José Antonio Chaves (or Chávez) was ''gefe político'' or Governor of the territory of

Santa Fe de Nuevo México Santa Fe de Nuevo México (; shortened as Nuevo México or Nuevo Méjico, and translated as New Mexico in English) was a province of the Spanish Empire and New Spain, and later a territory of independent Mexico. The first capital was San Juan d ...

(New Mexico) from September 1829 until 1832.

Family

José Antonio Chaves was a descendant of don Pedro Durán de Chávez, a conquistador from the

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

province of Spain. Other prominent members of the Chávez family in New Mexico were Governors

Francisco Xavier Chávez Francisco Xavier Chávez (sometimes spelt as Francisco Xavier Chaves) was a Mexican landowner and merchant who was the second ''jefe político'' (equivalent to governor) of the territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México after Mexico gained its indep ...

(1822–23) and his son Mariano Chaves (1833–34), and don Mariano's son Colonel José Francisco Chaves, a delegate to the United States Congress for three terms, starting in 1865, and after whom

Chaves County, New Mexico Chaves County is a county in New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,157. Its county seat is Roswell. Chaves County was named for Colonel Jose Francisco Chaves, a military leader there during the Civil War and ...

is named.

Political career

Chaves was New Mexican deputy to the Congress in Mexico City for the 1827-1828 term. The Guerrero government appointed him governor of New Mexico in March 1829. He took office as ''gefe político'' or Governor in September 1829, holding office until 1832. In October 1843, as a step to reestablishing constitutional government, elections were held in New Mexico. José Antonio Chaves was chosen as one of the electors who chose a representative to Congress from New Mexico and chose the members of the first departmental assembly. Chaes was among the assembly members.

Governor of New Mexico

In November 1829 Chaves dispatched an expedition of 60 men led by

Antonio Armijo Antonio Mariano Armijo (1804–1850) was a Spanish explorer and merchant who is famous for leading the first commercial caravan party between Abiquiú, Nuevo México and San Gabriel Mission, Alta California in 1829–1830. His route, the southe ...

to discover a route to the

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

. In May 1830 they had returned and Chaves was able to send the expedition's diary to Mexico City, pointing out that the route was not as long as had been thought and could be commercially valuable. These discoveries, and notes from the governor's office, led to the publishing of the route on maps ultimately leading to the establishment of permanent settlements in the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan St ...

, today southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. In 1830 Chaves complained to the ''ayuntamiento'' (council) of Santa Fe that although the material had been provided, they had still not constructed a cemetery. The council retorted that in a republic they could not force anyone to do the work, and had been unable to contract any bricklayers.

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaves, Jose Antonio Mexican governors of Santa Fe de Nuevo México