Atrisco Land Grant facts for kids

The Atrisco Land Grant (also called a merced) was a large piece of land given by the Spanish government in 1692. It is located in the Atrisco Valley, south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This grant was part of Spain's plan to expand its empire into the New World. At that time, New Mexico was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (Nueva España).

Spain gave out many land grants in New Mexico. Some were for individuals who wanted to start a settlement. Others were for groups of people or for Pueblo people to keep the lands they already lived on. Examples include the Pueblo lands of Sandia and Isleta. Nearby Spanish grants included Elena Gallegos, Alameda, Carnuel, and Pajarito. Later, Mexico also made land grants after it gained independence from Spain in 1821.

When the United States took over New Mexico in the late 1800s, many of these land claims were challenged. Sadly, about 90% of Mexican land claimants lost their land in court. However, some people did manage to keep legal ownership. In recent times, the descendants of the original Atrisco grantees formed a company to manage their land. This land is now one of the few areas around Albuquerque that can still be developed, as the city's growth is limited in other directions.

Atrisco Land Grant: History Through the 1800s

Spanish Arrival and Settlement

In 1598, King Philip II of Spain sent Don Juan de Oñate north. Oñate traveled along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, an old Native American trail. He crossed the Rio Grande river near present-day El Paso. He then claimed all the land north of the river for Spain.

By the early 1600s, Spanish farms began to appear in the Rio Grande Valley. This area was between the Sandia and Isleta pueblos. By 1632, a Spanish settlement grew where Old Town Albuquerque is today. In 1706, the town of Villa de Albuquerque was officially founded. It included a presidio, which was a military fort.

The Pueblo Revolt and Reconquest

In 1680, the Pueblo Revolt happened. Native American groups rose up and forced the Spanish settlers to leave. The Spanish fled south to El Paso. In 1688, Diego de Vargas became the Spanish Governor of the Santa Fe de Nuevo México territory. He arrived in 1691 to take his new job.

In 1692, de Vargas led a group to retake Santa Fe. He had soldiers, cannons, and Native American allies. He convinced the Native Americans to accept peace and protection. In return, they had to promise loyalty to Spain. He took back 12 other towns in a similar way. This was called the "bloodless" Reconquest (Reconquista). Even though there were two more uprisings, Spain soon had control of its settlements again.

The Atrisco Grant is Established

Fernando Duran y Chaves II was a New Mexican who helped in this campaign. In 1692, Governor de Vargas gave him land in the Albuquerque area. The condition was that Fernando had to settle the land himself and bring other settlers. This grant covered 41,533 acres west of the Rio Grande. It was in the same area where Fernando's father had lived before the Pueblo Revolt.

Fernando met the conditions, and he officially owned the land in 1703. In 1768, the land grant was made even bigger. An additional 25,958 acres were added to the west. This was done because the Atrisco population had grown to over 200 people.

For a long time, settlers had to stay close to the Rio Grande valley. This was because of attacks from Apache and Navajo groups. But in 1864, the Navajo were defeated at Armijo Lake. This finally made the expanded pasture lands safe for the Atrisqueños (people of Atrisco).

New Mexico Becomes Part of the U.S.

The Mexican–American War ended in 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, and New Mexico became a territory of the United States. This treaty was supposed to protect the land rights of Mexican citizens. However, U.S. officials often did not honor these rights.

In 1854, the U.S. government created the Surveyor General of New Mexico office. Its job was to figure out who owned land based on Spanish and Mexican laws. In 1886, Surveyor General George Washington Julian suggested approving the Atrisco grant claims. These claims were submitted by lawyers for 150 Atrisco residents. But in 1887, the Department of the Interior rejected the request. They said there wasn't enough proof of the original grant or continued occupation.

To deal with land claims, the U.S. Congress tried to pass special laws for each one. But this process became unfair and corrupt. So, in 1891, the United States Court of Private Land Claims was created. This court was set up to decide land claims under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

The court worked for 13 years. Out of 282 cases in New Mexico, it only confirmed 82 land claims. About 90% of the land claimed was taken away from the claimants. However, some of the Atrisqueños did gain permanent ownership of their land. In 1892, they formed a community land grant company called the Town of Atrisco. It was made up of 225 heirs. Both Atrisco land grants were confirmed by the court in 1894.

Atrisco Land Grant: 1900s to Today

In 1935, a lawsuit was filed to find all the legal heirs of the land grant company. A court-appointed referee made a list of all the current heirs. This list showed how much of the land each heir was entitled to. The report was approved in 1936. More changes and updates were made over the years. The last part of this lawsuit was settled in 1952.

In 1967, a new company called Westland Development Co. Inc. was formed. This company was created to represent the interests of the land grant heirs as stockholders. The heirs voted to approve the company's rules. At first, the old Board of Trustees of the Town of Atrisco refused to transfer the land to the new company. But in 1969, the Supreme Court of New Mexico ruled that they had to.

The company believes the land will be very valuable for its stockholders in the future. This is because it's one of the few areas around Albuquerque that can still be developed. Albuquerque's growth is limited by Pueblo lands to the north and south, and by mountains to the east. In 1990, Barbara Page (Gallegos), who was the head of Westland, said they planned to be very active in developing the western part of the city.