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Excerpts from Abe Peña's  popular publications

All material used with the kind permission of the author, given to me personally.


from VILLAGES


They Trekked West to Found Seboyeta

In 1800, when the first settlers loaded their oxcarts in Atrisco/Alburquerque on the Rio Grande for their journey to found Seboyeta some 50 miles to the west, they planned on making the trip in four days. They left on or about March 10. It was early spring.

There were thirty adult settlers and with their families numbered about ninety individuals altogether. They had in their possession the Cebolleta land grant document signed by Spanish Governor Don Fernando de Chacón on January 23, 1800 in Santa Fe.

The thirty grantees listed in the “Merced de Cevolleta” which had all the appropriate stamps and seals were Francisco Aragón, Francisco Garcia, Anastacio Gallegos, José Santos Chávez, Diego Antonio Márquez, Ventura Peralta, Josefa Baca, Santiago Peralta, Antonio Chávez, Josef Chávez, Lorenzo Romero, Manuel Romero, Juan José Peña, Vicente Chávez, Marcial Baca, Nicolas Santillanes, Miguel de Herrera, Juan Domingo de Herrera, Gregorio Xaramillo, Roman Gallego, Domingo Baca, Juan Bautista Chávez, Pablo Gallego, Phelipe Gallego, Juan Cristobal Gallego, Xavier Jaramillo, y Juan Antonio Chávez.

The document states, “Merced concedida en nombre de Su Majestad S.M. A trienta vecinos del sitio conocido por la Cevolleta”... “Grant extended in the name of His Majesty H. M. to thirty citizens of the site known as Cevolleta.” The above list has only a total of 27 names. We don't know what happened to the other three. Some of the names are cut off and others are spelled in archaic Spanish. And one or two on the list seem to be women's names. These bold colonists were on their way to settle the first Hispanic village west of the Rio Puerco.

They didn't keep a record or diary of their journey, as far as we know. But, let us boldly try to imagine and relive a day on that historic trek. Let's make it the second day. To briefly recap the first day, let's imagine more than 30 carts, each pulled by a pair of oxen, lumbering and squeaking up Nine Mile Hill passing south of Los Volcanos, following trails made by earlier riders and wildlife heading in a westerly direction.

Some of the men rode horseback. Sheep and goats and milk cows followed the train, herded by boys and some of the older women. At dusk, they reached the ridge overlooking the Rio Puerco, circled their carts, and built fires with dry chamiso brush. They hobbled the oxen and the horses and a burro or two. The women roasted pieces of mutton on sticks and cooked chile for dinner.
After supper, they buried a pot of beans in a bed of hot coals for breakfast. The livestock surrounded the camp as the fires went out and the travelers silently said their prayers, then went to bed. Most of them slept on sheepskins and covered themselves by heavy coarse woolen blankets. The men took turns keeping vigil.

Let us keep in mind their destination was el canyon de Ceboyeta on the southeast flanks of La Sierra de San Mateo (Mount Taylor). The canyon had good fertile soil and a good stream of spring water. It also offered good protection from the elements and from the Navajos. At daybreak of the second day, the men got up and stoked their campfires to start the day.

Some rounded up the oxen and started yoking them. Others milked the cows and some milked goats. The women dug out the bean pots and made Atole from blue cornmeal for breakfast. Their pots were copper pots that had come from Chihuahua, Mexico, up the Camino Real. The boys kept the sheep flock nearby ready to follow the train when it got started.

By mid-morning, they arrived at the Ri o Puerco and as expected it was bone-dry, which was the case most of the year. The cattle bawled, sensing there was moisture and possibly water at the bottom of the arroyo. The sheep and goats were doing much better than the cattle. They could do without water for two days, but cattle needed water every day.

They crossed the dry Rio Puerco and keep trekking towards La Sierra de San Mateo. From their scout, they knew a spring lay ahead with sufficient water for camp needs as well as their livestock, and could probably be reached by noon. The wheels squeaked and one of the men carried a pot of tallow and daubed the cart axles to reduce the merciless squeaking.

Their biggest problem was crossing arroyos. The women did a lot of praying. They also talked about building a church when they got there. Someone suggested they call it “Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores”... “Our Lady of Sorrows.” It still bears that name today.
Late on the fifth day, they reached their destination. One day later than planned. They were exhausted but excited. This beautiful canyon would be their new home. They circled their carts and they all went down on their knees to Thank the Lord and Our Lady of Sorrows for bringing them safely to their new home. You could hear subdued sighs and sobs remembering their relatives and friends who stayed behind in the safe confines of Atrisco.

On March 16, 1800, the colonists took physical possession from the Alcalde, Don José Manuel Aragón, acting on behalf of Governor Fernando Chacón. He wrote in his report, “Today the colonists received the grant in community and the suertes (lots) as individuals and acknowledged same by throwing stones in the air, pulling weeds, and shouting, 'God save the King' three times, wherefore they hold and enjoy all the ownership over said tracts which I have districted for such is the will of his Majesty the King.”"