PO Box 429
Rio Chama, NM 87532
PHONE (505) 927-2219 FAX (505) 357-3360
Friendly Professional Services
y se habla español
|
PO Box 429 Rio Chama, NM 87532 PHONE (505) 927-2219 FAX (505) 357-3360
Friendly Professional Services
y se habla español
|
|
|
We support GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE natural home building with Cob Adobe Straw Bale Earthship Cast Earth Rammed Earth Papercrete Pole Barns Cordwood Earthbag
(click here to access the database)
New Mexico As residents of the continental United States we call ourselves Americans. Our strength as a nation has always been the ability of its people to accept differences and to adapt to change. As a nation of immigrants, all our family ancestors all originated somewhere else except for our Native American brothers. Each family has a story to tell about it's beginnings in the Americas. (Salas journey to America) We have chosen to live in "The Land of Enchantment" which is known to most as New Mexico. We enjoy the extremes in climate, topography and diversity of culture. Our state flag represents the melding of generations of Native Americans, Spanish and other European settlers that remains unique in our way of life, our unique architecture and the unexplainable sense of belonging to an arid land. The Spanish visited in the 1500's and returned often. Hispanics have contributed greatly to the development of all regions of North America as we know it today. The history of North America, as taught in our academic institutions mentions Christopher Columbus and then shifts to the colonization of the east coast and sadly the first 100 years of American history that pre-dates the 1610 arrival of English settlers is ignored.
Our paternal and maternal families have lived continuously in what is now New Mexico for almost four centuries arriving as members of conquistas, entradas and as poblaneros (settlers). They brought with them the spirit and essence that the State Flag of New Mexico symbolizes, our past, the present and our future. The yellow field and red symbol colors are the colors of Spain and was first brought to New Mexico (Nueva España) by Spanish explorers in 1540. On New Mexico's flag we see a red sun with rays stretching out from it. There are four groups of rays with four rays in each group. This is an ancient sun symbol of a Native American people called the Zia. The Zia believed that the giver of all good gave them gifts in groups of four.
New Mexico State Flag
These gifts are: The four directions - north, east, south and west. The four seasons - spring, summer, fall and winter. The day - sunrise, noon, evening and night. Life itself - childhood, youth, middle years and old age. All of these are bound by a circle of life and love, without a beginning or end.
New Mexico has been a land in transition as the territory has been occupied by many different Native Indian groups and Spanish conquistadores (http://htg-is.vianet.net/~artpike/mission8.htm). Our family lines in the new world are over 300 years old and began with the birth of Sebastian de Salas to Bernardo de Salas and Josepha de Morales in Sevilla, Spain in about 1667. Sebastian de Salas, our protagonist, boarded a ship for the new world and arrived in Mexico settling in Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla, Nueva España (Mexico), in 1685. He married Maria de Garsia Barien (Barientos) on February 8, 1687 in Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla, Nueva España (Mexico). Maria was born in Mexico to Spanish settlers, her father Nicolas was already deceased when she married. By the spring of 1693, Sebastian and Maria were in Mexico City being recruited by the Vargas expedition to re-occupy the northern territories (El Paso del Norte to Santa Fe) which were abandoned in what is now New Mexico. Santa Fe and all the other communities south to El Paso del Norte had been abandoned in 1680 as a result of the Pueblo Indian Revolt (http://www.zusas.uni-halle.de/~robison/research/reconquest.htm). For an accounting of the surrivors and those killed in the revolt, view the work by Louis Brandtner.
The Vargas expedition arrived in Santa Fe in the fall of 1694, a journey that lasted nine long months. They remained in Santa Fe for only six months before moving to Santa Cruz de la Cañada just north of Santa Fe. Sebastian was appointed to the Cabildo, a four person administrative committee, to govern the newly re-occupied village. Sebastian apparently didn't stay in one place too long, because we find him in Santa Fe the following year. In 1699 he receives a land grant in Santa Cruz and another in Pojoaque which he sold in 1701 to Juan Trujillo for 45 pesos. In 1703 he sold his Santa Cruz land grant to Tomas de Herrera. Sebastian De Salas joined the "reconquista" in Mexico City as a civilian settler, however by the time they arrived in Santa Cruz in 1694, he was part of a four person military administration known as the Cabildo. How his enlistment took place is unknown, however he traveled extensively as part of the garrison at Santa Fe. He was assigned to help establish a new "villa" along the banks of the Rio Grande in 1705. This new "villa" was to become Alburquerque (notice the additional proper "r"). His service as the military escort was instrumental in selecting the site for the founding of Albuquerque in 1706. Sebastian was in Albuquerque (http://www.rootsweb.com/~nmbernal/index.html), before the official establishment of the city with new settlers from the village of Bernalillo, located 18 miles north of Albuquerque on the east side of the Rio Grande River (http://www.cabq.gov/aes/s3hisp.html). His son, Sebastian Higinio de Salas was born in Albuquerque on January 8, 1707. Sebastian continued in his military service to Albuquerque until 1712. With the birth of Sebastian Higinio de Salas begins the lineage of our family in the new world in the area we now know as New Mexico. It is ironic that through 10 generations, our family has remained primarily in New Mexico. There have been a few migrations into Colorado, Arizona and California. There are over 3000 extended family members in our family tree and they can be found at http://www.hgrc-nm.org/surnames/surnames.htm#Surnames and at http://www.ancestry.com/main.htm. These sites are updated frequently. If you live in the southwest and believe you are related and a descendant of Bernardo de Salas, you can do a name search.
