Genízaro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genízaros (or Genizaros) was the name for detribalized Native Americans (Indians) from the 17th to 19th century in the Spanish colony of New Mexico and neighboring regions of the American southwest. Genízaros were usually women and children who had been captured in war by the Spanish or purchased from Indian tribes who had held them captive as slaves. To circumvent Spanish laws forbidding slavery, the purchaser (or rescuer) of a genízaro had the obligation to introduce them to Christianity and Spanish customs. Genízaros worked as indentured servants, shepherds, and laborers. They occupied the lowest rung of status-conscious Spanish society in New Mexico but slowly assimilated and intermarried into Spanish and later Mexican (1821-1846) and American (1846-present day) society. The descendants of genízaros are also called genízaros and the word has become a term of pride for the descendants of the original Indian captives and slaves.[1][2][3][4] In 1793, genízaros were estimated to have comprised up to one-third of the 29,041 people living under Spanish rule in New Mexico.[5][6]
From 1543, New Spain implemented a ban on indigenous slavery, except for those captured during wartime.[4] The restrictions of slavery also meant that genízaros were to be convicted and sentenced to servitude for a specific period, after which they earned freedom. They were even encouraged to become landowners through Spanish government land grants or join the regional militia.[7] In 1810, there was a growing movement to abolish slavery during Mexican independence,[8] and the practice of slavery began to lose favor in the Spanish Empire. The support for abolishing slavery increased after José María Morelos officially included it in the Sentimientos de la Nación of 1813. It became law after the Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America of the First Mexican Republic during the era of the centralist Republic. In 1837, Genízaros joined other citizen-soldiers of New Mexico during the Chimayó Rebellion to fight for New Mexico's secession from the centralist Republic of Mexico. The rebellion was led by José Gonzales, who was a genízaro.[9]
Genízaros settled in several New Mexican villages, such as Belén, Tomé, Valencia, Carnuel, Los Lentes, Las Trampas, Socorro, and San Miguel del Vado. Genízaros also lived in Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Atrisco, Santa Fe, Chimayó, Taos, Abiquiú, and Las Vegas, NM. Most genízaros were, or their ancestors had been, slaves of Indian tribes, particularly the Plains tribes who raided and enslaved members of tribes allied with the Spaniards, such as the Apaches.[10]
In 2007, genízaros and their contemporary descendants were recognized as indigenous people by the New Mexico Legislature.[11][12] During the early 21st century, they comprised much of the population of the South Valley of Albuquerque and significant portions of the population of northern New Mexico, including Española, Taos, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and southern Colorado.