Gilbert Maldonado - MALDONADO JOURNEY to the KINGDOM of NEW MEXICO: Volume One

MALDONADO JOURNEY

to the

KINGDOM

of

NEW MEXICO

Volume One

Gilbert Maldonado

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Copyright 2014 Gilbert Maldonado.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Cover photo by Susie G. Maldonado, May 30, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4907-2250-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4907-2249-8 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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CONTENTS

The Maldonado coat of arms illustrated on the cover is the facade of the Maldonado Castle, also known as the Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells), a historical building in Salamanca, Spain. This photo shows the Maldonado coat of arms displayed over the front door to the castle, which currently houses a public library. Salamanca became the seat of the Maldonado family following the creation of the family name, from around the third generation (circa 1324), if not from the begin ning.

The Maldonado Castle was built from 1493 to 1517 by Rodrigo Arias de Maldonado, knight of the Order of Santiago de Compostela, and a professor at the University of Salamanca. Its most interesting feature is the facade, mixing late Gothic and Plateresque style, decorated with more than three hundred shells, symbol of the Order of Santiago. Each shell signifies one pilgrimage along the Way of St. James by the Maldonado family. Pilgrims brought seashells to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (where the apostle James is said to be buried) for absolution of their sins, and to indicate they had traveled a great distance, such as from the sea.

The entrance portal has the coat of arms of the Maldonado family over the door, while in the architrave are dolphins, a Renaissance symbol of love, and vegetables. In the facade are also the coat of arms of the Catholic monarchs and four windows in Gothic style, each one having a different shape. The inner court is characterized, in the lower floor, by arches supported by square pilasters, while in the upper ones they are supported by shorter columns in Carrara m arble.

The Maldonado coat of arms also appears on the walls, around the windows, and on the other architectural features inside the castle. It features five fleurs-de-lis supported by angels, lions, and other creatures, and is sometimes circled with laurel. The Spanish description is De gules, con cinco flores-de-lis de oro, puestas en sotuer (On a field of red, five gold lilies, placed like an X).

Red was chosen to show the charity, daring nature, magnanimity, and fervor of the Maldonados, who were pledged to help the oppressed. Gold symbolizes their sense of justice, mercy, purity, seriousness in duty, constancy in danger, and commitment to help the poor and defend the kingdom. The lilies, which give off a sweet aroma when crushed, were signs of generosity in the face of injury and in sult.

Mal donado

Journey to the Kingdom of New M exico

Volu me One

____________ ______

Compiled and Pub lished

by

Gilbert T. Mal donado

Manager, National Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action P rogram

T itle I

R etired

If we knew what we were doing, it wouldnt be called rese arch.

Albert Ei nstein

A work such as this is rarely the product of one person. While the end result is mine, it owes its existence to the building blocks of many people, among whom are numerous historians and genealogists from New M exico.

First and foremost, thanks go to our ancestors who risked their lives to come to the ends of the earth to escape the Spanish Inquisition in search of freedom and prosperity for their descendants. Their careful preservation of the record made it possible for me to participate in the discovery of such a grand ancestry. Bringing together the records of this family has been a labor of love, and I hope this volume meets with a kind reception among those for whom it has been especially prep ared.

While absolute perfection is admirable, I thought it best to publish this pioneer genealogy at this time, hoping to disseminate available information and stimulate inquiry about our ancestry, so that we may be bound closer together as one great family, whether by the name of Maldonado or othe rwise.

The search for this ancestry has largely increased my respect and admiration for this family, and I believe that it compares favorably with the genealogies of other Spanish colonial families of New Mexico whose genealogical records have been carefully preserved in the Spanish Archives of Santa Fe. From the Old Testament, the Lord beseeches us to do all we can to perfect and preserve our own. In the language of Job 8:8, For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fat hers.

Thanks go to all of those who contributed records and information, which includes hundreds of persons at present and throughout the ages.

Special thanks go to Robert Beto Baldonado Isaac, a cousin many times over, who initiated the search for our family and provided critical and voluminous research. His research helped to connect the dots between the Montao and Maldonado names, proving they were the same family and, thus, opening the door to finding our other ancestors. Beto was the first to untangle the tangled web of our name by discovering that Jos Montao was actually Jos Maldonado, my fourth great-grandfather. Jos Maldonado and his wife, Mara Dolores Benavides, connected us to the 1598 founders of the Kingdom of New Mexico, who came under the leadership of don Juan de Oate. The ancestry of these conquistadors took us to places beyond the sea.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Fray Anglico Chvez, another cousin many times over, for researching and writing Origins of New Mexico Families: A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period, Revised Edition, which included Juan Antonio Montao de Sotomayor and his family among many of our other ancestors. Juan Antonios son, Juan Antonio Montao Maldonado, was the first in the family to go by the name Maldonado exclusively in the Kingdom of New Mexico. His descendants are found throughout New Mexico, as well as in most of the remaining United States and distant lands.

Many thanks go to my niece Laura Annette Galvn Lucero for taking charge of the photography and helping her aunt Susie Maldonado take the photog raphs.

Thanks go to Jos Antonio Esquibel for making available his website Beyond Origins of New Mexico Families , from which I gained valuable inform ation.

Thanks go to the board of directors of the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico, past and present, for their contributions to New Mexico genealogy: Ronaldo Miera, President, Gilbert Maldonado, First Vice President, Jill Montoya, Second Vice President, Francisco Sisneros, Third Vice President, Victoria Candelaria, Correspondence Secretary, Dorothy Chvez Wiskup, Recording Secretary, P. Robert Garca, Treasurer, John Pea and Marlin Aker, Members at Large, Ernestino Tafoya, former treasurer, and Gloria Snchez, former correspondence secr etary.