Como Se Llama La Cosa Mala?

The names of evil in Mew Mexico, at least as I recall them! 

Como se llama "la cosa mala"?

Satanas? Satan? The name was used regularly.

El Diablo? Very much used, some odd folks were actually called Diablos or Diablitos.

Asmodeo? Ascually a name for the second in command in the nether regions. Was a character in the play of "Los Pastores".

La Cosa Mala? Literally the "bad thing". I don't really know why this was used as much as it was. It used to give me the creeps.

El Angel de la Muerte? The angel of death. Usually had a dark hoodie on. Came around on occasion, the folks he took always were delivered to heaven. He was the delivery man for St. Peter.

El Demonio Colorado? Literally the red demon. Remember the "Demons" in Santa Fe? The Santa Fe High School Demons. The St. Mikes Horsemen and the Santa Fe Demons were traditional rivals. Funny if you think of the whole name "the city of holy faith demons".

Historical Writing, From Cuneiform And Cave Drawings To Facebook. Why Was It Written As It Was And/Or Is?

Ask yourself the question! Why was it written? What was the objective of the writer? What were the writers goals. Actually these questions can be asked of novels and historical novels and even just plain articles, webposts and Facebook posts. Some publications can be deciphered pretty quick as to motives for having been written, others not so mush. Especially when written as "serious history"!

So why were the publications listed below written?

Commerce on the Prairies? It was meant for publication. Why does that make a difference? Well Josiah Gregg had a reason for writing the book. All you have to do is read it and seriously ask yourself the question.

Sears and Roebuck catalog? Was or is it historical? It is used as a historical publication on occasion. Both Sears and Roebuck had their reasons for publishing the catalog. Sales, profit in their pocket was the reason.

Blood and Thunder? The "role" played by Kit Carson in the conquest of the Navajo. Why was it written? To make Kit Carson and his story heroic and maybe make it into a movie.

Cave drawings? You think the person drawing them was looking for fame or hero hood? I think not.  The individual was just bored and drawing something that came into his mind. Don't let the archaeologists fool you, they do not know any better than you or I why they were drawn.

The Lost Pathfinder? The travels in the southwest by Zebulon Montogomery Pike. A pretty good historical account of Pike's travels in the area. Remember it was written by someone else using his dispatches back to the American government.

Decision Points? Written about George W. Bush about George W. Bush. Take a wild guess as to why it was written.

My life? Written by Bill Clinton about Bill Clinton.... Take a guess about the reasons for this "historical" account.

Rousseau and Revolution? Written by Will and Ariel Durant. Read it and find out.

Death Comes to the Archbishop? Written by Willa Sibert Cather. She wanted to destroy the heroic image New Mexicans had of Padre Jose Antonio Martinez. Sad to say she did a bang up job of it too.

Modern day newspapers? Take a guess why they are written the way they are.

Facebook posts? Puckered lips and all, like some crazy teen?

Well I hope you get the picture. Books in general and historical books in particular are written for a reason. Most times, the truth be told, there is an ulterior motive, sometimes sinister or injurious to someone or something.

The bottom line is look for the motive behind the writing, it is there. You do not need to be a Sherlock Holmes to figure it out. But you do have to look for it.

What Is In A Name?

Maria Preciliana Telesfora de Jesus Maria y Jose Salazar. Quite the moniker if I do say so myself. Preciliana, as she was known was born the 4th of January in 1827 in Tome, New Mexico to Jose Antonio Salazar and Maria de la Luz Jiminez.

Her baptismal or given name even had two (2) Maria's.

Preciliana married a man by the name of Jesus Maria Luna, the son of Jose Enrique Luna and Juana Maria Gabaldon. Preciliana and Jesus had one son, Patrocinio Luna born on the 9th of November on 1843. Jesus Maria Luna died right around the time his son was born as Preciliana was remarried on October 26 1845 to husband number two, a guy named Jose de Jesus Romero with whom she would have at least an additional four (4) children.

So she Married 1) Jesus  Maria Luna and 2) Jose de Jesus Romero.

Notice that she and her first husband shared two names Jesus and Maria. With her second husband she shared another two names Jose and Jesus.

This naming of folks after the "holy family" and especially the "savior" himself really upset Americans as they started the occupation of the New Mexico. The Protestant  religious leaders that came in as the occupation took hold saw this as sacrilegious. This was especially true if the guy was named Jesus and was an idiot, or worse, some type of a criminal.

