Beyond Origins of New Mexico Families

The 1750 census of Belen lists Don Diego Vásquez Borrego as a widower with two sons and one servant (Olmsted: 95). This census identifies a total of thirteen Spanish families and twenty Genízaro families. Of the Spanish families, don Diego was one of four heads of households with servants and he was the only one listed with the title of "Don". The majority of the listed Spanish families had old roots in New Mexico reaching into the early to mid 1600s, families such as the Baca, Trujillo, Salazar, Luna, Torres. One family had roots in Mexico City and Tlapujagua (Jirón-Tafoya), and two families were newcomers (Barrera and Vásquez Borrego).

The older families shared a common history. The history of don Diego Vásquez Borrego is different, as recounted here. He did not come to New Mexico as part of a colonizing expedition. Although he had a wife and children, they never came to New Mexico, and he fathered two sons in New Mexico who passed on the Borrego surname.

I would like to begin by taking you to the end of his life since we know nothing about his early life. It was May 1753, don Diego was in Santa Fe and lay very ill in bed at the home of Vicente Martin (three years after being enumerated in the 1750 census of Belen). Fearing death was near, the Reverend Father Tomás Mariano de la Cruz was summoned to don Diego's bedside to hear his confession and assist in recording and witnessing his last testament. Here were the last recorded words of don Diego Vásquez Borrego:

Don Diego remained bed-ridden. He died within five days and was buried on May 10, 1753 in Santa Fe. His burial record described him as "a very old man."

It was one of the duties of the local alcalde mayor to be present when a last will and testament was recorded in order to validate the document legally. In this case, the alcalde mayor was not in the jurisdiction and thus a priest and four witnesses attested to the will and signed it. The customary outline for legal wills was not followed. When the alcalde mayor returned to Santa Fe he held proceedings in order to validate the will and it was specifically mentions that none of the witnesses were familiar with judicial practice. Thus, the recording of the profession of faith, the naming of wives and heirs was not done. When the witnesses to the will testified before the alcalde mayor, they stated that don Diego mentioned he married twice. Each could not recall the name of his first wife, but the name of his second was remembered as Rosa de Altamirano. Don Diego also told them that he had one son from his first marriage and two sons from his second, one of whom was deceased and the other living in Toluca.

So who was this man? Where was he from and what brought him to New Mexico where he lived the remainder of his life? Fortunately, among the largest collections of documents in the Spanish Archives of New Mexico are those related to the settlement of the estate of don Diego Vásquez Borrego (SANM I: 103). Included in this collection are commendation letters of military service that provide fragments of information about don Diego's life prior to coming to New Mexico.

In the early 1720s, don Diego was a Cabo de Escuadra (Squadron Leader) in the company of Alférez don Manuel José Carranza y Guzmán, one of the first companies formed to participate in la conquista de Nuevo Toledo, also known as the region of Nayarit (today, the northwestern corner of the Mexican State of Nayarit). This was one of the last regions to come under the authority of the Spanish government. Over the course of first two centuries of Spanish rule in New Spain, the region of Nayarit had become a refuge for native people, but also became a refuge for fugitives. The main group of Indians in Nayarit were the Cora. Attempts to convert these people had met with limited results in the seventeenth century. The Cora and other local tribes refused to come under Spanish rule. Through improved diplomatic relations in the early 18^th century, the leader of the Cora, known as el Tonati, and who was described by the Spaniards as a very honorable Indian, and fifty Indian companions, journeyed to Mexico City in early 1721 to meet with the viceroy and made agreement to recognize the King of Spain as sovereign of his people and allow for the evangalization of his people. Upon return to his home, Tonati had a difficult time convincing other caciques about the benefits of conversion and Spanish rule. The discord presented the Spaniards with a formidable task, but the religious and military leadership was intent on occupying and evangelizing the region.

