Newspaper archives

The history of journalism in New Mexico begins in 1834 with the arrival of the first Spanish-language newspaper in Santa Fe, El Crepþsculo de la Libertad. Although no issues or representations of this paper have survived, scholars have found and archived copies of the second and third known papers, La Verdad and El Payo de Nuevo MÚxico. These two papers were government-supported and were both published in 1844-45, immediately preceding the American invasion of New Mexico.

After the invasion, the first English-language newspaper, the Santa Fe Republican, was established in 1847 and three more Spanish-language publications were established in the following decade. The University of New Mexico has an archive of the Republican that begins with the Sept. 10, 1847 issue and ends with the with the Nov. 24, 1849 issue. The archive has been microfilmed and is all stored in one location for convenient perusal.

Archival Records

D'Armand Collection of Spanish Language Documents, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico.

This is a collection of nine Spanish language documents from the Spanish, Mexican, and Territorial periods of New Mexico, dating from 1792-1871. Louis D'Armand donated these documents in 1954. They were part of an extensive autograph collection of his uncle, James M. D'Armand, who was a nationally known authority on American history in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. Five of the documents provide an insightful view of New Mexico society, government, defense, and economy during the late Spanish colonial period. Two each are from the Mexican and Territorial periods. The censuses for 1792 and 1796 have demographic breakdowns giving married persons, widowers, bachelors, children, servants, Indians, mestizos, and "color quebrado."

The collection also features a petition of 1810 from the New Mexico Deputaci÷n to the King of Spain registered local complaints about grasshoppers, drought, high taxes, Indian attacks, and calls for economic assistance for New Mexico. Military reports for 1807 and 1837 provide valuable information on the infantry and cavalry forces, weapons, and defense status for the province of New Mexico, particularly for Santa Fe. Also, included is a copy of a letter from Mexico's General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana promoting one of the Santa Fe soldiers, Donanciano Vigil, to captain. An 1814 treatise shows how the Spanish Constitution and democracy functioned in setting up a self-governing municipal government in remote El Paso, Texas. The territorial era papers pertain to the Chavez family of Albuquerque and Bernalillo and deal with guardianship for several minor children and mortgage property in Pajarito and Atrisco.

This collection should provide an interesting insight into the culture of New Mexico prior to the U.S. invasion. Although the military reports appear to have been written by an official source, a look at these documents should provide insight into how the Mexican government (or at least their military) viewed the Neomexicano culture. Specifically, any dramatic differences in their culture from classic Mexican culture (where the soldiers were coming from) should show up in the way the officers and soldiers went about setting up their defenses. By getting a sense of how the Mexican military distributed their forces, one should get a sense of what their defensive priorities were and thus, what was of most value to the military.

This insight should help the researcher arrive at tentative judgments of Mexico's treatment of the Neomexican culture. This could be useful when analyzing other documents written to the Mexican government from the Neomexican community.

Caja del Rio Grant Testimony, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico.

The bulk of this collection consists of testimonies in case #4123 of Aniceto Abeytia et al., Plaintiffs, vs. Willi Spiegelberg et al., Defendants in the District Court of Santa Fe, New Mexico from 1907-1908, regarding partitions of the Caja del Rio land grant. The testimonies contain extensive genealogies meant to establish heirs of the original grantee (Nicolas Ortiz II) and his wife (Juana Baca) as well as information regarding the boundaries of the land in question, which overlap to some degree with land in the La Majada Grant. Also includes genealogies and testimonies regarding the Antonio Ortiz grant (land granted to a grandson of Nicolas Ortiz II). Included is testimony about Ramon Ortiz and his prominence as a clergyman in New Mexico. Thomas B. Catron and L. Bradford Prince were both witnesses in the case and attorneys for various defendants. The Court of Private Land Claims was established in 1891. It consisted of five judges empowered to determine the validity of land titles from Spain and Mexico held by descendants of the original grantees. This collection consists of subsequent court cases regarding the Caja del Rio grant. The land involved in this case was originally granted to Nicolas Ortiz II, Niöo Ladr÷n de Guevara (also written Guebara), born in Mexico to Nicolas Ortiz I, who joined colonists in Zacatecas in 1693 and served as aid to Don Diego de Vargas, Governor of New Mexico.

