Genízaro facts for kids

Genízaros were Native Americans who became part of Hispano and Puebloan communities in what is now New Mexico and parts of Colorado. They were often taken into these communities through war or by paying a ransom. Once there, they worked as indentured servants, shepherds, or general laborers. This happened in Santa Fe de Nuevo México, which was part of New Spain.

New Spain had rules against slavery for native people starting in 1543. However, this rule didn't apply to people captured during wars. This meant that both Hispanic settlers and Native Americans (like the Comanche, Pueblo, or Navajo) could capture and enslave each other.

Genízaros were usually sentenced to work for a specific time. After this time, they became free. They were even encouraged to own land through special grants from the Spanish government. They could also join the local army.

Slavery was later opposed during the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. It became officially illegal in the Spanish Empire after 1813. This law was fully put into practice when Mexico became independent.

Genízaros joined other citizen-soldiers of New Mexico during the Chimayó Rebellion. They fought for New Mexico to separate from the Centralist Republic of Mexico. The leader of this rebellion, José Gonzales, was a genízaro.

Genízaros lived in many villages in New Mexico. Some of these included Belén, Tomé, Valencia, Carnuel, Los Lentes, Las Trampas, Socorro, and San Miguel del Vado. They also lived in bigger towns like Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Atrisco, Santa Fe, Chimayó, Taos, Abiquiú, and Las Vegas, NM.

Many genízaros were, or their families had been, enslaved by other Native American tribes. For example, Plains tribes often raided and enslaved members of tribes allied with the Spanish, such as the Apaches.

By the late 1700s, genízaros made up a large part of the population in New Mexico. In 2007, the New Mexico Legislature officially recognized genízaros and their descendants as indigenous people. Today, many people in the South Valley of Albuquerque and northern New Mexico (like Española, Taos, Santa Fe, Las Vegas) are descendants of genízaros. This is also true for parts of southern Colorado.

What Does the Name Genízaro Mean?

The word genízaro comes from the Spanish language. It was borrowed from the Italian word giannizzero. This Italian word came from the Ottoman Turkish word yeniçeri.

The Turkish word yeniçeri referred to slaves who were trained to be soldiers for the Ottoman Empire. The English word "janissary" also comes from this Turkish word.

The first time the word genízaro was used in New Mexico was in the early 1660s. A politician was accused of treating a genízara servant badly. Her mother was Apache-Quivira (Wichita) and her father was a Pueblo. The term became common after 1692, when the Spanish took back control of New Mexico after the Pueblo Revolt.

The word genízaro also had a military meaning in New Mexico. Genízaro soldiers and scouts were very important. They helped defend New Mexico from raiding Comanche, Apache, and Navajo warriors. In 1808, the genízaros were formally organized into their own military group. They had their own leader and supplies.

The History of Genízaros

Genízaros were usually Native Americans who had been captured and enslaved by other tribes. Franciscan monks (religious leaders) were legally required to rescue these people by paying a ransom. To pay back this ransom, the rescued people would work as indentured servants for a set number of years.

During the late 1700s and early 1800s, genízaros made up a large part of the population in the American Southwest. They helped start many towns and villages. These included Belén, Tomé, Valencia, Carnué, Los Lentes, Las Trampas, Socorro, and San Miguel del Vado. They also lived in bigger towns like Albuquerque, Atrisco, Santa Fe, Chimayó, Taos, Abiquiú, and Las Vegas.

The debt for a ransomed Native American, often a child, usually meant 10 to 20 years of service. Young women were especially valued. Most ransomed Native Americans, or genízaros, were in a situation that was almost like slavery. Even if they were treated like family, they often carried the mark of being servants. Their children were also usually considered genízaros. However, this did not completely stop them from improving their social standing.

The Comanche and other tribes would bring their captives to trade fairs to sell them. In 1770, a female captive between 12 and 20 years old could be sold for two good horses and some small items. A male captive was worth only half as much.

Many genízaros complained about being treated poorly by the Spanish. New Mexico's governors had a policy of settling them on land grants. These lands were on the edges of Spanish settlements. This made them "buffer communities." They protected larger Spanish towns from attacks by enemy tribes. The genízaros in these frontier communities also became mediators. They helped communicate between the often-hostile Native American tribes and the Spanish authorities.