One hundred soldiers were recruited at Zacatecas, and an additional fifty were enlisted at Mexico City on June 29, 1721. These soldiers left Mexico City on July 23^rd and traveled to the Villa de Jérez where fifty more soldiers were recruited. In addition, Indian allies were recruited to participate in the Nayarit entrada. The campaign was long. The initial battle in the fall of 1721 produced no conclusive victories for either side. The Spanish troops and their Indian allies established themselves at San Juan Peyotan and waited for reinforcements. The decisive battle came on January 16, 1722 in which the plateau fortress of Mesa del Tonati was captured by Spanish troops. Carranza y Guzmán wrote this account of don Diego Vásquez Borrego's actions during this battle:

The Indians of Nayarit made overtures of peace and it was agreed that the Spaniards would receive them at a place called Tegantela. However, the Spaniards entered into a trap and were attacked by a force of about 1,500 Indians. In the ensuing battle, as related by Carranza y Guzmán, don Diego found himself surrounded by attackers, jumped off his horse and fought "with arms in hand" for his life.

Carranza y Guzmén related yet a third account of don Diego's service. At the end of May 1722, don Diego was one of twelve soldiers who volunteered to accompanied Carranza y Guzmán to the rebel encampment of the Indian leader known as Don Alonso. The purpose of the mission, according to historical documents, was to "cut the threads of sedition." Don Diego traveled many leagues on foot with his companions, traversing hills and ravines, eventually arriving at Don Alonso's ranchería close to midnight. The soldiers were attacked, and Carranza y Guzmán was wounded. The soldiers retreated, and a larger force of Indians gathered to follow them. Seeing no possibility of escape, Carranza y Guzmán ordered his men to occupy the summit of a rocky hill. Initially, the Indians chose not to attack and simply surrounded the hill. Carranza y Guzmán commanded that his men not shoot unless the enemy was clearly visible. In this manner, this small troop of soldiers held their attackers at bay. One of Don Diego's commendation letters mentions that the Indians asked for terms of peace, which were granted. Then the soldiers were left to fend for themselves without water or food. According to Carranza y Guzmén, he and his men endured many deprivations while waiting for soldier from the presidio. As they had no food rations, nor could they find any water holes for many leagues, they ate cactus and wild roots to survive.

The commendation letters provide us with a rare glimpse of some personal events in the life of don Diego Vásquez Borrego that reflect something of his character. He was adventurous, willing to take risks, skilled in defending himself, resourceful and loyal. His peers and superiors thought well of him and regarded him with respect, which was earned.

In the spring of 1723 don Diego was stationed at the Presidio de San Salvador el Verde where he had become quite ill and felt he was unable to continue his military duties. In June of this year he requested leave to return to his home to care for his health. The request was granted on June 23^rd by Carranza y Guzmán.

It seems that don Diego married his first wife prior to 1723. Her name and the place of the marriage are not yet known. His eldest son from this first marriage was Manuel Vásquez Borrego who married Micaela Lucero in Mexico City. Don Diego married his second wife, Rosa de Altamirano, in the Valley of Toluca, west of Mexico City. It can only assume that after leaving the Presidio de San Salvador el Verde he made his way to Toluca. If so, he did not remain long. He journeyed northward to the Presidio de Parral in Nueva Vizcaya and by 1726 he was living in the Villa de San Felipe el Real de Chihuahua.

The exact motivation that brought don Diego to the northern frontier it is not clear. Did he come as a soldier, or did he come to seek rewards for his military service to the crown? In either case he did not travel with his family. His wife and two sons remained at Toluca. Don Diego resided in Chihuahua for several years. Existing documents from the Spanish Archives of New Mexico reveal nothing about his activities there. In 1730, he was then at the Real Presidio del Paso along the Rio Grande. His eldest son, Manuel Vásquez Borrego, also became a resident of El Paso del Norte. It is not certain whether Manuel was in El Paso before his father's arrival, whether he came with his father, or himself arrived after his father.

Although don Diego was away from his family for several years, he maintained a correspondence by letters but unfortunately none survived as part of the collection of his papers found in the Spanish Archives of New Mexico. He may have intended for his wife and children to join him in the frontier, but this never occurred. For whatever reasons, Rosa de Altamirano decided to remain in Toluca, and don Deigo apparently had no plans to return to her. On July 30, 1730, he composed a letter as a response to a request for him to appear in Toluca. Since he was married and was living away from his wife, he received an official letter that clearly stated the expectation for him to live as a married man. He was ordered to return to his wife in the Valle de Toluca. In his response don Diego confirmed he was married in the Valle de Toluca, and was reluctant to make the journey south due to what he regarded as the great risk involved in travel, even as far as Parral. He further declared he was making a comfortable living at the Villa del Paso del Norte. He then offered to present himself to the ecclesiastical judge and notary of El Paso, and asked permission to have his wife join him in El Paso. He was given the period of one year to bring his wife to the frontier. She never made it to El Paso. She may have refused to come northward, or even passed away before ever making the journey.

