29 Facts About Manuel Armijo

Manuel Armijo has been vilified by Americans participating in the conquest of New Mexico and some subsequent historians.

Manuel Armijo was born around 1793 in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area, most likely in Belen.

Manuel Armijo was the son of Vicente Ferrer Duran y Armijo and Barbara Casilda Duran y Chavez, both from prominent New Mexico families.

Vicente Manuel Armijo and his family resided in the Plaza de San Antonio de Belen during the 1790s, and according to the Spanish census, Vicente was a stockman and lieutenant in the militia.

Ramona Armijo was married to Luis C de Baca of Socorro, New Mexico.

Manuel Armijo became the alcalde of Albuquerque and militia lieutenant in 1822 and 1824.

In 1836 Manuel Armijo was appointed subcomisario, collector of customs, of New Mexico; this was a fund-raising position that involved work in Santa Fe.

Mariano Chavez, a wealthy young relative of Manuel Armijo's, proposed him for the position and Manuel Armijo accepted.

Manuel Armijo wrote to the government requesting federal troops, and trained soldiers under Lt.

Later that month the rebellion flared up again and Manuel Armijo led the force that defeated the rebels at Pojoaque.

The trader and writer Josiah Gregg said Manuel Armijo's brother "intimated" to Gregg that Manuel Armijo had ridden from Albuquerque to Santa Fe expecting the rebels to elect him governor.

In 1841 Manuel Armijo successfully repelled the Texan Santa Fe Expedition.

Manuel Armijo, who had 300 to 400 poorly-armed and trained men in his command, was told 1,200 Texans were advancing on his position.

Stories about Manuel Armijo's corruption made it into Anglo accounts of the region to justify a US invasion.

Manuel Armijo was a friend, a business partner, and a rumored lover of the wealthy Santa Fe saloon owner Maria Gertrudis "Tules" Barcelo.

Manuel Armijo approved grants of land totaling 9,700,000 acres to New Mexican citizens For example, in January 1841 Charles Beaubien and Guadalupe Miranda petitioned Manuel Armijo for a grant of 1,741,764 acres of land east of the Sangre de Cristo range.

When Padre Martinez of Taos learned of the grant, he raised such a strong objection that Manuel Armijo withdrew the grant that summer.

Manuel Armijo reinstated the grant after Beaubien died, giving it to his son-in-law, Lucien Maxwell.

Manuel Armijo sold his interest in their business to his partner and began liquidating his many other assets.

Manuel Armijo sent in a request to the Mexican government asking for regular troops to be sent for defense of New Mexico.

Manuel Armijo did not want to fight, but the priests present did, as did the young regular-army commander, Diego Archuleta, and the young militia officers Manuel Chaves and Miguel Pino.

Manuel Armijo decided he should go to Mexico and plead for more help from the Mexican government.

Around this same time some Santa Feans talked of killing the American traders in the town, but Manuel Armijo put a stop to the plan and dismissed Archuleta.

When Pino, Chaves and some of the militiamen insisted, Manuel Armijo ordered the cannon pointed at them.

All of the New Mexican army retreated to Santa Fe and Manuel Armijo fled to Chihuahua, while Kearny and his force entered Santa Fe and claimed New Mexico for the US without a shot fired.

Manuel Armijo was tried in Mexico City for cowardice and desertion in the face of the enemy, but he was acquitted.

Manuel Armijo later returned to Lemitar, New Mexico, and lived the rest of his life there.

Manuel Armijo is buried in the churchyard in front of San Miguel de Socorro, in the northwest corner.

One of his sons, Manuel Armijo, served as Colonel of the New Mexico Militia in the American Civil War, participating in the Battle of Valverde.