Probably the most significant date and event during recent history was the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Though not a Spaniard or Portuguese by birth, Christopher had exhausted all other possible financiers for his mission to discover a new route to the West Indies and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were his last hope.
Being, at that time in history, the main country involved in exploration of overseas routes to further their mercantile interests, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella decided to finance the expediton to find a new way to the East.
France had been involved in their ongoing war with England to restore the Dauphin to his Throne, and were overburdened with the costs incurred in their conquests, as well as the loss of a fully ready complement of soldiers and war machine.
Germany had undergone many changes due to the Reformation and the exploits of Ferdinand the Great in his quest to unify the diverse countries of Tuetonic descent. These being Prussia, Bavaria, Chechoslavakia, the Alsace region of France and the area vaguely referred to as Germany itself. No permanent borders had been established for any appreciable length of time. A true autonomous Germany was not established until the ninteeth century or later.
The reformation had brought many changes in political and geographic arenas and the entire continent was in continued upheaval. The economic structure was uncertain, and political intrugue was more the rule, than the exception.
Calvin, Luther and Knox all had their contribution to the great changes being brought about on the Continent.
Co-incidentally the Spanish Inquisition began alomst simultaneously with the discovery of the New World by Columbus.
Spain had survived the changes as a solidly Roman Catholic country, and with backing by the church sent many explorers to the New World to explore, colonise and claim this new land for Spain, and by the mid sixteenth century had established two very important bases. These were Mexico on the Atlantic and Peru on the Pacific.
Juan de Onate's major contribution to history is that he established the first permanent settlement for Spain in the New World. Until then Spain had been mainly concerned with the wealth to be had by the discovery of gold and silver. Whole expeditions had been founded on the hope to find the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola, with explorations going as far from Mexico as what is now Florida.
There were always Catholic Priests accompianing these expeditions and the other main purpose was the conversion and civilazation of the native peoples, referred to as Indians. Somehow the name of Indians continued from the false belief by Columbus that he had found the West Indies.
In 1598 Juan De Onate' led a group of settlers and soldiers from El Real, Zacatecas, Mexico north to what is now El Paso Texas and then on to establish what would become Santa Fe, New Mexico. This group was almost completely wiped out by Indians enraged at the Spaniards insistance that they adopt their God and abandon the Indian gods. Onate's group retreated to Paso Del Norte. Upon recieving re-inforcements from Zacatecas, Mexico,in 1608 Onate returned and re-populated the settlement at Sante Fe, making it a permanent settlement that has been occupied continuously since then.
With Onate on the expeditions was Geronimo Marquez. Though born in San Lucar de Barrameda, Spain, he made his home in New Mexico for the remainder of his life and died in New Mexico about 1630. His son, Diego Geronimo Marquez, was born in New Mexico about 1602,and Bernadina Vasquez, who would become his wife, was born in Sante Fe, in 1599 making them some of the earliest born of the new citizens in what would become New Mexico Territory.
Juan Vigil left Siero, Spain bound for Peru, what caused him to finally land in Zacatecas, Mexico is unknown. What is known is that he married Catalina Herrera de Cantillana ,also of Siero,Spain. They had at least one son, that being Juan Vigil, born in 1620 in El Real, Zacatecas, Mexico and migrated to NM Territory.
One hundred fifty years later, the gr-gr-gr-grand-daughter of Diego Marquez and Bernadina Vasquez, Maria Jesus Mestas married Fransisco Tomas Montes Vigil de Santa Ana, the grandson of Juan Vigil and Catalina Herrera De Cantillana. A son, Fransisco Tomas Vigil was born to them in Sept of 1758.
By this time the Spanish were well established in Sante Fe and had established trade with the local Indians, mainly Navajo, Hopi and other pueblo tribes. The Norte Americanos were beginning to come into the area, mainly trapers and traders.
The Sante Fe Trail was original a trade route used by the Indians and by the mid 1700's was considered a military hiway to northern border between Mexican territory and United States territory.
In 1821 Mexico declared it's independence from Spain. By this time trade between Mexico and the US was increasing and the Sante Fe trail was beginning to be seen as a route from Missouri to Sante Fe and Taos. Trappers and Indian Traders were becoming more frequent as were raid by the hostile Plains Indian tribes, The Comanche and Apache viewed the area as one granted them by the Great Spirit for hunting and raids on their enemies.
Western expansion of the United States was on. Tourists began to appear on the trail along with the traders and settlers. By 1831 normal trade goods were common in Santa Fe.
As trade along the Sante Fe Trail increased stage coach and mail lines became more common as well as wagon trains. As trade increased along the trail the wagon trains became targets for the Indians, protection of the caravans became necessary.
In 1833, President Andrew Jackson organized the dragoons as the first full-time cavalry branch of the United States. In 1834, the dragoons escorted a wagon train along the Santa Fe Trail. This was the beginning of US military use of the Sante Fe Trail into New mexico.
In 1846 General Kearney took possesion of New Mexico as a US possesion and Mexico offered no resistance.
Usually mountain men and trappers found their wives among the various tribes with whom they had developed friendships, usually based on trade relations and mutual enemies. With trade profits increasing a few trappers used their position to become more established a formal traders and even became prosperous citizens. One such trader, a French Canadian, was William Lablanc, born in 1812 in Nova Scotia. He immigrated to New Mexico and became established as a prosperous Indian Trader. He married Albina Vigil, the great-grand-daughter of Francisco Tomas Vigil. They had seven children;
- Jose Antonio - born 1847
- Jose de la Suz - born 1849
- Maria Arcadia - born 1851
- Juanna Basilia - born 1853
- Maria Paul - born 1855
- Jose Gabriel - born 1857
- Maria Vicenta - born 1859
New Mexico was coming into its own as an area open to trade, settlement and commerce for the US. More immigrants were arriving from Europe with every wagon train. Protection for the wagon trains had become critical, if the expansion into this new US territory was to continue.
On April 1, 1851 Colonel Edwin Sumner was directed by then Secretary of War, Charles Conrad, to take command of the Ninth Military Dept, stationed in New Mexico. His instructions were to maximise protection and reduction of costs. Sumner was given authority to choose locations for new garrisons based on;
- The protection of New Mexico.
- The defense of the Mexican Territory, which we are bound to protect against the Indians within our borders.
- Economy and facility in supporting the troops, particularly in regard to forage, fuel, and adaptation of surrounding country to cultivation.
The Sante Fe Trail ran across northern New Mexico south of the Cimmaron Mountains and westward to Santa Fe.
The fort was erected seven miles from the junction of the Mora and Sapello rivers and five miles from the Rio Mora on El Arroyo del Coyote near the Turkey Mountains on a site six miles north east of the joining of the Cimarron and Mountain routes of the Santa Fe Trail, twenty-six miles from Las Vegas, and eighteen miles from Mora.
