Los Herreras, Los Gorras Blancas Y Poco Mas

The Herrera brothers, Juan Jose bottom left, Pablo standing and Nicanor seated right.

Juan Jose, Pablo and Nicanor Herrera from San Miguel County are identified by many as associated with, if not the organizers of "Las Gorras Blancas" in New Mexico. A good dissertation on them and Las Gorras Blancas comes from the book "Mexicano Resistance in the Southwest" written by Robert J. Rosenbaum and published by Southern Methodist University Press. Most folks who are familiar with Northern New Mexico are familiar with Las Gorras Blancas.

This family has a very interesting story as well as genealogy. Here is a sampling:

Manuel Herrera the son of Jose Miguel Herrera and Maria Josefa Saavedra married Maria Paula Archibeque, the daughter of Juan Domingo Archibeque and Maria Josefa Gallegos on the 5th of October 1832 at San Miguel del Bado, New Mexico.

Manuel Herrera and Maria Paula Archibeque had the following children;

1) Juana Paula Herrera - Baptismal date July 21, 1833
2) Maria Paula del Refugio Herrera - Baptismal date January 15, 1835
3) Juan Jose de la Cruz Herrera - Baptismal date September 24, 1837
4) Ambrosia Herrera - Birthdate/baptismal dates, December 7, 1841/December 19, 1841
5) Jose Pablo Herrera - Birthdate 1843
6) Nicanor Herrera - Birthdate/baptismal dates, November 28, 1846/December 5, 1846

As far as is known all were born in San Miguel del Bado, New Mexico.

Juan Jose, Pablo and Nicanor Herrera from San Miguel County are listed in several of the U.S. Federal Census. NOTE: Be advised that ages listed on the census can vary a whole lot.

1850 - Tecolote, San Miguel County, New Mexico

Manuel de Herrera
Maria Paubla de Herrera, 32
Juana de Herrera, 17
Refugio de Herrera, 15
Juan Jose de Herrera, 13
Jose Pablo de Herrera, 7
Maria Ambrosia de Herrera, 9
Nicanor de Herrera 

In 1850 living next door is

Maria Justa Urioste, 30
Jose Feliciano Urioste, 1 year old
Luciano Trujillo, 25

1860 - El Salitre in San Miguel County, New Mexico

Manuel Herrera, 58 listed as a laborer,
Maria Paula Herrera, 40,
Ambrosia Herrera, 18,
Pablo Herrera, 17,
Nicanor Herrera, 14,

In 1860 and right next door lived;

Justa Urioste, 58, listed as a servant,
Feliciano Herrera, 12,
Estefana Herrera, 9,
Pedro Herrera, 4,
Antonia Lucero, 13,
Juan Lucero, 10.

1870 - Ojitos Frios in San Miguel County, New Mexico

Paula Herrera, 48 listed as a seamstress,
Pablo Herrera, 25 listed as a freighter,
Juan Jose Herrera, 33, listed as a freighter,
Nicanor Herrera 23, listed as a farmer,
Justa Urioste 48, listed as a domestic servant,
Antonia Lucero 23, listed as a domestic servant,
Estefana Herrera 17, listed as a domestic servant,
Felicario Herrera, 23, listed as a farm laborer,
Pedro Herrera 13, living at home.

A note of real interest is that living with this family or right next door is "Justa Urioste". Her relationship to the Manuel Herrera and Maria Paula Archeveque family is not noted in the documents we have looked at but there is no doubt that there is some very close relationship(s). Justa Urioste is listed as living next door in 1850 and 1860 and in the same house in 1870.

Justa Urioste had at least 3 and maybe 4 children, all of them with no father listed:

1) Feliciano Herrera (Urioste) - Born June 17, 1849 from unknown parents and baptized as Feliciano Herrera by Manuel Herrera and Maria Paula Archeveque.
2) Doroteo Urioste - Born January 5th 1855 and his padrinos were the daughter of Manuel Herrera and Maria Paula Archeveque, Juana Paula Herrera and her husband Ramon Ulibarri.
3) Pedro Celestino Urioste  - Born May 25 1857 and his padrinos were brother and sister and the children of  Manuel Herrera and Maria Paula Archeveque, Pablo and Ambrosia Herrera.
4) Ursula Urioste - Born on October 21, 1859 and baptized by another son of Manuel Herrera and Maria Paula Archeveque, Juan Jose Herrera and a woman identified as Luisa Pinard.


On January 31, 1871 "Feliciano Urioste" listed as the son of Justa Urioste married Altagragia Jarmaillo the daughter of Vicente Jaramillo and Juana Gallegos from "los Ojitos" (Ojitos Frios). The marriage occurred at Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores Catholic Church in Las Vegas, New Mexico. NOTE: Feliciano is listed as Herrera in both the 1860 and 1870 census.

On January 7 1891, twenty 0ne (21) years later almost to the day, Altagracia Jaramillo's son Toribio Herrera is marrying Luisa Gallegos. This marriage also occurred at Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores Catholic Church in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Here Toribio's father is listed as Feliciano Herrera.