SALAS Family History The first Salas to the New World was Pedro de Salas from Lisbon Portugal. He came with Colon (Columbus) on the 2nd voyage in 1494. In 1537 two brothers arrived in Mexico from Sama, Asturias, Spain. They were Diego and Sebastian Salas. The parents were Francisco Nicolas and Marina Gadea. Gonzalo de Salas came to Mexico in 1538 from Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Logrono Spain. He was a Hidalgo (minor member of nobility). The parents were Sancho de Salas and Francisca Fernandez. I often wonder if they are related to Bernardo de Salas
Vasco Nþöez de Balboa (1475-1519) was the first European to see (and stand in the waters of) the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean, on September 13, 1513. He accomplished this feat after an arduous trek through the jungles of what is now Panama. It is interesting that the Spanish had already established a university in the new world in Mexico City and in 1609-10, Governor Pedro de Peralta was establishing a new capital at Santa Fe (the former was San Gabriel) and immediately began construction on the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe. Gaspar de Villagra published the epic history on the founding of New Mexico, the first book printed about any area in the modern United States. All this, just as the English Pilgrims were arriving on the American shore. There were 102 passengers that came over on the Mayflower in 1620. It is estimated that 25% of all Americans are related to them. There were over 2000 of Cortes' conquistadors who started arriving in Mexico from 1519 to 1521. Many Hispanics have been able to trace their genealogy back to these individuals. Juan Rodriguez de Salas was a conquistador with Cortes and settled in Mexico City. He married and had at least 2 children. A daughter married the conquistador Melchor de Alanes. His son was Sabastian de Salas and his grandsons were Cristobal de Salas and Agustin de Salas. His granddaughter married don Gaspar de Montufar.
Since the Spanish settled the southeastern United States 80 years prior to the arrival of the Mayflower, the Original Pilgrims spoke the Spanish language, and their descendants continue to speak Spanish throughout the United States, although not readily accepted. Almost 100 years before Jamestown, many of the Original Spanish speaking Pilgrims colonized several areas of the present United States of America. They founded cities across the country, from Florida, and the Carolinas and Virginia area and across to the southwestern territories. To further exploration, Juan de Salas led an expedition in 1601 to explore the Altamaha and middle Oconee Rivers in southeast and east-central Georgia.
Don Juan Pablo de Salas can be viewed as having created the first Florida land scam. Juan Pablo de Salas was a Spanish Artillery Officer and for his service, he received a Spanish land grant of the isla, Key West (Cayo Hueso) Florida, in 1815. The territory was purchased by the US in 1818. On December 29, 1821 a deal was finalized, over a few drinks in a Havana bar and he sold Key West to John W. Simonton for $2,000. Simonton was a businessman. The transaction was recorded on January 19, 1822. Then on March 25, 1822, Matthew G. Perry, Commanding Officer of the US Schooner Shark, takes possession of the Island of Key West as a U.S. Territory. This was just two months after the purchase of the island by John Simonton. John Simonton soon took on three northern partners: John Whitehead, John Fleeming and Pardon Greene. On the scene arrived General John Geddes of Charleston who had also purchased Key West. It was discovered that Don Juan Pablo Salas had sold it twice, first to John Strong, a lawyer no less, and then to Simonton. As if this were not bad enough, Strong had also previously sold Key West to George Murray prior to selling it to John Geddes. In summary, Salas sold it twice, Strong and Simonton, and Strong twice, Murray and Geddes. Simonton had already divided it up amongst three others: Whitehead, Fleeming and Greene. On May 23, 1828, Congress ruled Simonton as the legal owner.
Fray Juan de Salas, a Spanish religious official, came to New Mexico with Alonso de Benavides in 1622 and worked at the Isleta Mission and at the site of present day Albuquerque. In 1629 Jumano Indians went to the monastery and asked for religious instruction, stating that they came at the request of the "Woman in Blue," María de Jesús de Agreda. In July of that year Salas and Fray Diego León visited the Jumanos and labored among them for some months in an area 300 miles east and southeast of Isleta. Tribes further east sent messengers to ask the fathers to come to teach them, and the padres promised that they would return with other priests. In 1632 Salas again set out for the Jumano country, this time with Father Juan de Ortega and a few soldiers. He probably penetrated as far as the site of present San Angelo, Texas, then returned to Santa Fe, leaving Ortega, who worked in the area for six months before also returning.
This is a recap of the family line:
Our Genealogy in New Mexico Our Searchable Family Database (click to access) Salas Family Line in New Mexico 1640 to present http://www.sanco-bg.com/descendants_of_bernardo_de_salas.htm
Details on the 1680 Revolt http://www.nmhcpl.com/stlawrencedaymassacre.htm#PART%20Ia
The Salas Family journey into the New World (details of the journey for Sebastian and Maria) Hispanic Genealogical Research Center http://www.hgrc-nm.org/ LDS Family Search http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp Social Security Death Search http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=3693 New World Explorers http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/discovery/ Spain Research http://familyhistory.byu.edu/pdf/spain.pdf Search the New Mexico Spanish Archives http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/search.htm Spanish Ship Passengers to the Americas http://www.ldelpino.com/aeren.html Click here for dierections on how to search the database Salas' Family Crests http://www.heraldaria.com/armorial.php
(Click here) Contact Information
Sales paul@sanco-bg.com Web Master webmaster@sanco-bg.com |
|