Everyone, or so it seemed, was named either Jose, Maria, Jesus, Juana or all of the above.

Time wise, we are a ways from that now that everyone is assimilated to the degree that we are. I do not think we will see anyone like Preciliana anymore.

Another Genizaro, Named Francisco Valdez.

By the time Francisco came into Hispanic New Mexico, the term Genizaro was no longer used. More than likely the softer term "criado" was used. The term Genizaro was banned for use to describe individuals after New Mexico passed from Spanish control to Mexican control. The Mexicans did not appreciate the caste system which had developed under the Spanish. Mind you the effect and the situations were identical. To the individual it mattered little what term was actually used.

We know what happened to Francisco, we don't know exactly where he came from. The best information we have is that he was Apache born in the Navajo country. He may have been Navajo. He was purchased, or somehow ended up in the family of Antonio Jose Valdez and his wife Maria Antonia Quintana originally from Taos but later from Rayado in Colfax County, New Mexico. The best information I have is that Antonio Jose Valdez and his wife, Maria Antonis Quintana had twleve (12) children of their own.

So Francisco's children are 1/2 Native American and his grand children at least 1/4. As to what tribal group Francisco was taken from we can only guess. Family information has it that Francisco knew he had a sister, whom he never saw again after being taken form his family and homeland.

We know that Francisco survived the ordeal and actually thrived. He has many descendant around today in Northern New Mexico and Colorado.


Some Descendants and Families of Francisco Valdez

1. Francisco Valdez  was born about March 1858 in Navajo Country. He died on 22 December 1927 in Miami, New Mexico. He was buried in Agua Dulce (Miami), New Mexico.

Francisco married Marina Coca  on 26 November 1880 in Cimarron, Colfax County, New Mexico, the daughter of Isidro Coca and Refugio Lucero. Marina was born in January 1861 in New Mexico. She died about 1897 in Blanco, New Mexico.

They had the following children:

+ 2 F i. Benina Valdez  was born in Deccember 1881 and died about 1969.

+ 3 F ii. Salome Valdez  was born on 22 October 1883.

4 M iii. Guillermo Valdez  was born on 10 February 1887 in New Mexico and died on 11 May 1972 in New Mexico.

Guillermo married Cecelia Sanchez .

5 M iv. Jose Damian Valdez  was born on 18 November 1890 in New Mexico.

Jose Damian married Adela Aguilar, the daughter of Aurelio Aguilar and Carolina Ortega on 8 November 1910 in Springer, New Mexico. Adela was born in 1895 in Springer, New Mexico.

6 M v. Pedro Jose Valdez  was born on April 1892 in New Mexico.

7 F vi. Adelaida Valdez  was born on March 1895 in New Mexico.

8 M vii. Francisco Valdez  Jr. was born on 22 September 1897 in Rayado, New Mexico. He was buried on 12 November 1988 at the Fairmont Cemetery in Raton, New Mexico.

Francisco Valdez Jr. married Maria Soledad Aguilar  daughter of Aurelio Aguilar and Carolina Ortega on 7 October 1918 in Springer, New Mexico. Maria was born on 14 March 1899 in Rayado, New Mexico. She was buried in 1991 in the Fairmont Cemetery in Raton, New Mexico.

9 M viii. Jose Gabriel Ventura Valdez  was born in July of 1899 in New Mexico.

Jose Gabriel Ventura Valdez married Magdelena Montoya  in Springer, New Mexico.

10 F ix. Refugio Valdez  was born about 1903 in New Mexico.

Refugio Valdez married Santiago Felipe Aguilar, the  son of Aurelio Aguilar and Carolina Ortega on 3 September 1920 in Springer, New Mexico. Santiago was born about 1902 in New Mexico.

11 F x. Delfina Valdez  was born about 1903 in New Mexico.

Delfina Valdez married Jose Isaiah Montoya .


Francisco's Grandchildren And Their Families

2. Benina Valdez  (Francisco) was born in December 1881 in New Mexico. She died about 1969.

Benina Valdez married Jose Ignacio Herrera  son of Juan Nepomuceno Herrera and Maria Cecilia Martín on 20 June 1900 in Springer, New Mexico. Jose Ignacio was born on 3 July 1871 in Santa Gertrudis, Mora County, New Mexico. He was christened on 10 July 1871 in Santa Gertrudis, Mora County, New Mexico. He died on 7 August 1935 in Cimarron, New Mexico.

