Capitán Cristóbal de Torres

Communication to governor asking for removal of escort from Pueblo of Zuni

Fact: 15 NOV 1706

---

Cristóbal Tórres, a native of New México, gave his age as thirty in 1698, and forty-four or forty-five in 1710. His wife was Angela de Leyva, which can be found in his last will and the marriage records of his children. In 1698, he was Guadalupe del Paso.

He was married, a soldier, and by 1710 he was an Alférez amd resident of Alburquerque, New México. Several years later he established himself at Santa Cruz. In 1724, he was given a large grant near the "Old Pueblo" of Chama. He was accused, in 1726, of reporting to Juan Páez Hurtado the names of poor people who were trading illegally with non-Pueblo Natives.

He made his will in 1726, declaring his wife and the following children: Diego, Francisca, María, Josefa and Margarita. The following year, his widow made her own will in Chama, and named the same children.

His daughter Francisca married Felix Luján and was murdered by him in 1713. María married Antonio de Salazar in 1713. Josefa was the wife on man whose last name was Martín, and they had a son named Manuel Martín. Margarita became the wife of Bartolomé Trujillo.

~The Origins of New México Families, pg. 294

He served in the military in 1693 in El Paso del Norte, Nuevo Méjico. Nueva España. 287

Cristóbal Torres passed muster in 1681. Torres was on inactive-duty statatus with the El Paso presidial troops in 1700. He participated in the 1715 Apache campaign. In 1719, he was alcalde mayor of Santa Cruz. He recieved a land grant near Chama in 1724. On 9 Dec 1926, he made his will at San José de Chama. His wife, Angela Leyba made her will on 2 Mar 1727, San José de Chama.

~Royal Crown Restored, pg. 177

Cristóbal Tórres, on 16 Feb 1724 wrote a letter to Lieutenant-Governor Juan Paez Hurtado notifying him of the theft of horses of José Luján by the Ute Indians.

~The Spanish Archives of New México, Vol. 2, pg. 193

---

A career military soldier, Cristobal, a Sergeant in the Spanish Armada, had been in the serving the crown for ten years when he married Angela de Leyva at Guadalupe del Paso (current day Juarez, Mexico) in 1698 at the age of thirty. They both had lived in New Mexico before the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. By 1710 he was a Lieutanant and living in Albuquerque. There was no monetary payment for soldiers. Their payment was a few rations, clothing and shoes, and land. Being in the Albuquerque garrison he was given a land grant south of Albuquerque across the river from current day Pajarito and it extended east all the way to the mountain (which included part of what is now Kirtland AFB. He was already the grantee of another land grant near the Puebo of Sandia. A few years later he was promoted to Captain and was reassigned to the Santa Fe Persidio (Fort) and was a member of the Caballeros de Santiago (Knights of St. James). From there he was reassigned to Santa Cruz de la Canada in 1724, as Alcalde (Mayor) and War Captain. He was the authority figure for all the settlements that came under the Santa Cruz jurisdiction. He received another land grant near the "Pueblo Viejo" in Chama. (Chama back then is not the current day Chama near Tierra Amarilla). It was one of the largest land grants ever given to a military officer. On the east, it was bounded by the settlement of Medenales, and Piedra Lumbre on the west. On the south it was bounded by the "Sierra de las Grullas" (I believe that was the Jemez Mountains) and Ojo Caliente on the North. He was residing both at the Land grant which was named "El Paraje de San Jose de Chama," and Santa Cruz. In 1726 he was accused of having reported to General Juan Paez Hurtado the names of poor people who doing illegal trading nomadic Indians. On this same year he made his last will and testament naming his wife and children. He died that year from an accident and is burried inside the church in Santa Cruz. His wife died the following year and requested to be burried under ther the St. Francis altar in the same church. He still owned all three land grants at the time of his death and had served forty years in the military.

---

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Aug 22 2017, 16:42:33 UTC

  ---

https://sites.rootsweb.com/%7Enmscgs/SOCORRO/wga33.html#I8016

https://cybergata.com/roots/4635.htm#:~:text=Crist%C3%B3bal%20de%20...