On April 18, 2009, the Goths, the mighty tribes that sacked Rome, and the Visigoths, the Western Goths that ruled early Medieval Iberia, ransacked the normally sedate Botts Hall at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library.
Well ... not really.
What really happened is that we had an excellent presentation by Angel R. Cervantes titled "The New Mexico DNA Project: The Visigoths' Connection to yDNA Haplogroup I". He showed us a History Channel video about the Goths. These people were terrorized by the Huns, sought the protection and were practically enslaved by the Romans, rebelled against this mighty empire and sacked Rome, and eventually invaded and ruled Iberia before they themselves were conquered by the Moors. These first Christian rulers of Spain would bring Latin to Iberia, which would eventually be the basis of the Spanish language. They also started the re-conquest of Spain, which lasted nearly 800 years.
Angel showed us that many New Mexican Hispanics have inherited Visigoth DNA. He also explained how DNA testing proves that many surnames that we take for granted are incorrect due to illegitimacy, adoption, and other factors. He explained that DNA testing is a good tool to use with conventional genealogical methods in order to prove correct family lineages.
If you wish to find out more about Angel Cervantes' project, check out the New Mexico DNA Project at this link. You may also contact Angel Cevantes personally at email@example.com.