In the 1740s, a Spanish religious official named Fray Menchero described the settlements of Tome and Valencia. He said they were new settlements with people from different tribes. He noted that these people were kept in peace by missionaries. He explained that the Native Americans were from various tribes captured by the Comanche and Apaches. These tribes were very strong and controlled much of the land.

He wrote that the Comanche sold people from these tribes to the Spanish. These people were held in servitude. Adults were taught by the priests, and children were baptized. Fray Menchero also noted that sometimes these Native Americans were not treated well. He said people did not think about how hard their captivity was. They also didn't consider that these were new converts who needed kindness. Because of this, many ran away.

In 1778, Juan Agustín Morfi described the settlements of Tomé and Belén, south of Albuquerque. He said that in all Spanish towns in New Mexico, there was a group of Native Americans called genízaros. These were captured Comanches, Apaches, and others who were taken as children. They grew up among the Spanish and married in the area.

He noted that they had to live among the Spanish without land. They had no way to survive except by hunting deer with bows and arrows. He called them "fine soldiers, very warlike." He also said that expecting genízaros to work for daily wages was foolish because of the bad treatment they had received. He mentioned that about 60 genízaros families had gathered in Belen and Tome.

Where Did Genízaros Come From?

DNA studies show that Hispano people in New Mexico have a lot of Native American genes. This is because Spanish people and genízaros often had children together. Most genízaros were from tribes like the Navajo, Pawnee, Apache, Kiowa Apache, Ute, Comanche, and Paiute. They were often bought when they were young and worked as servants or shepherds.

Throughout the Spanish and Mexican periods, Genízaros settled in many New Mexican villages. These included Belén, Tomé, Valencia, Carnuel, Los Lentes, Socorro, and San Miguel del Vado. They also lived in Albuquerque, Atrisco, Santa Fe, Chimayó, Taos, Abiquiú, and Las Vegas, NM.

By the mid-1700s, the Comanche tribe was very powerful. They often kidnapped children from weaker tribes on the eastern plains and sold them to Spanish villagers. By the early American period (1821–1880), most genízaros were of Navajo background.

During talks with the United States military, Navajo leaders brought up the issue of Navajos being held as servants in Spanish and Mexican homes. When asked how many Navajos were among the Mexicans, they said "over half the tribe." Most of these captured Navajos never returned to their nation. Instead, they stayed as lower-class people in the Hispanic villages. People from different tribes often married each other in these communities.

Today, their descendants make up a large part of the population in Atrisco, Pajarito, and Barelas in the South Valley of Albuquerque. They also form a significant part of the population in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Genízaros in the 19th Century

In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain. New Mexico then became a territory within the First Mexican Empire. The Treaty of Córdoba in Mexico stated that all native tribes within its borders were citizens of Mexico. Under Spanish rule, genízaros and Pueblo natives were often treated as second-class citizens. However, they were protected by certain laws.

The new Mexican government officially declared that all ethnic groups were equal. So, genízaros were officially considered equal to their neighbors, the vecino (villagers of mixed backgrounds) and Pueblo people. During this time, the term genízaro was no longer used in church and government papers. However, in reality, Mexico was not truly equal. Many genízaros still faced social and economic challenges in New Mexican society.

Economic and social conditions under Mexican rule were so bad that in 1837, the Pueblo people, genízaros, coyotes, and vecinos rebelled against the Mexican government. The rebels killed Albino Perez, who was the Governor of New Mexico, and all the Mexican troops in Santa Fe. They formed a new government and chose José Ángel González as governor. He was a genízaro with Taos Pueblo and Pawnee family history.

This revolt was often called the Chimayoso Revolt. It was named after the community of Chimayó in northern New Mexico. This was where José Ángel González and many other mixed-blood native peoples lived. The Chimayoso revolt was one of many rebellions against the Mexican government by native groups during this period. Another example was the Mayan revolt in the Yucatán.

See also

In Spanish: Genízaro para niños