Two historic trails, near in their endpoints, yet completely different

Congratulations on the wonderful photo under last week’s headline, “Celebrating historic women of Taos.” Many of us have been wondering about the colorful mural on the south wall of the UNM–Taos Rio Grande Hall on Civic Plaza Drive, and the photo and story were most enlightening.

However, I would like to add a slight correction about Maria Rosa Villalpando, the second woman from the left in the mural. The photo caption states that she was “… one of the historic women of the Santa Fe Trail.” Actually, Villalpando was an historic woman of the Old Spanish Trail (OST).

The Santa Fe Trail was extensively used for commerce between Missouri and Santa Fe from 1821 to 1880. In contrast, the Old Spanish Trail, also a trade network, overlaid ancient American Indian trails and linked New Mexico to California from 1829 to 1848. The threads of the Old Spanish Trail spin like spiderwebs across six states, with Taos as the northern point of origin.

Maria Rosa Villalpando’s family lived on an estancia in or near Taos, and this is where her story begins. It rivals that of any of the great heroines of history. In 1844, Josiah Gregg mistakenly wrote in “Commerce of the Prairies” that her father, a Spanish settler, promised her to a Comanche chief in the hope of gaining a peaceful relationship. When Maria refused the hand of her intended, a Comanche war party destroyed the rancho and took Maria captive. This part of the story is true: Maria was captured by Comanches in 1760 after an attack on the Villalpando estancia in Taos. Unfortunately, the exact location of this estancia has never been found.

Further details of Maria’s story can be found in the New Mexico Historical Review (April 1990) by Jack B. Tykal. In this article, Tykal cites Maria Rosa’s testimony in her marriage contract of 1770, saying “she was the widow of Jean Joseph Jacques, ‘killed by Laitanes’ (Comanches) about ten years previously.” Maria and her first husband, Joseph Xaques (Jacques) settled in the

Canada of the Rio Don Fernando. In 1760, Bishop Pedro Tamaron visited them, reporting that they were one of the 12 families that had built homes around the Rosalio (Maria’s father) Villalpando hacienda. He noted that he stopped at “the large house of a wealthy Taos Indian, very civilized and well-to-do. The said house is well walled in with arms and towers for defense.” The Villalpando hacienda had four torreons (towers) for defense, needed for sporadic raids after the Taos trade fairs.

Unfortunately, in the summer of 1760, the Taos Indians entertained some Comanche visitors with a scalp dance, using Comanche scalps. This unfortunate choice threw fuel on the fire, and Comanche tribal honor demanded retaliation. On Aug. 4, 1760, three thousand Comanche warriors descended on Taos Valley, intent on destroying the pueblo and all nearby estancias. All 64 male defenders, including Juan Jose (Jean Joseph) Xaques, were killed, while Maria Rosa and 55 women and children were carried into captivity. Fortunately, Maria’s son, Joseph Julian Jacques, survived the attack.

Maria Rosa lived 10 years as a captive, bearing another son, Antoine Xavier, to her Comanche “husband.” She was later traded to the Pawnee (one captive was worth 16 guns). She was found in 1764 by the 23-yearold French trader, Jean Sale dit Lajoie. They lived together in the Pawnee village for several years. In addition to Antoine Xavier, Maria Rosa and Sale now had a son, Lambert, almost two years old.

In 1770, they moved to the French trading post of St. Louis, where they legitimized their marriage on July 3. At the time, Jean was 29 years old, and Marie Rose was at least 44. Together, she and Sale had three other children, including twins. For some reason, Jean Sale returned to France in 1792 after 22 years of marriage, taking Lambert with him. Marie’s older son, Antoine Xavier Leroux, returned to Taos in 1824 and married into the Vigil family. Marie Rose, born in 1725, stayed in St. Louis until her death on July 27, 1830, when she was 104.