Located in north central New Mexico, Santa Fe was one of the seven partidos established during Mexican rule. The division of counties in New Mexico can be traced back to this time. The first subdivison of the New Mexico Territory was made in 1837 when two partidos — districts…
Located in northeast New Mexico, San Miguel was one of the seven partidos established during Mexican rule. The division of counties in New Mexico can be traced back to this time. The first subdivison of the New Mexico Territory was made in 1837 when two partidos — districts —…
Roosevelt County sits in eastern New Mexico and was created in 1903 from Chaves and Guadalupe Counties. Roosevelt County was named for Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth President of the United States, who had enlisted in the New Mexico Rough Riders when he climbed San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American…
Sandoval County sits in central New Mexico, west of the Rio Grande. Created in 1903, it was named for the Sandoval family, whose members still live here. The first appearance of the Sandoval name in New Mexico came with Sebastian de Sandoval, who was in Santa Fe in 1640,…
Quay County sits in eastern New Mexico with Tucumcari as its county seat. The county is named for Matthew S. Quay, a distinguished Civil War veteran and U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. Quay was a leading proponent in Congress for New Mexico statehood. In 1903, when a new county was…
by Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint Although neither fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez nor fray Francisco Silvestre Vélez de Escalante spent much time in New Mexico, they both left historical legacies of importance for understanding the Spanish colony. Both were Franciscan friars, and both were sent to New Mexico…
Coofor and Juan Aleman by Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint Few New Mexicans today are familiar with the name Coofor (CohOHfor) or its common variant Alcanfor. The name likely derives from the Tiwa Pueblo word ghufoor, which means "parched corn." Yet, Coofor, or Parched Corn Town, was the…
by Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint The ruins of the pueblo of Cicuique, now known as Pecos Pueblo, are located on a small rock outcrop eighteen miles southeast of Santa Fe in the Pecos River Valley. The site was designated a New Mexico State Monument in 1935 and…
by Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint The word "Cíbola" made its appearance for the first time in writing as a New Mexico place name in September 1539. On the second day of that month the Franciscan friar Marcos de Niza presented to Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza the written…
1602 Maria de Jesus de Agreda by Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint In 1602, in the small town of Ágreda on the northeastern edge of the Kingdom of Castile in Spain, a remarkable little girl was born, María Fernández Coronel y Arana. From a very young age, she…
