Mascareñas-Acostas Family of New Mexico: Maternal Genealogy
By Robert D. Martínez On 7 June 1693, José Bernardo Mascareñas married María de Acosta, daughter of Nicolas Acosta, in Mexico City. However, up to this point the origins…
Mulatos of Cochiti
The Mulatos of Cochiti By Robert D. Martínez On 21 March 1777 at the Pueblo church of San Buenaventura at Cochiti in the Province of Nuevo México, a baby boy was baptized by the parish priest. The child was named Julián Ramón Salas and was the son of Alonso…
Tortillas and Rebozos: A Middle Ground in the New Mexico Territory, 1846-1889
By Katherine Sarah Massoth On the evening of 12 September 1846, Susan Shelby Magoffin lamented in her private diary, “ in this foreign land where there are so few of our countrymen, and so few manners and customs similar to ours, or in short anything to correspond with…
Cowboys of New Mexico
The stereotypical cowboy most people think of today actually began with Spanish traditions, and before that, the Moors. During the 16th century, the Conquistadors and other Spanish settlers brought their cattle-raising traditions as well as both horses and domesticated cattle to the Americas, starting with their arrival in what…
Jerry Apodaca
10 3 1934 Jerry Apodaca was born in Las Cruces, NM in 1934. He attended the University of New Mexico earning a Bachelor of Science degree. A veteran of the Marine Corps., Apodaca returned to Las Cruces and opened his own insurance business with his bride, Clara. They would…
First Hispanic Delegate to the U.S. Congress,1853
Victory for Gallegos, 1853 On September 5, 1853, Padre José Manuel Gallegos, an Albuquerque priest, defeated Gov. William Carr Lane in a hotly contested congressional election. Padre Gallegos had been educated in Durango, Mexico, as many priests from New Mexico had. During the late Mexican period, Gallegos had become increasingly…
Fruit of Their Labors: The Agricultural Revolution in New Spain
By Juan Estevan Arellano With the colonization of the Americas by Spanish settlers, New Mexico was introduced to new peoples including assorted Europeans, Tlaxcalteca Indians and mestizos from Nueva España or Mexico. In addition, New Mexico saw the introduction of different fruits and vegetables never before seen in this…
Santiago Valdez
7 19 1830 By Denise Holladay Damico Santiago de Jesus Valdez was born in Taos, New Mexico on July 19, 1830 and was baptized by water upon his birth "because of emergency" by the Padre's younger brother, Don Santiago Martinez. Padre Martinez concluded the baptism on July 22 of…
New Mexico Learns of Independence from Spain
Mexican Independence Day Celebrations in New Mexico September 16th: 1821-1846 By Robert Torrez New Mexico was part of the Mexican Republic from 1821 to 1846. Historical documents in the Mexican Archives of New Mexico show that during this time nuevomexicanos celebrated the commemoration of Mexican independence from Spain, planning…
José Rafael Aragón
By William H. Wroth José Rafael Aragón (ca.1783-90 – 1862) was one of the most prolific and popular santeros in nineteenth-century New Mexico. Santeros are makers of images of saints, known in New Mexico as santos. The Spanish term santero has several meanings, the primary one being a person…
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