made in honor of both Columbus Day and Hispanic Heritage Month. Bourbon is of Spanish decent, but was born and raised in Switzerland and studied in France. He has resided in La Jolla for 35 years. In 1982, he helped petition the San Diego City Council to adopt the Spanish city of Alcalá de Hernares as a sister city in conjunction with the Sister Cities International program. Founded by former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the program is meant to promote peace and build international relations. The map shows landmarks, explorers and a network of arrows illustrating where the conquistadors once voyaged centuries ago.
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