At this point in his life, don Diego Vásquez Borrego appears to have wanted to further his livelihood. It is very likely he intended to take full advantage of his loyal military service, in particular to acquire a royal land grant. Available records do not indicate that he owned land in the El Paso region. In the latter part of 1733, don Diego was in the Albuquerque area where he and doña Antonia Baca stood as padrinos for a child of Pedro Romero and Gregoria Baca that was baptized on December 27^th. In January 1734 he acquired two tracts of land located next to each other south of Isleta pueblo on the western side of the Río del Norte. The first tract was given as a gift to him by Diego Padilla and had the Río del Norte as its eastern boundary, the lands of Diego Padilla to the west and south, and lands of Joaquín Sedillo to the north. The second tract included a site known as San Martín and was purchased by don Diego for 200 pesos (about the amount of $5,600) from the heirs of Joaquín Sedillo with the northern boundary being the lands of Isleta Pueblo with the Río del Norte on the west, the Río Puerco on the east and the ranch house of Diego Padilla to the south. Around this same time he also submitted a request for "uno de los Pobladores merced de tierras," a settlers land grant, in the area of Belen. In May 1736, don Deigo sold his second tract of land to Nicolás Cháves for 600 pesos (about $16,800), a profit of 400 pesos in two years. By the 1740s, he was a very well establish rancher of the Río Abajo region with livestock consisting of cows, sheep, goats and horses. His prosperity grew and so did his ranching activities, eventually he acquired lands in the 1740s between San Felipe Pueblo and Jémez Pueblo where he built a rancho and entrusted his increasing herd of livestock to the care of others.

Don Diego appears to be among the more active and successful ranchers of New Mexico in the mid-eighteenth century. He was also successful in litigation. One particular example was his suit in the late 1740s against doña Barbara García Jurado, the widow of Luis García de Noriega. Years later, and before his death, don Diego was still receiving livestock which she owed him.

Don Diego would make trips to Santa Fe where he formed relationships with important people who became familiar enough with him to known some things about his personal life experiences. Santiago Roybal, Vicar and Ecclesiatical Judge of Santa Fe, knew don Diego since the time they both resided at El Paso del Norte. Bernardo Miera y Pacheco first met don Diego at El Paso and he declared in a statement that he had known him for a long time, according to a testimony given in 1766. Don Diego had resided in Santa Fe for a year and was provided lodging in the house of Toribio Ortiz. During eight months of this time, Manuel Vásquez Borrego, don Diego's son, also resided in the Ortiz home. In fact, Manuel stood as padrino for two orphan children, one baptized in 1750 and the other 1751.

As noted in the reference to the 1750 census of Belen, don Diego had two sons living in his household, Francisco Vásquez Borrego, who was born circa 1737, and Diego Felipe Vásquez Borrego, born circa 1738. Only the mother of Diego Felipe is known. She was named as Catarina Gutiérrez in a baptismal record for a child of Diego Felipe born in July 1780. A question remains whether she was also the mother of Francisco Vásquez Borrego as well. None of the available records concerning the settlement of the estate of don Diego make a reference to Catalina Gutiérrez. Information about this woman remains a mystery.

It is curious to note that the last will and testament of don Diego Vásquez Borrego does not indicate any significant debt. Upon his death in May 1753, his funeral expenses totaled more that 160 pesos (over $4000). Fray Mariano de la Cruz presided over the funeral mass and burial, receiving the amount of 70 pesos in the form of one yoke ox and ten ewes. Don Santiago de Roybal, Vicar of Santa Fe, received 1 cart equivalent to 3 pesos for his assistance in the funeral, plus an unspecified amount for ten low masses said in the month of May. José García, a master tailor, received the value of 30 pesos in three pick axes and two axes for the burial shroud. Bartolomé Márquez made wax candles and was compensated eleven goats, the equivalent of 24 pesos. Domingo Valdés, a cantor of San Francisco church, received 2 pesos for presumably singing during the funeral mass, and Manuel Tegua was given one sheep for digging the grave. In addition, there were contribution given to the Holy Places of Jerusalem and the Good Souls Fraternity.

