Ruiz

The precise origins of the Ruiz family of northern New Mexico remain elusive for the interested researchers. The earliest Ruiz family of New Mexico was the Ruiz Cáceres clan, closely associated with the Luján family (ONMF: 62, 63, & 99). There is no indication that the Ruiz family of the mid-1700s is descended of the Ruiz Cáceres people. In fact, the Ruiz Cáceres surname disappears from New Mexico records in the early 1700s.

The next Ruiz family in New Mexico was that of Juan Ruiz Cordero (ONMF: 277), a native of Medina Sidonia in Andalucía, Spain. Ruiz Cordero came to New Mexico from Mexico City with his wife, María Nicolasa Carrillo Terrazas. This family settled in Santa Fe. Members of this family were more often known by the Cordero part of their surname. In fact, the only son of Juan Ruiz Cordero, Francisco Xavier Cordero, left Santa Fe to settle at El Paso, where his descendents went by the surname of Cordero (Esquibel and Colligan, SRNM). Thus, there is no evidence that the Ruiz Cordero family was in any way associated with the Ruiz clan of northern New Mexico.

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In the late 1700s there was a man named Antonio Ruiz Villegas (ONMF: 277) who became a resident of Albuquerque where he was married in 1785. There is no indication that this man ever settled in northern New Mexico, and he was married later than other Ruiz people of the Santa Cruz and Abiquiu areas.

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At Santa Cruz, New Mexico, 21 November 1717, Andrés Ruiz, a native of San Buenaventura de Casas Grandes and a soldier of the Presidio de San Felipe y Santiago de Janos, was married with Jacinta de Valencia, a native of El Paso del Norte and a daughter of Juan de Valencia (deceased) and Juana Madrid. Through the prenuptial investigation process, Andrés Ruiz identified himself as a son of Nicolás Ruiz and María Fontes. Apparently, this couple spent time between Santa Cruz and El Paso. On 2 October 1733, Andrés Ruiz was buried at the church of Santa Cruz, and was identified as a vecino del Paso (citizen of El Paso), married and age forty-eight to fifty. There are no baptismal records for any children of Andrés Ruiz and Juana de Valencia in the records of the church of Santa Cruz, and the records for El Paso have not been consulted for this study. As such, it is not certain if this couple left any descendants in northern New Mexico.

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Another early Ruiz family of Santa Cruz was that of Matías Ruiz and Sebastiana Salazar. Matías Ruiz was a native of the Janos Presidio, born circa 1705. He was married by 13 August 1725 when he was a witness for a prenuptial investigation and in which he gave his age and place of origin. Matías Ruiz and Sebastiana Salazar had at least three children:

Reymundo Ruiz, baptized 4 December 1733, Santa Cruz. Padrinos: Pedro Atencio y Estefanía Trujillo (also known as Moreno de Trujillo).

José Ruiz, español, born circa 1734. He was first married under the name Joseph Antonio Ruis at San Juan on 2 October 1759 with Teodora Sisneros, both vecinos of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad del Rio Arriba. This couple settled in the Abiquiu area, and had at least two daughters: María Gertrudis Ruiz, baptized 28 June 1767, Abiquiu; and María Reyes Ruiz, española, born 6 January 1770, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad del Río Arriba, baptized 12 January 1770, San Juan, and married 8 December 1782, Abiquiu with Ventura Martín, español of Santa Cruz, son of Pedro Martín, deceased, and Margarita de Luna. José Ruiz was married secondly in 1774 at Santa Cruz with María Josefa García de Noriega, born circa 1758, of San José de Chama daughter of Capitán Gregorio Anselmo García de Noriega and María Vigil.

María de la Concepción Ruiz, baptized 6 May 1735, Santa Cruz, died 26 September 1737, Santa Cruz.

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The one Ruiz family of northern New Mexico with known descendants living in New Mexico today was that of Antonio Ruiz, identified as Coyote, born circa 1760 (1790 census of the Plaza de San Rafael, Abiquiu jurisdiction), and whose precise origin is still unknown. As a Coyote, Antonio was very likley a son of a Spanish man and a Pueblo Indian woman. Antonio Ruiz was married with María Isidora Bustos, also known as María Isidora González, baptized 15 May 1757, San Juan, died 25 June 1800, San Juan, daughter of José Manuel González Bustos and Teresa Loreto Casillas. Antonio and María Isidora were residents of the Abiquiu jurisdiction living at the Plaza de Colorado and the Plaza de San Francisco (modern-day Ojo Caliente). This couple had six known children:

Juana Rafaela Ruiz, baptized 2 October 1779, San Juan.

Manuel Antonio Rafael Ruiz, baptized 26 December 1780, San Juan, died 20 February 1781, buried 21 February 1781, San Juan.

Casimiro Rafael Ruiz, baptized 4 March 1782, San Juan; married 1 April 1811, Abiquiu, with María Antonia Martín, baptized 12 April 1793, Abiquiu, daughter of José Antonio Martín and María de la Luz Sandoval. Known children of this couple were: María Manuela Ruiz, baptized 18 May 1823, Abiquiu; and José Vicente Ruiz, baptized 18 February 1826, Abiquiu.

José Miguel Ruiz, born 15 February 1784, baptized 19 February 1784, Abiquiu.

María Polonia Ruiz, born 10 April 1786, Plaza de Colorado, baptized 15 April 1786, Abiquiu.

Juan Cristóbal Ruiz, born 12 November 1788, baptized 14 November 1788, Abiquiu; married 7 December 1812, Abiquiu, to María Manuela Romero, daughter of Lorenzo Romero and Juana Gallegos. Known daughter: María Soledad Ruiz, born circa 1820, Abiquiu, burial 10 April 1891, Chaparito, San Miguel County; married 21 June 1841, Taos, with Miguel Antonio Esquibel, baptized 15 September 1812, San Juan, (2^nd great-grandfather of this researcher—José Antonio Esquibel), son of José Cipriano Esquibel and Bárbara Rafaela Quintana.

Researcher: José Antonio Esquibel

Sources: Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe (AASF), Diligencias Matrimoniales (DM 1717, Nov. 1, no. 4, El Paso del Norte; and DM 1774, no. 17, Santa Cruz); AASF: Roll #52, Abiquiu Baptisms, 1754-1777; Roll #2, Abiquiu Baptisms, 1777-1811 and 1821-1850; Roll #26, Abiquiu Marriages, 1777-1826; Roll #96, Chaperito Burials, 1885-1908; Roll #9, San Juan Baptisms, 1726-1820; Roll #29, San Juan Marriages, 1726-1776; Roll #37, San Juan Burials, 1726-1827; Roll 313, Santa Cruz Baptisms, 1731-1767; Roll #39, Santa Cruz Burials, 1726-1859; 1790 Census of Abiquiu in Virginia L. Olmsted, Spanish and Mexican Censuses of New Mexico, 1750-1830, New Mexico Genealogical Society, Albuquerque, 112; José Antonio Esquibel and John B. Colligan, The Spanish Resettlement of New Mexico: An Account of the Families Recruited at Mexico City in 1693, (Ruiz Cordero family section).