september 2017 presidents message - san elizariosanelizariogenealogy.com/senl917.pdfseptember 2017...

September 2017

Presidents Message

Greetings Members,

With another fiscal year coming to an end, I want to thank the SEGHS Board and many volunteers that have been supporting our efforts. We had great success in 2017. We exceeded our goals and continue to grow. We are supporting and working with other groups to preserve and promote our history, culture, and heritage. We welcomed record numbers of guests to the district and are on our way to bigger numbers next year. We worked through tremendous obstacles this year but prevailed. We have developed partnerships with local and in-ternational groups. We became sister cities with five cities in Mexico through our ef-forts and set records with Sister Cities International. We have partnered with the Sep-tentrion del Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Binational Committee to move forward lo-cal, regional, state, national and international recognition as an major Historic site. We have begun a Cemetery Beautification Project to keep the cemetery clean year around. Please look for more information in the this newsletter. We will present our annual Luminaria and Posada Celebration on December 23, so make plans to be here!

The Historic District is staying active with free tours on the fourth Sunday of every month, the Art Market and Pistolero Reenactment Show on the 3rd Sunday, and the First Friday Art Walk and Ghost Tour every month.

We are always looking for volunteers for the Museums!!! An hour or two, a day or two will help!!!

Thank You for your support!!!

Al Borrego

SAN ELIZARIO GENEALOGY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

SEGHS September Newsletter

2017 FOUNDERS LUNCHEON

LG Alarcon Elementary School • September 24, 2017



San Elizario Cemetery Beatification Project

The SEGHS has taken on the task to keep the cemetery clean year around, in behalf of concerned citizens. Alt-

hough we are grateful to those few that consistently take it upon themselves to clean or facilitate cleaning, the

cemetery continues to be an issue. In early September, the SEGHS created the project and will work to keep the

cemetery clean through donations to the project. Obviously, the more the donations, more can be done includ-

ing repairs.

The Cemetery donations will be administered through the SEGHS and a sepa-

rate account.

Donors are asked to donate $10.00 a month ($60 for six months or $120 for the year)

Any donation will be accepted. Donations can be done in behalf of a family,

friends, company, another non-profit or foundation. We hope that this project

can continue perpetually.

Becky Romero was appointed Cemetery Project Chairperson and will aggres-

sively look for supporters. Please consider donating to this great project. The

Cemetery will be dedicated in November as a Texas State Cemetery, with an

official marker.

For More Information: Contact Becky at 915-851-1682 or online at

www.sanelizariogenealogy.com/cemetery.htm

Our Preservation Partners In order to preserve and promote our history, culture and heritage the SEGHS has partnered with these organizations:



2017 Luminaria Festival and Posada Celebration

Veterans Memorial Plaza

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Don’t miss this great event!!

If at all possible, please help with preparations: Folding the luminaria bags, we need a seamstress to repair the costumes for the Posada reenactment!! This needs to be done well in advance. We will also need a few volunteers during the event to help give out chocolate, treats and registration. Regardless, be sure to come out and enjoy the celebration.

Bicycle Giveaway: We are also taking donations to purchase bicycles for the annual giveaway. These are new bikes. If you want to donate a new bike, bring it by the Portales museum (assembled) by December 20th. All ages. Thank you for your support!!

2017 Christmas Tree Lighting & ChristKindleMarket sponsored by the City of San Elizario

December 1-3, 2017

ChristKindleMarket opens 5:00 pm

Santa Claus arrives 6:30 pm

Tree Lighting 7:00 pm



Our President, Al Borrego, was invited to speak in Mexico City, for the anniversary of the inscribing of the

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, on August 1, 2017. Here are a few pictures.



The Pueblo Revolt

By Sam Sanchez, Sr.

On August 10, 1680, the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest rose in revolt, setting

off a massive assault upon the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico. Before it was over, twen-

ty-one Franciscan missionaries, more than four hundred Spaniards, and an uncounted

number of Indians had perished.

Of itself, what befell the Spaniards and the Pueblos in 1680 furnishes a stirring tale.

The origins of their conflict are discernible as early as 1598, when Don Juan de Onate first

laid the foundations for the New Mexico colony in the upper Rio Grande Valley. He found

the Indians, living in multi-storied and terraced towns of adobe and rock.

