Miguel José Laso de la Vega Vique y Coco

   Another name for Miguel was Miguel Vega y Coca.

  General Notes:

"The Vega y Coca Family of Mexico City," NMG, Vol. 55, #1, p. 12 ¹⁵⁰⁴

  Noted events in his life were:

• Census: Fray Francisco Farfán, 7 Sep 1693, Ciudád de Méjico, Nueva España. ²⁸⁷
On 1 Sep 1693, this family recieved from the hand of the lord treasure, don José de Urrutia, 300 pesos, which the superior government orders them to be given as financial assistance in order to supply themselves with what is necessary for the trip.

Miguel de la Vega y Coca, son of Christobal de la Vega, native of México City, sixteen, sound body, aquiline face, fair, small eyes.

Royal Colony Restored, p. 280

• Background Information. ²⁵²
Miguel de la Vega y Coca, the son of Cristóbal de la Vega was born in México City. He came to New México with the colonists of 1693.

With him came his wife, Manuela de Medina, Manuela's mother, Josefa de Cabrera, the widow of Alonso Mediana. Her other daughter was the wife of José Luis Valdes.

Miguel's young wife died soon after their arrival because he remarried, in 1699, while residing at Santa Cruz de la Cañada, María Montoya.

From 1727 to 1731, he was Alcalde Mayor of Taos and Picuris. His second wife died in Santa Fé, where they later resided, on August 22, 1750.

All of his children in his second marriage were girls. Feliciana, married Don Bernardo de Bustamante y Tagle. Francisca married Manuel Tenorio de Alba. Apolonia married Antonio Baca. Leonarda married Toribio Alejandro Ortiz in 1735. Isabel was married to Miguel de Alire in 1728. Marcelina Antonia married Manuel Ortiz in 1735. Margarita, a possible daughter, married Juan Tenorio de Alba.

~The Origin of New México Families, p. 307

• Background Information. ²⁴⁷
Capitán Miguel José laso de la Vega Vique y Coca came to New México as a young man about the age sixteen years old. He needed to be married in order to join Fray Farfán's goup of colonists. An arranged married with the daughter of one of the families followed. His first wife was to a young woman about his own age named María Manuela de Medina. They were married on 19 Jul 1693 by fray Farfán with Captain Critóbal de Velasco and fray Augustín de Coca as official witnesses.

Once in Santa Fé they set up residence, and by May 1697 María Manuela de Medina died. Two years later, Miguel was living in Santa Cruz de la Cañada and married doña María Montoya, a native of New México and the daughter of Antonio Montoya and María Hurtado. The pair moved to Santa Fé and raised eight daughters.

In 1708, Miguel stated that he was twenty-two years old while he was a witness for a prenuptial investigation. On 9 Apr 1714 he was given one share of the six shares of mine owned by Capitán Sebastían de Vargas. He probably never worked the mine since he made his livelihood by ranching and civil positions.

Miguel served as a soldier in the Santa Fé. In 1715 he held the rank of Alférez during a campaign against the Apaches. On 1724, he gave testimony concerning the Pedro de Villasur expedition. At the time he declared he was a resident of Santa Fé, had lived in New México for thirty years and gave his age as fifty-four.

Miguel served in important civil positions as well as military. In 1725 he was elected as Alcalde of Santa Fé. From 1727 until about 1731, Miguel and his wife lived in the Taos area where Miguel served two terms as Alcalde Mayor of Taos and Picuris.

~The Spanish Recolonization of New México, pp. 393-394

Miguel married María Montoya, daughter of Antonio de Montoya and Maria Hurtado de Salas, on 13 Apr 1699 in Santa Fé, Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España. ²⁵²(María Montoya was born about 1681 in Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España and died on 22 Aug 1750 in Santa Fé, Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España.)