Revolt of 1837 (New Mexico) facts for kids

The Revolt of 1837, also called the Chimayó Rebellion, was a major uprising in New Mexico. It happened against Albino Pérez, who was the Mexican governor at that time. People were unhappy with his leadership and new rules.

Why People Were Unhappy with Governor Pérez

Governor Pérez came to New Mexico from central Mexico in 1835. Many people, especially in the northern part of the territory, did not like him. They felt he was an "outsider" forced on them by President Santa Anna.

Their unhappiness grew when the Mexican government made a new constitution. This new plan made it easier to collect taxes and set strict rules for who could take part in politics. New Mexicans worried that Governor Pérez would make them pay new taxes and completely change their local government.

People also had other complaints:

• Pérez brought back Francisco Sarracino, a former official who had been suspended for misusing money.
• Pérez chose Ramón Abreu as a prefect, even though others thought they were better choices.
• Customs officials were cheating American traders on the Santa Fe Trail, and Pérez did not stop them.
• Men forced to serve in the militia against the Navajos and Apaches faced bad conditions and not enough food.
• Some people also disliked Pérez's wealth, as most New Mexicans were poor.

Rumors of huge new taxes spread, making people even more upset. The local assembly did not even include Pérez on their list of choices for the next governor.

The Spark of the Rebellion

The rebellion finally started in the summer of 1837. It began because of the mayor of Santa Cruz de la Cañada, Juan José Esquibel. Esquibel had taken money to let a relative out of jail. Governor Pérez ordered him to pay a fine and put his relative back in jail, but Esquibel refused.

Later, Esquibel supported two merchants against a man who said they owed him money. Ramón Abreu, Pérez's chosen prefect, suspended Esquibel and had him jailed. At the end of July, a crowd freed Esquibel from jail, and he quickly organized a rebellion.

The Revolt Begins

On August 1, rebels from northern New Mexican towns gathered at Santa Cruz de la Cañada, near Chimayó. They were joined by Indians from nearby pueblos. They called themselves the Cantón, which means "neighborhood" or "district."

On August 3, their twelve leaders, including Esquibel, made an important statement:

For God and the Nation and the Faith of Jesus Christ! The main things we are fighting for are:

1. To be with God and the Nation and the Faith of Jesus Christ.

2. To defend our country until we shed all our blood to win.

3. Not to accept the Department Plan (the new constitution).

4. Not to accept any new taxes.

5. Not to allow any trouble caused by those trying to create it.

God and the Nation! Camp Santa Cruz de la Cañada, August 3, 1837.

When Governor Pérez heard about the rebellion, he tried to gather a group of volunteer soldiers. But not many people wanted to join him. On August 9, Pérez marched towards Santa Cruz with his small group of troops. They met the rebels near San Ildefonso. Most of Pérez's men quickly left him and joined the rebels.

Pérez went back to Santa Fe with the few men who stayed loyal. He could not find safety in the capital. Pérez tried to escape the city at night, but a group of Santo Domingo Indians stopped him and killed him. About 20 other officials from Pérez's government were also killed.

That same day, the rebels entered Santa Fe. They put José Gonzales, a Genizaro man from Chimayo, in charge of the palace and made him the new governor.

At first, many people liked the rebel government. However, it soon made enemies by taking property from those who had been killed. The ruling group, called the junta popular, argued a lot and could not make decisions easily. Meanwhile, in Santa Cruz, the Cantón group continued to hold people and threaten them, acting outside of Gonzales's government.

The Counter-Revolt

In the town of Tomé in southern New Mexico, a priest named Francisco Antonio de Madariaga started to organize a counter-revolt. On September 8, he and other "citizens who love their country" created the "Plan of Tomé." This plan named former governor Manuel Armijo to lead their forces.

The 600-man army group in Santa Fe, which Gonzales had disbanded, reorganized and marched south to join Armijo. Armijo wrote to the Mexican authorities, explaining what was happening. Then he marched to Santa Fe. He faced little resistance. In fact, Gonzales, who had gone to Taos to visit his family, was arrested in Santa Fe on September 11, before Armijo arrived on the 14th. While in Santa Fe, Armijo wrote to Mexico again, asking for more troops to help him win and bring peace back.

Ending the Uprising

A former mayor of Taos, Pablo Montoya, led a Cantón force of reportedly 3000 men towards Santa Fe. Armijo had only about 1000 soldiers, but they were much better trained and equipped than the rebels. Armijo negotiated a peace treaty that was signed on September 21. The rebels gave up Juan José Esquibel and three other men from Santa Cruz to be charged. However, Gonzales was released, and the other rebels were forgiven. (Montoya was later executed for his part in the Taos Rebellion.)

In October, the rebellion started up again in Las Truchas, east of Santa Cruz. Armijo ordered the execution of Esquibel and the three other prisoners. But his officers delayed the executions, making Armijo angry. Armijo spent the next few months raising money to feed and pay his soldiers, who were close to rebelling themselves. In January 1838, Federal troops from Zacatecas and Chihuahua arrived. They came because Armijo had asked for them, and they brought his official appointment as governor.

On January 23, Armijo sent a final warning to the rebels in Truchas. The next day, when they did not surrender, he had his four prisoners executed. On January 27, he marched towards Santa Cruz. Gonzales and Antonio Vigil of Truchas were gathering their forces there to return to Santa Fe. The two armies met between Santa Cruz and Pojoaque. Armijo's forces, led by Lt. Col. Cayetano Justiniani, won the battle. Gonzales fled to Santa Cruz, where Armijo ordered his execution.

Armijo remained Governor of New Mexico through the Texan Santa Fe Expedition until 1844. He became governor again in 1845 until he left without a fight when New Mexico was taken over by the United States Army in 1846.