On November 12, 2025, Her Majesty Queen Sofía presided over a historic tribute in Lower Manhattan and unveiled a commemorative plaque dedicated to Diego de Gardoqui, the first ambassador of Spain to the United States and an essential figure during Spain’s support for American independence.

The plaque is located at St. Peter’s Church on Barclay Street, the site where Gardoqui laid the cornerstone in 1785, and marks the origins of what would become the first Catholic parish in New York. The ceremony not only celebrated this 240-year milestone but also coincided with the anniversaries of both Gardoqui’s birth and his death, adding to the symbolic significance of the tribute.

The initiative was conceived and promoted by Iberdrola as part of Unveiling Memories, a broader project dedicated to recovering and sharing the often-overlooked contributions of Spain and Hispanic communities to the formation of the United States. The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute (QSSI) partnered in developing the New York tribute as part of its America&Spain250 initiative, which highlights Spain’s role in the founding years of the United States ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

The event gathered members of the QSSI Board, representatives of the Archdiocese of New York, members of the International Circle of the Reina Sofía School of Music, and members of the Spanish diplomatic corps.

Following the unveiling, a full-capacity public program titled “Diego de Gardoqui: Spain in 18th-Century New York” was held at Instituto Cervantes New York. Historians Elisa Vargas, PhD, and José Manuel Guerrero Acosta, curator of Unveiling Memories, offered an in-depth look at Gardoqui’s life, diplomatic work, and enduring legacy within Spain–U.S. relations.

The program concluded with a special performance by a string quintet from the Reina Sofía School of Music of Luigi Boccherini’s La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid, a piece that added a distinctly Spanish touch to the commemoration.