Hidden History of Spanish New Mexico

Hidden History

by Ray John de Aragón

New Mexico's Spanish legacy has informed the cultural traditions of one of the last states to join the union for more than four hundred years, or before the alluring capital of Santa Fe was founded in 1610. The fame the region gained from artist Georgia O'Keefe, writers Lew Wallace and D.H. Lawrence and pistolero Billy the Kid has made New Mexico an international tourist destination. But the Spanish annals also have enriched the Land of Enchantment with the factual stories of a superhero knight, the greatest queen in history, a saintly gent whose coffin periodically rises from the depths of the earth and a mysterious ancient map. Join author Ray John de Arag�n as he reveals hidden treasure full of suspense and intrigue.

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2012

Reviews

[Pablo Wiedemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently went to New Mexico on a business trip from the UK. I was curious as to why some villages in the middle of nowhere look just like old villages in Spain (albeit without greenery). Even more curious how some communities continued to speak Spanish even though they were not Mexicans. Even more curious to see the wild horses of the original Spanish settlements.

This book has explained everything. First by giving a nice summary of the history of Spain (from which I learned a lot). Then gradually using this story to paint the atmosphere and picture of what the early settlers experienced and who they were. Interesting explanations of Indian relations. Interesting insights into the British and later US armies and how the Indians were treated much better by the Spaniards. As the New Mexican Spanish have never really been loyal to Mexico in the south, they have also been against the British takeover. Old maps show that New Mexico was very independent until very recently and more so than Texas or California. That New Mexico was formerly known as the Santa Fe region. Simply fantastic.

My advice is to study early Spanish history well and the rest becomes easier to read.

[Steven M. Roller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent superficial read of New Mexico history

Good brief overall share of the Hispanic culture and history of New Mexico. There were some tangents that played a bit too deeply into Spain and the influencers there prior to the late 1400s rather than giving deeper description and insight to Native culture and local New Mexican folklore.

[Cadence · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars. A bit rambling and disjointed. Interesting to know more of New Mexico's Spanish history but I felt like he'd barely scratch the surface about something before abruptly changing topics.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a resource for New Mexico history this had some interesting stories that made me want to research further, but I felt that it was disorganized and included random information not relevant to the scope of the book. The book is only 121 pages. 21 of those pages (yes, I counted) was on the history of Spain from 1700 BC through to the Spanish Queen Isabella who originally sent Columbus. 21 pages!! 17% of the book has nothing at all to do with the Hidden History of New Mexico! It's not hidden. It's not about New Mexico. A page, maybe two, certainly, bridging the gap between the political and religious culture that the original colonists from Spain grew up in and how it differed from the new world they were moving to would have been relevant, and enough. I'd rather have more information on the specific Native American tribes in the area, their history and beliefs and when and how the Spanish colonists arrived (the ones who traveled with Onate, how/when did they end up in Mexico in the first place? What were the names of the boats? What years?), more about the daily life of the colonists, etc., rather than the excess information about the history of Spain. In the Native American section, the author references Crazy Horse and Chief Joseph, who, while Native American, have nothing to do with New Mexico or New Mexican tribes, along with the stories of the rising coffin of Fray Francisco Juan de Padilla and the Inquisition of Dona Teresa de Aguilara y Roche. Both stories were very interesting, I enjoyed them, but I don't understand why they were included in the "Native American" chapter . The Billy the Kid story felt tacked on and wasn't fully fleshed out . . and there was no information about New Mexico from the Treaty of Guadalupe to the Battan Death March. It just jumped from one century to the next. There's nothing about how trains impacted New Mexico in the late 1800's, nothing on how southern New Mexico was developed, etc. Overall it was a good stepping stone into further research but I wouldn't recommend it as a primary source.

[Multimedia International · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth your time

Book jumps around from topic and time line. Couldn't finish . Questionable research, no footnotes or citations, a lot of myths .