Juan Bautista Vigil y Alarid (1792–1866) was acting

Governor of New Mexico , insignia = Seal of the Governor of New Mexico.svg , insigniasize = 110px , insigniacaption = Seal of the Governor , image = File:Michelle Lujan Grisham 2021.jpg , imagesize = 200px , alt = , incumbent = Michelle Lujan Grisham , inc ...

in 1846 during the period when the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

consolidated military rule over the former territory of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

following the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...

. As such, Alarid was the last Mexican governor of New Mexico.

Early career

Juan Bautista Vigil y Alarid was born in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...

in 1792, son of Domingo Vigil and María Francisca Alarid, both from military families. In 1808 he married Rafaela Sánchez in

Tomé, New Mexico Tome ( es, Tomé) is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. It is located in the Rio Grande valley near the foot of Tome Hill (El Cerro Tomé), a notable Catholic pilgrimage site. The v ...

. After the independence of Mexico from Spain in 1821, he became secretary of state to the first Mexican governor of New Mexico,

Francisco Javier Chávez Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

. He was to serve in various positions in the New Mexican government until the United States take-over. New Mexico was at first a province of the ''Estado interno del Norte'', with capital in

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

. In May 1824 Vigil was New Mexican deputy to the state congress in Chihuahua. As of 6 July 1824, New Mexico was made a separate territory, with

El Paso del Norte EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

(now called Ciudad Juárez) transferred from New Mexico to the State of Chihuahua, a move that Vigil opposed. In 1826 Vigil was appointed customs collector by the central government, in charge of regulating the trade with the United States via the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...

, a difficult position and one in which he came to blows with the trader

Charles Bent Charles Bent (November 11, 1799 – January 19, 1847) was an American businessman and politician who served as the first civilian United States governor of the New Mexico Territory, newly acquired by the Military Governor, Stephen Watts Kearny, ...

Acting governor

Vigil y Alarid was left in charge as acting Governor of New Mexico when his predecessor

Manuel Armijo Manuel Armijo (ca. 1793–1853) was a New Mexican soldier and statesman who served three times as governor of New Mexico. He was instrumental in putting down the Revolt of 1837, he led the force that captured the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, and ...

fled Santa Fe to escape the approaching U.S. troops under General

Stephen W. Kearny Stephen Watts Kearny (sometimes spelled Kearney) ( ) (August 30, 1794October 31, 1848) was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the United States Army. He is remembered for his significant contributions in the Mexican–American Wa ...

. On 19 August 1846 he accepted the defeat of New Mexico and pledged the loyalty of himself and his fellow citizens to the United States. In his speech he said, presumably reflecting the views of other leading citizens: In September 1846 Kearny appointed

as Vigil y Alarid's successor.

Later career

Vigil y Alarid moved south to Aldama, just north of Chihuahua city, some time before 1851. He was elected to the local council of Guadelupe on 10 February 1852. The head of the council was Father

Ramón Ortiz Ramón Diógenes Ortiz (born May 23, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Los Angele ...

, who was also the commissioner of repatriation for emigrants from New Mexico. He participated with Ortiz in organizing the festivities for Mexican Independence Day on 16 September 1852. However, Vigil testified against Ortiz during an investigation of his activities as emigrant commissioner the next year, that led to dismissal of Ortiz. After 1846, Alarid y Vigil fought for the rights of Mexicans by using the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to their advantage, until he considered that, in fact, his Mexican homeland "had died." After losing a political office in New Mexico, he ended up allying with Mexico again and defended the old loyalties. Little is known about Vigil's later life until his death in 1866.

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vigil-y-Alard, Juan Bautista 1792 births 1866 deaths Mexican governors of Santa Fe de Nuevo México 19th-century American politicians