The Indians were intensely religious people, but of such a nature as to be highly of-

fensive to the Spanish sensibilities. Native rituals, for instance, emphasized public dancing,

wearing of painted masks, and sprinkling of sacred cornmeal. To the medieval thinking of

the Spaniards, such things suggested a trace of Devil worship. The missionary friars,

moved by single-minded dedication, set about eradicating all aspects of Pueblo ceremonial

rituals. In as much as the Indians had never encountered religious persecution, attack by

the Spanish clergy left them totally bewildered.

During the period after 1650, drought plus several epidemics of European-introduced

disease afflicted the Pueblos, reducing the number of agricultural workers and depleting

food reserves. An accumulation of tensions and grievances finally led the Pueblo people to

resort to something that they had never done before. The Pueblo people drew together in a

common cause against a common enemy. It took five years to weld the Pueblos together to

one accord.

By the summer of 1680, the alliance was complete. August 10, was chosen as the

day of the uprising. The symbol of rebellion was a knotted cord; the knots were a code, an-

nouncing the number of days that remained before the day of reckoning. Swift runners

brought the cord to the Pueblos.

At sunrise, on August 10,1680, the Indians of New Mexico launched their assault

against the almost totally unprepared Spanish settlers. The Indians went about killing the

Padres and setting fire to the churches on all the northern Pueblos. News of the catastro-

phe reached Governor Antonio de Otermin at seven o’clock on Saturday morning, as he

was on his way to church.

Otermin sent a squad of soldiers to Tesuque Pueblo to see what had occurred there

and to quell any disturbance. They came back later in the day with word that the priest was

indeed dead and the church had been burned. All the cattle and horses belonging to the



mission had been seized by the Indians. So it was in all the other Pueblos. Flames and

smoke could be seen over all the churches and most of the isolated farms. Everyone

who was still alive on the outskirts of Santa Fe, hurried into the city, and the gates were

locked.

More than a thousand men, women, and children huddled in terror in the capital.

A garrison of 150 men guarded the frightened city. Messengers from distant outposts

arrived, bringing tales of death and destruction, burning churches, murdered friars. The

whole land had gone mad. No news came from southern New Mexico at all. Were they

all dead there too, in Isleta and Socorro? Where was Alonso Garcia, the Lieutenant-

general of the Province? Who would come to the aide of Santa Fe?

As the days passed, more and more Indians appeared. Now some 2500 of them

surrounded Santa Fe. The Spaniards could do nothing but wait. The Indians cut the

ditch that supplied the capital with water. Otermin sent troops out to retake and repair

the ditch, but they could not reach it and were driven back behind the gates of the plaza.

The situation in the north seemed hopeless. After conferring with his lieutenants

and clergymen, Otermin decided to abandon the capital and lead the settlers downriver

to the village of Isleta.

On August 21, the awful exodus from Santa Fe began. The colonists left without a

crust of bread or a grain of wheat or maize. Over their heads, as they marched, fluttered

the century-old flag of yellow silk that Don Juan Onate had carried on his triumphal entry

into the new found colony of New Mexico.

Alonso Garcia received word that everybody in the north was dead and the settle-

ments destroyed. Garcia decided the logical thing to do was to save those who still lived

by evacuating southern New Mexico before the rebels reached it.

Only about 385 Indians from Isleta stayed with Garcia. All in all, two thousand

homeless people, including the settlers from the north, joined the group from the south.

With scarcely any food, they straggled on down the river on the dreary trek to El Paso

Del Norte. Then came the strenuous business of fording the river. Fray Francisco de

Ayeta, watching the refugees, walk unsteadily into the mission of Our Lady of Guada-

lupe south of the river, said he had never seen “such great unhappiness and pitiful trag-

edy, with the need corresponding to the great numbers, and the poor women and chil-

dren on foot and without shoes, of such a hue they looked like the dead.”



Veterans Talk Meetings:

The San Elizario Veterans Committee meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm, at the Veterans Muse-

um, 1501 Main Street. We want to see everyone there, especially new members. Remember, everyone is welcome to

join and participate, veterans and non-veterans are welcome. There is no membership fee. Next meeting scheduled for

the first Tuesday of October 2017.

Museum Photos:

There are many Veterans and Active Duty individuals that have roots or ties to San Eli and have not provided an 8 x 10

photo of themselves to the Museum. Please, bring a photo with some brief information of the veteran or active duty per-

son written on the back of the photo. We provide the frame. Easy as that.