While many grantees received land from viceroys and representatives of the King, Nicolas Ortiz II received this land by authority of the King, himself. The Caja del Rio Grant consisting of 66,848.783 acres northwest of Santa Fe in Santa Fe County was ultimately confirmed and approved by the Court of Private Land Claims as property of claimant Felipe Delgado. Though he is not referenced in the testimonies in this collection, the genealogies presented in the testimonies confirm that Felipe Delgado is second cousin to the plaintiff (Aniceto Abeytia), and that both are great-grandsons of the original grantee.

The primary value of this collection to this project will be the genealogical information provided within the legal records. Long lists of names can put faces to the social forces that were at play during this time and give the researcher a list of leads to track down. By building a social context for the individuals listed (by cross-referencing the names with other sources of information), the researcher can compare Neomexican social development throughout the different historical periods of New Mexico.

Albuquerque & Cerrillos Coal Company Records, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico

The Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company collection consists of general records associated company operations and the town of Madrid. The records span the duration of coal mining operations between 1880 and 1961. The bulk of the records is financial and is associated with the day-to-day business operations at the Madrid coalmines. Other records include employee and workman's compensation records, correspondence between the A&CCC and other businesses and individuals, as well as between George Kaseman and Oscar Huber. Records associated specifically with mining activities include information on mine conditions and relationships between mining companies and labor unions. There is information on social activities in Madrid, including sports and holiday celebrations. Other maps and blueprints are housed in oversized folders.

The Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company (A&CCC) managed a coal mining operation in the area east of the Sandia Mountains where they established the company town of Madrid, New Mexico in southern Santa Fe County between 1906 and 1954. The mines at Madrid were actually in operation continuously between 1880 and 1954. The Santa Fe Railroad leased the coal lands and associated mines between 1880 and 1896. In 1896, they relinquished their lease rights to the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, who operated the mines until 1906 when George Kaseman, an Albuquerque businessman, assumed their mining lease. Kaseman

subsequently employed Oscar Huber as his general mine foreman to oversee the daily operations of the mines in Madrid until Kaseman's death in 1938. At this time, Oscar Huber leased the property from the Kaseman estate and Santa Fe Railroad until his outright purchase of the coal lands and the town of Madrid, in 1947. The A&CCC ceased to operate in 1954, due primarily to decreasing demands for coal as use of natural gas skyrocketed.

The potential value of this collection to the researcher lies primarily in the early documents of the company. Though technically outside the projected historical frame of interest, the records list the names and financial situations of many Neomexicanos, whose roots date back to the time period in question. Using these individuals as historical leads, the researcher should be able to compare living situations (as well as other cultural factors) against those of the individuals' ancestors. In addition, the collection boasts information on the way these individuals spent their leisure time. This information is critically important to understanding social context, as the existence and use of leisure time has been deemed the crux of a culture's development (Pieper 1999).

Manuscripts

Miguel Antonio Lovato Papers, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, and University of New Mexico.

The seven documents in this collection include letters, petitions, a statement suggesting remedies for certain conditions in New Mexico, and a petition relating to Sandia Pueblo. All letters are by or relating to Miguel Antonio Lovato, resident of Galisteo and Santa Fe, New Mexico in the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century.

The earliest document (ca. 1790) protests the infrequent visits by priests and the consequent high numbers of unbaptized babies and people who die without last rites. In this letter, Lovato, complains of prison conditions and the lack of Catholic administration among indigenous settlements. The second item is a letter written by Lovato to the President of Mexico describing the various indigenous ethnic groups present around Santa Fe. The tone of this letter is one of warning that decries Lovato's xenophobic stance.

Other items in the collection are legal documents related to land transfers, a protest of an unjust prison sentence, and a complaint of the unfair displacement of indigenous peoples from lands granted to them by the Spanish Crown in 1748. In his letters, Lovato suggests various solutions to problems of social order, economic troubles, and military issues.

