Pilar (formerly Cieneguilla) is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Taos County
Taos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,937. Its county seat is Taos. The county was formed in 1852 as one of the original nine counties in New Mexico Territory.
Taos County compris ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
, United States. It is located on the
Rio Grande.
Etymology
The original name of Cieneguilla is derived from the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
word "ciénaga", which means "marsh" or "marshy place". The swampy ground is caused by several streams running across a small flood plain formed by a bend in the
Rio Grande. Because the area featured a flat plain with a constant source of water, it was long frequented by the
Jicarilla Apache. The village's modern name of Pilar was adopted after its post office was incorporated in 1918. One story suggests that the name came from the daughter of the office's first postmaster, who was named for the
Nuestra Señora del Pilar apparition of the Virgin Mary, which appeared on an old Roman pillar in
Zaragoza, Spain
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
. Another more commonly cited story suggests that the name was given to the post office in honor of an influential Native American (Hispanic-Ute) male who lived in the area by the name of José Pilar Vigil.
History
In 1694, the Spaniard
Diego de Vargas
Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras (1643–1704), commonly known as Don Diego de Vargas, was a Spanish Governor of the New Spain territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, to the US states of New Mexico and Arizona, titular ...
burned the
Apache village in the process of his re-conquest of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
following the expulsion of the Spanish during the
Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
In February 1793 the region was taken possession of by 20 persons who had received it as a land grant (
Cieneguilla Grant) from the
King of Spain Charles IV through his
military governor in New Mexico, Don
Fernando Chacón.
[Pearce, T,M, editor, ''New Mexico Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary'', The University of New Mexico Press, 1965.]
On March 30, 1854, the
Battle of Cieneguilla between the Jicarilla Apache fighters and the
U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment was fought in the hills several miles from the town.
Notes
Unincorporated communities in Taos County, New Mexico
Unincorporated communities in New Mexico
{{NewMexico-geo-stub