Antonio de Armijo

  Noted events in his life were:

• Web Reference: Armijo. ¹¹⁴⁴
On 23 March 1686 at Zacatecas, Antonio de Armijo identified himself as mestizo, age sixty ("de hedad de sessenta años Poco mas o menos"), and a vecino of Zacatecas, indicating he was born circa 1626. He provided this information as a witness for the prenuptial investigation in the proposed marriage of Francisco Moreno Cortés and Ana Macías, both mestizos. Antonio de Armijo stated he had known Moreno Cortés very well for more than twenty-five years in Zacatecas. He knew that Moreno Cortés was first married at Sombrerete with María de Santiago, mestiza, who was now deceased and buried in the parish church of Sombrerete. Armijo did not sign his testimony as he did not know how ("no firmo por no saver").

Six days later, on 29 March 1686, Antonio de Armijo was a witness for another prenuptial investigation and identified himself similarly as mestizo, age sixty ("de hedad de Sessenta años poco mas o menos"), again indicating he was born circa 1626. In addition, he gave his occupation as "maestre de zapatero" (master shoemaker) and said he was a vecino of Zacatecas. The prospective bride and groom were Antonia Ortiz and Juan de Frías, maestre de zapatero. Armijo declared he had known Juan de Frías for more than thirty years in Zacatecas, and had known Antonia Ortiz for twenty-five years. He further stated that Frías was a widower of Isabel de los Reyes, mestiza, who had died in Zacatecas fourteen years previously, more or less, and was buried in the parish church of Zacatecas.

Two years later, on 24 June 1688, Juan de Armijo was a witness for the prenuptial investigation of the proposed union of Juan Guerrero (español, natural de Zacatecas, hijo natural de Anna de Contreras) and María Pérez de Abascal (española, hija lejitima de Victorio Pérez de Abascal y María Álvarez). Juan de Armijo identified himself as mestizo, "oficial de sapatero" (occupation of shoemaker), vecino of Zacatecas, and age sixty, indicating he was born circa 1628.

What relationship there may have existed between Antonio de Armijo and Juan de Armijo is not known at this time. However, either one of these men could have been the father of José de Armijo who married Catalina Durán (ONMF: 136). The children of this couple settled in New Mexico in 1695, and were known to be mestizos.

Researcher: José Antonio Esquibel

Sources: Diligencia Matrimonial (DM), 23 March 1686, DM 29 March 1686, and DM 24 June 168, LDS microfilm #0283371 (Marriage Investigations, Sagrario, Zacatecas). For the mestizo designation of the Armijo family members in New Mexico, see John B. Colligan, The Juan Páez Hurtado Expedition of 1695: Fraud in Recruiting Colonists for New Mexico, (Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press: 1995), 40-41

Antonio married Damiana Violante.