This collection apparently contains a wealth of information concerning the Neomexican plight trying to adapt to a new environment before the American invasion. The real value of the collection is the attitudes displayed by the author when complaining about the treatment of his people. The intensity of these complaints only serves to reinforce the strength of this individual's values.

Getty Family Papers. State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This collection consists of an 1846 letter about Kearny's march into Santa Fe during the Mexican-American War; letters and photostats of clippings about Anna Getty McClure describing her life in Santa Fe and her marriage to Colonel Charles McClure, and activities at Fort Marcy; and two Civil War subject clippings associated with Major George Getty.

Anna Getty McClure was the daughter of Major General George W. Getty, commander of the District of New Mexico.

This collection should useful to the researcher in establishing the personal voice of the Anglo-American. By using a personalized source, one can get a better sense of the Anglo attitude towards the indigent populace relatively free from the normal news biases generated in the process of newspaper production. This view should provide some insight into the underlying attitudes about the differences in culture and perhaps help explain some of the other accounts and activities listed in other sources.

Ralph Emerson Twitchell Collection. State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This archival collection consists of Twitchell's personal papers, typed manuscripts, and a broad range of original documents, translations, and photocopies on the history of New Mexico. New Mexico historical documents include originals and photocopies from New Mexico's Spanish, Mexican, and territorial periods, as well as English translations of some documents in the official Spanish Archives of New Mexico.

Among these documents are land conveyances, deeds, and titles; wills; estate records; and many government records. Also within the collection are papers of several New Mexico families. The papers of Colonel Jose Maria Chaves (1702- 1920; bulk, 1845-1851) primarily concern his command of the expeditionary force of volunteers of the Mexican militia during the Ute Campaign of 1845. Archuleta family papers (1747-1909) primarily concern land in Cuyamungue and Pojoaque. Ortiz family papers (1726-1841) primarily involve Matias Ortiz and include some materials concerning Manuel Armijo. Lente family papers (1764-1834) include correspondence about the family genealogy and documents recording land transactions in Valencia County near Isleta. Sena family papers (1781-1858) include land transactions and materials on the militia in San Miguel del Vado. Genealogical materials on the C de Baca, Chaves, and Delgado families are also in this collection.

This collection appears to contain a wealth of public and private information concerning the culture of New Mexico in several different time periods. This collection should be useful in allowing the researcher to compare and contrast the treatment and rhetoric concerning the different classes and races of the populace living in the area.

Richard W.D. Bryan Family Papers, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico

The collection contains miscellaneous Albuquerque Indian School documents and a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings concerning the institution. There are an assortment of legal records dealing with New Mexico land grants and property transfer for the Robert H. Longwell Land Case, regarding the Antonio Baca Grant and Borrego Springs Grant and the Cazin Property Case. There are a wide variety of printed ephemera dealing with schools, churches and civic organizations, some business and financial records dealing with the Highland Park extension in Albuquerque, and business correspondence between Charles A. Meigs and R.W.D. Bryan, dated 1871-1884. Also present are correspondence, reminiscences and an expedition map of the Polaris arctic expedition of the early 1870s. The collection also contains George Bryan's business correspondence detailing the University of New Mexico football schedule for 1920 and school yearbooks, including the 1919 Albuquerque High School yearbook, La Reata. Other Bryan family items include ninety-six postcards from various family members, some dating 1911-1912, but most undated, and two unidentified engravings on wood blocks.

Richard William Dickinson Bryan, Arctic explorer, educator, and lawyer, was born in New York on October 6, 1849. He served as a government astronomer on the Hall Arctic Expedition, 1871-1873. In August 1882 he went to Albuquerque, New Mexico to become superintendent of the Albuquerque Indian School where he served until the Presbyterian home mission board ended its management of the school in 1886. At the time of his death on February 10, 1913, he was President of the University of New Mexico Board of Regents.

