Chimayó

Chimayó lies on a plain at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, with steep badlands on three sides. It was reached by following what today is called the Santa Cruz river as it meanders down ten miles and 500' from the east and north.

When Diego de Vargas created the villa of Santa Cruz in 1695, he defined the eastern boundary as "those which extend from" San Juan pueblo past "the farms of Captains Luis Martín and Juan Ruis, in front of and at the place and tract of land called Chimayó."

At the time, the name Chimayó was used for the river, the plain, and everything between. In 1695, Tomas de Herrera y Sandoval requested half a fanega of land "near Chimayó" and in 1702 Diego González bought land "near Chimayó."

The next year, Felipe de Arratia plowed land "in the Cañada de Chimayó." Diego González and Ambrosio Fresqui filed a complaint with the Santa Cruz alcalde that he had taken part of the road used by oxen to bring vigas down to the valley. They said the road "was already in use and a custom" from the "beginning of the kingdom, before the first uprising."

It’s clear González and Fresqui were upstream. It’s also clear men were intent of exploiting Pedro Cubero’s relaxation of martial law to reclaim land in the high valley before it was taken by outsiders. Herrera had come in 1695 from Valladolid. Fresqui’s Flemish ancestor, Juan Fresco, had come from Mexico City in 1617 to prospect for minerals. His descendants had settled in the Río Abajo.

González and Fresqui filed their complaint on March 14. Two weeks later, on March 27, Francisco Martín claimed "uncultivated and wild land" next to land already granted to Felipe Moraga. Witnesses against Arratia included two men who gave Chimayó as their residence, Matías Luján and Antonio Martín.

Three years later Luis López requested land that "has never been cultivated" in the Cañada de Chimayó with the ditch dug after the Pueblo Revolt by San Cristóbal. It was separated on they west by an arroyo from Martín’s land. The road to Taos through the Arroyo de la Cañada Ancha ran on the north side.

Chimayó was desirable because it was relatively protected by topography from attack, had a permanent source of water, and the necessary resources to sustain life. Río Medio comes from Trailrider’s Wall and Río Frijoles comes from the Picuris-Pecos Fault to merge to the southeast. They’re joined at the eastern edge of the settled area by the Río Quemado, the only river that flowed all year. In addition to mountain snow from its origin near the Truchas peaks, it was fed by springs.

Almost as important, the north tilting plain was surrounded by woodlands that provided fuel for cooking and keeping warm. Probably most was one-seeded juniper, but Don Usner says you can still find old piñon stumps on the "summit of Tsi Mayoh and on the steepest ridges of the badlands" that were cut by axe.

The growing season is more variable there than in the valley, but they could grow corn and wheat. Communal grazing land lay east of López’s land. In 1712 he complained Melchora de los Reyes was preventing his animals from getting through. She had been granted land next to his in 1711.

Notes: The consequences of Cubero’s settlement politics were discussed in the post for 11 March 2015. Herrera’s son Antonio died in the Villasur massacre.

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

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

Twitchell, Ralph Emerson. Spanish Archives of New Mexico: Compiled and Chronologically Arranged, two volumes, 1914.

Usner, Don J. Sabino’s Map, 1995; he mentions corn and wheat being grown in the twentieth century.

Vargas, Diego de. Villa Nueva de Santa Cruz, 18 March 1695, in Twitchell, volume 1.

Maps: United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey maps.
1. "Chimayo Quadrangle, New Mexico, 7.5 minute series (topographic)," 1953.
2. More readable detail of #1.
3. "Cundiyo Quadrangle, New Mexico-Santa Fe County, 7.5 minute series (topographic)," 1953.