Alonso García

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ²⁸⁷
Alonso García first came to New Mexico around 1650, and later returned to New Mexico in 1693 along with Diego de Vargas.

When the Pueblo Revolt came in 1680 he was in charge of the flight of the people of Río Abajo. From Santa Fé, Governor Otermín sent orders for García to send aid in the way of horses and men but the orders never reached García. Even if the orders had reached him he was poorly equipped to send help north as he and his sons had been dashing up and down the valley and over to Jemez rescuing fleeing colonists from rampaging Indians in revolt. He had gathered as many people as he could find at Isleta for a few days and then when the Indians sent word that all settlers to the north were already dead, he evacuated to the south. Finally word from Otermín reached him that Otermín was on his way down the Río del Norte behind him so he sent out an escort of 6 soldiers to meet the angry Governor and his party. García was prepared with 13 folios to document what had been happening. A review of the documents determined that he had acted in a superior and often heroic manner and if not for his action, many more settlers would have perished. The following year he still had his titles showing that he had been exonerated. In 1681 he pasted muster reporting that he was ready to return to Nuevo México.

Royal Crown Restored, p. 46
Herencia, Volume 9 Issue 4 October 2001, Garcia de Noriega Family by Geraldine Anna Ortiz LaPierre (pages 21-22)

• Background Information. ²⁵²
Alonso García (without the "Noriega") came to New Mexico in the middle of the century from the City of Zacatecas, his birthplace. In 1660 he gave his age as thirty-three; he owned the Estáncia de San Antonio in Río Abajo, twenty leagues from Santa Fé.

By 1667, he was a Capitán; his wife was Teresa Várela. He was the Lieutenant General of the Rio Abajo area, and holding the rank of Maestre de Campo, when the Indians rebelled in 1680, and as such was held responsible for the flight of the Rio Abajo people without going to the aid of the colonists in Santa Fé. For this reason, he underwent a court-martial by Governor Otermín. He was also Alcalde of Sandía at this period. In the following year, he still held his old titles, showing that he had exonerated himself. Ill in bed in 1681, he was ready to return for the reconquest of New Mexico; he was described then as being fifty-four years old and being a native of Zacatecas, having a good physique, partly grey hair, protruding eyes and an aqualine face. A married man, he had a large family of children and sons-in-law. In 1682 he deposed that he had three sons and two sons-in-law bearing arms.

One of his sons, Lazaró, had been killed by the Indians in 1680. The others were: Alonso II, Juan, and most likely, Tomás. Of his two known daughters, Juana was married to Antonio Dominguéz de Mendoza, and Joséfa later became the wife of Alonso Rael de Aguilár. These children added "de Noriega" to their family name, derived most likely from their father's parents or grandparents.

~The Origins of New México Families, pp. 33-34

• Pueblo Revolt, 1680 Muster Roll. ^480,481
Maestre de Campo Alonso García, 54, was Lieutenant General (Governor) of the Kingdom of New Mexico under Otermín. At the time of the rebellion, García was living in the Rio Abajo area governing the southern portion of New Mexico, as was traditional for the lieutenant governors of that period. His withdrawal from Isleta with the southern colonists, without waiting for those of the north, drew censure from Otermín, but formal charges, if not bitter recriminations, were dropped when García proved they all thought all in the Santa Fé area were dead, and that his officers had voted unanimously for retreat.

~SW Historical Quarterly, Vol 16, #2

The maestre de campo Alonso García, lieutenant of government and war, and captain general of the jurisdictions of Rio Abajo, passed muster with eighty horses and five mules, all of the latter lean, suffering from lock-jaw, and worn out by service. He has three sons, two sons-in-law, all with their personal arms. They are supplied by the lieutenant-general. Two sons and his two sons-in-law are married and have twelve persons in their families, twenty-two servants, and another young man capable of bearing arms. He carries a royal arquebuse and has been robbed by the enemy. Signed by Alonso García

~SW Historical Quarterly, Vol. 16 #3

• Census: Diego de Vargas Spanish, 22 Dec 1692-2 Jan 1693, El Paso del Norte, Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España. ²⁸⁷
In Vargas's El Paso census, his family is listed as household thirty-eight.

Mre. de campo Alonso García, married to doña Teresa Varela. He states that he has twelve dependents: Juana, twenty; Bernardino and his wife, named Josefa; Cristóbal; Francisca; Magdalena Catalina; María; another María; Juan; Antonio; and Catalina. He states that, as his majesty's loyal vassal, he is ready to enter to settle this kingdom of New México, but is without the means to bring his family along. Whether on foot or on horseback, he is quite ready to do it. I, the governor and captain general, told him that I would aid him with what I could for this purpose.

~T he Royal Crown Restored, p. 46

• Land. ⁵⁰⁹
Alonso García, Lieutenant General of the Río Abajo at the time of the Pueblo Revolt, had a hacienda that was on the west bank of the Río Grande across from the estancia of doña Lucía de Trujillo, which was in the area where old Alburquerque was located.

~Aqui se Comeienza, p. 231

Alonso married Teresa Varela de Losada, daughter of Pedro Varela de Losada and Ana Ortiz Olguín, about 1648 in Zacatecas, Nueva Galicia, Nueva España.⁵⁰⁹ (Teresa Varela de Losada was born about 1636 in Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España.)