In his will, don Diego acknowledged Francisco and Diego Felipe as his sons. In a petition dated 1757, these sons described themselves as "hijo naturales," natural sons, of don Diego Vásquez Borrego. They declared that they were residents of Bernalillo and were requesting compensation from their father's estate for work they had done in caring for their father's livestock. We learn from witnesses on behalf of the boys that while living with their father they were cared for badly, being poorly clothed and fed. Although don Diego had considerable assets in his land, livestock and ranches, he tended to neglect his own appearance, according to comments of his executor of estate, Felipe de Tafoya. According to Tafoya, don Diego often complained of his poverty. He once told Tafoya that what grieved him most was that he could not clothe his sons properly, that he could hardly cloth himself, his own outer clothing be completely worn. His sons subsided on a diet of cows milk and corn meal. In September 1757, the boys were awarded 576 pesos (about $16,000) as compensation for their hard work in the form of cattle, sheep and lambs.

Don Diego left land in the Belen area and in the Jémez-San Felipe pueblo area. Since his two natural sons resided in these areas as adults, it is presumed they inherited some portion of these lands, yet there are no documents among the Spanish Archives of New Mexico to confirm this.

Felipe de Tafoya, the executor and administrator of don Diego's estate, made attempts to contact Manuel Vásquez Borrego at El Paso del Norte by letter and he also sent letters to don Diego's second wife, Rosa de Altamirano, who was believed to be residing in Mexico City. No responses were received and thus no repatriation of don Diego's land was made. Instead, Governor don Francisco Antonio Marín appointed Miguel de Alire as trustee of the estate, but in 1764 Alire requested that the property be placed in the care of someone else since he was preparing to travel to Mexico City. The responsibility fell back to Felipe de Tafoya, who was ordered to be trustee.

The estate of don Diego Vásquez Borrego remained unsettled for thirteen years, and from 1764 to 1766 the six children of Manuel Vásquez Borrego brought suit to claim the inheritance due them from their grandfather's estate. Manuel Bernerdino Vásquez Borrego, a grandson of don Diego and a son of Manuel Vásquez Borrego, submitted a petition in which he declared that he and his siblings had been baptized in El Paso. Their legal representative was their step-father, Lucas Manuel de Alcalá, who eventually reached an settlement with Tafoya over the amount of inheritance due to the heirs. They acquired title to two ranchos between Santo Domingo, Cochiti and Jémez Pueblos which they sold for 200 pesos (about $5,600) in goods to Felipe Sandoval Fernández, a resident of Santa Fe.

Both of don Diego's natural sons married and raised large families through which the Borrego surname was passed on to subsequent generations to the present day. Francisco Vásquez Borrego married Victioria Mora del Castillo and Diego Felipe Vásquez Borrego married Francisca Gurulé, daughter of Antonio Gurulé and Antonia Quintana.

Don Diego Vásquez Borrego served as a loyal soldier risking his life in service to the Spanish crown and was rewarded for his loyalty and courage. He traveled great distances to settle in the frontier region of New Mexico where he secured a land grant, increased his land holdings and wealth in the form of livestock. Don Diego relationship with his family is an enigma. He left his second wife and two sons to pursue his rewards and a successful livelihood in the far northern frontier, a hostile and rugged place compared to the Valle de Toluca. One wonders if he was perhaps sending some of his financial gains his family in Toluca. He definitely maintained a relationship with his eldest son, Manuel Vásquez Borrego, who also settled in New Mexico, according to the testimony of the friends of don Diego who in later years recalled the warm relationship they witnessed between father and son.

I leave you with only fragments of the life story of an eighteenth century settler of Belen, don Diego Vásquez Borrego. It's a curious story with many missing chapters about a man who lived life a bit differently than what we might expect for the Spanish colonial period. On the other hand, perhaps the fragments of information reveal what was more common that what we believe today about Spanish colonial life.

José Antonio Esquibel is a genealogical researcher, independent historian, author of over sixty articles related Spanish colonial genealogy and history, and co-author of two books. He is vice-president of the Historical Society of New Mexico, and maintains the "Beyond Origins of New Mexico Families" web site, which provides new and additional information to the genealogical work of Fray Angélico Chávez, Origins of New Mexico Families.