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My Last Name Vanegas Francisco Vanegas from Colombia Photo: T. Peters My father's first and second last names are the same—Vanegas—because my grandfather and my grandmother had the same last name.   In my culture, you have your father's last name, (but you have your mother's last name.) My father's first and second last names are the same—Vanegas—because my grandmother and my grandfather had the same last name. My father always says, "I am Vanegas Vanegas." Now our Vanegas family is small. My grandfather, Rafael, and my grandmother, Rosa, had three sons and two daughters. The daughters were named Alicia and Maria, and the son Juan died some years ago, so now an uncle named Alfonso and my father Francisco are the only persons that still have the last names Vanegas Vanegas in my family. According to my father's grandmother, the last name Vanegas is a Spanish name. At the beginning of the independence time in my country, a lot of Spaniards remained in my country and married Indians. The first Colombians were called Indians, Chibchas, Caribes, Tolimas and Calimas, they lived in tribes. They traded with the Spanish; they traded salt for gold and they always got along. My grandmother told me about my family that liked to live in the country, in Cundinamarca State. I think it is the best state in my country. Bogota is the capital of the country, and at the same time, it is the capital of the state. In this state, we have a variety of climates, plants, and animals. The Vanegas family has a ranch near Bogota and a lot of trees with a variety of fruits and cows. I want to make a geneological tree next year, so I need to collect some information and picture. The Vanegas family are good workers; they are very proud and get along with all people. I'm proud of my name. Return to: What's In a Name? | It's International | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2008 - Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com