They had the following children:

12 M i. Candido Herrera  was born about 1901 in New Mexico.

13 M ii. Santiago Herrera  was born about 1904 in New Mexico.

14 M iii. Juan Herrera  was born about 1906 in New Mexico.

15 M iv. Francisco Herrera  was born about 1908 in New Mexico.

16 F v. Marina Herrera  was born about 1910 in New Mexico.

17 F vi. Mary Ann Herrera .

18 F vii. Ramona Herrera .

19 F viii. Eloisa Herrera .

3. Salome Valdez  (Francisco) was born on 22 October 1883 in Springer, New Mexico. She was christened on 15 November 1883 in Springer, New Mexico. She died in Trinidad, Colorado.

Salome Valdez married Sabino Deciderio Casias  on 3 February 1906 in Springer, New Mexico. Sabino was born in October 1882 in New Mexico and he died in Colfax County, New Mexico.

They had the following children:

20 F i. Maria Ferminia Casias. born on 30 April 1905 in Cimarron, New Mexico. She died on 31 August 1964 in Denver, Colorado.

Maria Ferminia Casias married Pedro Alfonso Pina . Pedro Alfonso was born on 23 July 1891 in Trinidad, Colorado. He died on 27 January 1952 in Denver, Colorado. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Denver Colorado.

21 F ii. Teodora Casias  was born on 4 May 1907 in Los Montecitos, New Mexico. She died on 7 March 1996 in Cimarron, New Mexico.

Teodora Casias married Felipe LeDoux . Felipe was born on 3 December 1899 in Agua Dulce (Miami), New Mexico and he died about 1950 in Trinidad, Colorado.

22 M iii. Pablo Casias  was born on 22 September 1909 in Agua Dulce (Miami), New Mexico. He died about January 1972.

Pablo Casias married Juana Gonzales  on 16 April 1933 in Springer, New Mexico. Juana was born in 1918 in Levi, Mora County, New Mexico.

23 M iv. Marcelino Casias  was born about 1911 in Cimarron, New Mexico.

Marcelino Casias married Linore Montoya  in Springer, New Mexico. Linore was born in Mora, New Mexico.

24 F v. Leonora M. Casias  was born about 1913 in New Mexico.

25 M vi. Desiderio Casias  was born on 7 November 1914 in New Mexico. and he died on 2 February 1983 in Trinidad, Colorado.

26 M vii. Eloy Casias  was born on 20 June 1917 in New Mexico. He died on 20 Oct 1990.

27 F viii. Elena Casias  was born about 1926 in New Mexico.

Here are additional posts on the matter of Genizaro's;

http://nuevomejicano.blogspot.com/2010/03/say-it-loud-i-am-genizaro-and-proud.html

http://nuevomejicano.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-became-of-jose-gutierrez-navajo.html

Obituaries, Keep Them Sane

Obituaries, remembering the dead. Some observations as I pay attention to them more and more. Here is a doozie I was looking at the other day: 

He srved in the United States Army, was a pilot, a dedicated Christian and father, a family role model, a high school basketball state champion. 

Boxer/fighter, a mountaineer, a chef, a negotiator, a musician, a singer whom did it "My Way", an educator/teacher/tutor, a philanthropist, a savior for the poor children, an avid golfer, (two) hole-in-ones, and finally, simply a gem, He will be missed as he had a zest for life, yet will not be forgotten.

They forgot to add his walking on water.  He was not humble that is for sure, or those remembering him were very, very proud of his accomplishments! I assume that with all of these qualities he ended up at the pearly gates to find Jesus and his dad, St. Peter and Mary all clapping as he went through.

My advice is to keep it simple, the dearly departed is gone, we should in all reality leave the aggrandizement to others as they remember them. Like my grandfather used to say, "vive cuando vivo y cuando toca la muerte, muere te!" Live when alive and when death knocks, die!

The very best obituary was for a distant relative Mela Romero, I posted about it at the weblink below. That was a tribute that is hard to beat. I never met Mela but can admire a woman who was so well thought of by others.

http://nuevomejicano.blogspot.com/2015/01/manuela-mela-romero-1910-2011.html