Memorial Bricks:

We continue to sell memorial bricks in honor of veterans and active duty personnel, for placement on the memorial brick

walk located outside the Veterans Museum. The cost of the brick is only $40. Applications can be obtained at the Veter-

ans Museum or through our website. The bricks can be purchased for any veteran or active duty service member and

does not need to have roots or ties to San Elizario. Bricks can be purchased for anyone.

Museum Needs:

We need volunteers to greet visitors, log them in, mention that we sell memorial bricks, that we do have a donation box

and provide other assistance as needed. If interested, contact Ray Borrego. Great opportunity for high school students

to earn volunteer hours and help the community. Retirees are also welcome.

Museum Donations:

Anyone wishing to donate military memorabilia to the Veterans Museum may do so. Please indicate the name of the

donor. All donations become property of the Museum and will be displayed in accordance to space, appropriateness,

and uniqueness.

In Memoriam:

To the service members and veterans that are no longer with us, we thank each one of them for their service, and may

God Bless them.

Events: Past and Future where San Eli Vets have/or will participate

*On the third Sunday of each month, the veterans have a sales booth at the Art Market in San Eli. Please come and

join us, your help will be appreciated.

September 15, San Elizario Veterans attended the grand opening of Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic

September 17, Art Market In San Eli, Veterans had a booth selling hats & shirts for Veterans and providing information

for veterans wishing to join.

September 24, Founder’s Luncheon in San Eli, with local Veterans members attending and assisting by setting up ta-

bles and chairs & taking same down after event. Pat Cruz and son Max also greeted guests as they came for event

providing with name tags

Ray Borrego, Chair, and Patricia Cruz, Co-Chair, San Elizario Veterans Committee of SEG&HS, a 501 c (3) non-profit.

Phone: 915-383-8529

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.sanelizariogenealogy.com

SEGHS June Newsletter




COMING SOON!!

A new addition to our Giftshop at the Portales!! $12.00

Casa Ronquillo / Viceroy Palace/ The Motel/ Hacienda de Los Tiburcios Circa 1934



From Around The State

Austin: News from Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin

Corpus Christi: News from Spanish American Genealogical Association (SAGA)

Harlingen: News from Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Genealogical Society

Houston: News from Hispanic Genealogy Society of Houston

Laredo: News from Villa De San Agustin - Laredo Genealogy Society

San Antonio: News from Los Bexareños Genealogical And Historical Society

Victoria: News from Victoria Hispanic Genealogical & Historical Society of Texas

This Section is dedicated to our sister Hispanic Genealogy Societies throughout the state. Thank You, LBGHS for providing the infor-

mation

Other Genealogy News

Albuquerque: News From Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico

Albuquerque: News From New Mexico Genealogical Society

Pueblo: News From Genealogical Society of Hispanic America

St. Louis News From Center for French Colonial Studies

Los Pistoleros de San Elizario

The San Elizario Genealogy and Historical

Society opens the museum daily, Tuesday

through Sunday, to the general public and

admission is free. The museum is staffed

by knowledgeable volunteers that will offer

additional information to visitors.

The Pistoleros de San Elizario Reenact-

ment troupe performs two free shows of the

‘Billy the Kid Breakout' every third Sunday

of the month, March through November, in

front of the Jail.

Old El Paso County Jail Museum 1551 Main Street • San Elizario, Texas 79849 915-851-0093 / 915-851-1682

Regular Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am - 2pm • Sunday: 10am - 4pm

Sunday: 12pm - 4pm • Open during special events.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tejano-Genealogy-Society-of-Austin

http://www.sagacorpuschristi.com/calendarofevents.htm

http://www.rgvhispanicgenealogicalsociety.com/

http://www.hispanicgs.com/

http://www.vsalgs.org/

http://www.losbexarenos.org/pubhome2.htm

http://www.vhghost.com/

http://www.hgrc-nm.org/

http://www.nmgs.org/

http://www.gsha.net/

http://www.frenchcolonialstudies.org/

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1090 San Elizario, Texas 79849

Physical Address: 1521 San Elizario Rd. San Elizario, Texas

Phone #: 915-851-1682 • Fax #: 915-851-0045

Email: [email protected] • www.SanElizarioGenealogy.com


Change of Address? Call or Email Us To Update Your Mailing Address, Phone Number, or Email

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