Chimayó Families

All the people living in Chimayó before 1712 had family connections from La Cañada before the Revolt. Luis Martín Serrano II was married to Melchora de los Reyes. His children by another wife, Antonia de Miranda, included Antonio and Francisco. The second was married to Juana García de los Reyes. Luis’s brother Pedro’s daughter Juana was married to Felipe de Arratia. Luis’ first cousin, Cristóbal, was the father of Felipe Moraga.

Of the other settlers, Diego González was the son of Melchora González Bernal. Luis López was married to Ana María de la Concepción Bernal. His mother was Ana Luján. Matías Luján was married to Francisca Romero. Angélico Chávez thought Matías the likely son of Juan Luján. He didn’t mention Ana.

Those who weren’t members of the original La Cañada community were soon absorbed by marriage. Antonio’s first wife was Ynez de Ledesma. His second was María Cortés of Mexico City. In 1725, he married Gertrudis Fresqui, the granddaughter of Ambrosia Fresqui.

Ana María Herrera, the niece of Tomas de Herrera y Sandoval, married Luis’ grandson, Antonio. He was the child of Diego and Josefa de Torres.

After 1712, most of the new names that appear in Chimayó were through marriages. That year Mateo de Ortega, the husband of Antonia Martín conveyed, land to Manuel Martín. In 1718, Antonia’s second husband Bernardo Fernández was living there. Diego Durán, the husband of Pascuala Martín, witnessed a wedding in 1720.

Marriages of the younger generation of Martíns generally were with children of new immigrants. Cristóbal’s son Diego married Manuela de Vargas in 1714, his daughter Catarina married Isidro Medina in 1717, and his son Juan Luis married Isidro’s sister Antonia in 1719. Manuela’s father, Manuel Fernandéz de Vargas, was a tailor from Guadalajara. Isidro’s father was a capitán in the militia from Durango.

Antonio Martín’s stepdaughter, Ines Cortes, married Francisco Jurado in 1718. His family came from Sombrerete. The exception to this preference for exogamy was Antonio’s son by María Cortes. Juan Antonio, married Feliciana Monroy in 1725. Her parents were Juan Alonso de Mondragón and Sebastiana Trujillo. Her grandmother was María Bernal.

Within the extended families, authority apparently flowed from father to son. When disputes arose between brothers whose fathers were long dead, harmony was maintained by asking a neutral third party to arbitrate.

For instance, when Diego González filed a complaint against Pedro’s daughter’s husband, Felipe de Arratia, in 1703, the family of Pedro’s brother testified against him. Witnesses included Luis and his sons Domingo and Antonio.

Similarly, Luis López requested arbitration against Melchora de los Reyes in 1712. She was married to Luis Martín. His wife was the close friend of Pedro’s daughter-in-law, Leonor Domínguez.

In 1717, Cristóbal, the son of Hernán, and Francisco, the son of Luis’ son Pedro also used a third party.

In addition, the family employed diligencias matrimoniales to voice concerns when lines of authority weren’t clear. When Diego’s son Antonio proposed marrying Gertrudis Sánchez in 1717, Francisco, his son Juan, and another cousin Diego, all said they had had relations with her. When Isidro Medina’s sister was going to marry Diego Romero, Miguel Martín was one of the witnesses who said Romero had already proposed to another woman. The marriage proceeded when Romero claimed the woman involved was already pregnant by another man.

As mentioned in the post for 29 March 2015 on the dispute between Leonor Domínguez and her husband, the purpose of judicial investigations wasn’t to place blame. Instead, it was to determine the community’s will and enforce it. The first two complaints were like class action suits brought by groups who were harmed by someone closing a road. To maintain family and community harmony, the person filing the complaint was not a member of the accused’s family, but the witnesses and beneficiaries were.

Notes: Chávez didn’t mention Melchora in Families, but she was named as the mother of Diego Martín, son of Luis, in 1717 in Roots. Chávez believed Bernardo or Bernardino Fernández was the same man as Martín Fernández mentioned in the post for 2 April 2015.

Chávez, Angélico. New Mexico Roots, Ltd, 1982.

_____. Origins of New Mexico Families, 1992 revised edition.

Cutter, Charles R. The Legal Culture of Northern New Spain, 1700-1810, 1995. He has more on the functions of the judicial system as an enforced of community mores.