The piece of primary importance in this collection is the 1844 spanish document of Jose Antonio Lujan, property deed (beautiful water marked paper) complete with the Seal of New Mexico. This document has historical value as it should provide the researcher with intrinsic evidence of the attitudes expressed by the Mexican government towards the Neomexicano community. Official documentation always provides clues as to how contracts and agreements were conducted as well as how authority was perceived in the area. The symbology present on the seal should also yield valuable clues as to the values and culture of the pre-American New Mexican culture.

Colonel John L. Gay Collection of Papers Pertaining to the Armijo Family, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico

The John L. Gay collection (1841-1902) consists primarily of business documents and correspondence concerning Manuel and Rafael Armijo. The Armijos were merchants with stores in Albuquerque, Mesilla and other places in New Mexico. The Armijos identified themselves with the South at the beginning of the Civil War, and sold quantities of merchandise to Baylor, Sibley, and other officers of the Confederacy, taking promissory notes in exchange. The folders are in chronological order and mostly contain one document per folder. Folders 24-27 contain bills of sale to Rafael Armijo for purchase of "Negro" slaves, dated March 17, 1865 - April 15, 1865. Also included in the collection are ejectment documents; discharge certificates from service with the New Mexico volunteers; receipts for goods received, including one from Lt. Col. W.C. McNeil, Ft. Bliss Texas, dated June 12, 1862; documents relating to "Indian depredations;" a Presidential pardon from Andrew Johnson to Rafael Armijo for Armijo's conduct during the Civil War; and the Congressional Record of 1902, which contains hearings before the committee of the Senate and House on the admission of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma to statehood.

John L. Gay, was born in Missouri and was a long time resident of New Mexico. He was employed by the Railway Mail Service, on the Santa Fe system, between Colorado and New Mexico. He spoke to the 1902 Committee of the Senate and House in support of statehood for New Mexico.

The primary value of this collection is the voice of prominent Neomexicans who participated in the Anglo world at key intervals in American history. These voices should contain interesting elements helpful to this study by giving the researcher clues as to the underlying themes and attitudes implied in the words of Neomexicanos from the period.

Manuel Alvarez Papers. State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This collection consists mainly of correspondence, bills of lading, and accounts. Prefixed to the first reel are 54 letters of Charles Bent to Alvarez, dated 1839-46. Interspersed with Alvarez items are other notes and documents pertaining to New Mexico history. This is a microfilm copy (positive and negative) made by University of New Mexico Library, 1953, from papers in the library of the New Mexico Historical Society, Santa Fe.

The collection contains Alvarez's business, consular, and personal correspondence, 1825-1856. Correspondents include numerous officials, customers, merchants, and suppliers in New Mexico, St. Louis, New Orleans, New York, and London. Subjects discussed include the Santa Fe Trail, trade relations between the United States and New Mexico, and New Mexico politics and statehood. Items of note are five Alvarez ledgers (1834-1855), a journal of campsites along the Santa Fe Trail, a partial English copy of New Mexican Governor Albino Perez's tax laws (ca. 1837), a letter from New Mexican Governor Charles Bent (1847), and John Munroe's claim to the governorship of New Mexico (1850).

This collection is of particular interest to the researcher as it should provide some of the macro-context for this study. In particular, this collection should provide some clues to where the events from this period in New Mexico's history fit into the macro-level story of American politics. This information can be very valuable, since the American political landscape will have influenced the Anglo-American attitudes ion that region. This information also should help the researcher build a view of the Neomexican status within the context of the mainstream Anglo culture, which could then be contrasted with the attitudes of the New Mexican Anglo populace.

Ortiz y Pino Family Papers, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico

This collection has two main components. The first part contains clippings and assorted unpublished writings regarding the historic significance of Pedro Bautista Pino as New Mexico's first legislator and Representative to Spanish parliament in the 19th century. This part of the collection includes biographical information about Pedro Bautista Pino as well as news items regarding the commemoration of his 1810 visit to Spain in 1975, and the participation of Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven in these festivities. Information regarding the genealogy of the Ortiz family is interspersed throughout the documents.

The second portion of the collection contains a scrapbook compiled by Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven spanning roughly 20 years (1930s and 1940s). Among her memorabilia are items reflecting her professional life as a member of the House of Representatives, as well as those that shed light on her personal life. Items in the collection include photos, cards, letters of thanks and of courtship, invitations, telegrams, newspaper clippings, sheet music, programs, poetry, legislative memos, and assorted other items reflecting all aspects of her life Ü both political and social, professional and private.

This collection contains several items that should help the researcher get a sense of the Neomexican culture in the time period under scrutiny. Several of these items show the importance placed on the Spanish heritage of the Neomexicans as well as how those roots manifested themselves in a culture born of several overriding cultural influences.

Amador Family. Papers. Ms 4. Rio Grande Historical Collections. New Mexico State University Library

The collection consists primarily of correspondence and financial records of individual family members, including Fabi½n Garcâa. Invitations to social events, commercial mailings, and materials from religious organizations are found throughout the collection. Also included are business records of Martin Amador and his sons-in-law Antonio Terrazas and Jesus S. Garcia; legal records; printed matter; unidentified writings and political speeches; and family photographs.

This family hails from Las Cruces, New Mexico. They were entrepreneurs and community leaders Martin Amador, his wife Refugio Ruiz de Amador, their eight children, and two sons-in-law. The Amadors operated several businesses in Las Cruces, including the Amador Hotel, a general store, a livery stable, and a business of hauling freight and goods from Chihuahua, Mexico to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The hotel also housed a theater, the local jail, a courtroom, and post office. The Amador interests in Mexico were strengthened through marriage into the prominent Terrazas family.

The chief interest in this collection by the researcher is the cultural artifacts left behind by subjects living in the environment in question.

Maps

Several sources can be consulted to find appropriate maps. Map-making companies, historical surveys and travel logs are all excellent sources of information. Maps were prized during this time period, since any ñgeographical knowledge held by one nation would result in decisive disadvantage for another (Martin and Martin, 1999). As a result there were many maps made of this region during the period under scrutiny, the most famous example being the map produced by William H. Emory, which is considered by historians to be the first scientific mapping of the Southwestern region (Martin and Martin, 1999).

The two maps presented below provide examples of appropriate maps for this study. It shows the geographic and political features of the Santa Fe Trail and the lower Missouri River. By taking this modern representation of this area and comparing it with maps of the day, the contrast could help the researcher delve in to the mindset of the mapmakers who drew them.

Another interesting possibility would entail comparing maps drawn by Anglo mapmakers with maps drawn by Neomexicans. Since mapmaking is a relative process of presenting relevant information, such a comparison could show differences in priorities between the two cultures.

Map 1: Santa Fe Trail and Lower Missouri River, 1846Ü47 (Source: Clarke, 1961: p. 25).

Map 2: Map of the plaza of Santa Fe and Fort Marcy adapted from an original map created by 1st Lt. Jeremy Francis Gilmer. (Source: Clarke, 1961: p. 97.)

Photographs

Though no photographs exist from this time period (as the technology was not present), several drawings from the period exist, and can serve similar functions for the researcher.

In the picture presented below, a U.S. officer is seen astride his horse, administering orders to his men. The details of his uniform, his equipment, his clothing and the general appearance of the environment around him all provide interesting contextual clues about the readiness and intention of the American military forces during the American invasion.

In addition, the artist's biases can be denoted from the way he portrays his subjects. The officer is astride a brilliant white horse and cuts a striking figure fraught with a sense of nobility and class in an untamed environment. This picture was obviously drawn by an Anglo artist, and comparisons of it to Neomexican renditions of similar people and events might provide an interesting contrast inherent to a different mindset.

Picture: Campaign uniforms of the regular U.S. Army during the Mexican War. The mounted soldier is a corporal of dragoons. Lithograph from H. A. Ogden, illustrator, The Army of the United States (1888). Mark L. Gardner Collection.)

Historical Context

ProposedMethodology

Potential Sources

Reference List