Marriages: 1726 to 1855
                Albuquerque Marriages, 16 June 1726 to 16 Jan 1855. From AASF Roll #26.
                             NMGS Press Item #C11, 2005. 271 pages, $35.00.
                                    Introduction by John W. Grassham

Four separate name indexes:
1) Grooms and Deceased Husbands,
2) Brides and Deceased Wives,
3) Parents, and
4) Godparents and Others.

Plus: An explanation of abbreviations, terms and phrases found in the marriage records.

Introduction
by John W. Grassham, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 8 November 2000.

In the spring of 1706, a small church on the western side of the plaza was constructed in the recently created Villa de Alburquerque. The villa was located some sixty miles south of Santa Fe, the New Mexico provincial capital of New Spain. The villa was named in tribute to the current Spanish viceroy in Mexico City, Don Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva Enriques, Duke of Alburquerque. The interim Governor of New Mexico, Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, informed the Duke of Alburquerque that, as set forth by Spanish law, all the legal requirements in creating a municipality in New Spain had been followed. Also integrated in the law was that land be set aside for a place of worship. Inhabitants of the new villa and within the Rio Abajo region were in high spirits anticipating their own parish church. The Franciscan Order led the faithful as it played a significant role in the daily lives of the people of New Mexico.

Prior to the Revolt of 1680 and then after 1692, many families lived in the area but without the full benefit of their own parish church. For spiritual guidance, they would have to depend on the Bernalillo parish, which was established before 1700. It was clearly realized that a formal villa was needed to deal with both government and religious needs, but it was not until Governor Cuervo y Valdez moved the concept forward that the parish came to be a reality.

The church was substantial enough for the needs of the parish that numbered around several hundred. The two-panel front door of the new sanctuary opened to the east allowing for both ventilation and easy access to the structure. Just above the door was a small window sending a beam of light into the choir loft. Creating an unembellished entrance, the front parapet rose up in a single arch allowing for an opening for two small bells to be hung. The bells that adorned San Felipe Neri came to them as part of the original inventory and were considered gifts from the King. The altar screen, also from New Spain, consisted of two sections each with three painted images of saints on each side. Originally, the church's patron saint was Saint Francis Xavier but he was later replaced with San Felipe Neri in honor of King Philip. The screen was done with artistic skill and gave the church a sense of magnitude above the altar. Some seventy years later when Frey Dominguez visited the church in 1776, he found the church's inventory to be old and worn. Still, San Felipe Neri served the faithful and played an important role in the spiritual well-being of the congregation. Franciscan priests were the religious authority throughout New Mexico, leading the faithful through 1802.

During the formative years, few people lived directly within the Villa de Alburquerque. Many local residents found it more productive to live in the outlying areas where they could farm and tend their sheep. The people who acknowledged that the villa was their official residence only lived there on Sundays to attend mass. Eventually, local residents moved into the villa. Nomadic Indian raids, famines and plagues clobbered many families, so Spanish law determined that they live within the confines of the villa. They found refuge in Alburquerque and in the company of others. San Felipe Neri continued to furnish its parishioners with spiritual guidance and assist them through the trials and tribulations of frontier life. Death frequently brought them together and less often a marriage or the birth of a child. During these difficult times the traditions of the church and their faith held them together.

San Felipe Neri clergy were often called upon to mediate quarrels and to bring peace to the community when disputes erupted. In as number of instances, parish priests, in an attempt to improve relations with some of the pueblo people, acted as intermediaries between government officials and native leaders. The clergy were regarded with high esteem and were looked up to by the government for such important interventions. They also tried to have the Spanish law enforced with regard to the Indians and any others who were in the area. This type of peace making assistance was carried on throughout the Spanish Period.

By 1790, with the nomadic Indian problems contained for the most part, Alburquerque thrived. The flux of new families moving into New Mexico from the interior altered the Villa de Alburquerque, making it a thriving community. By the early 19th century, the villa tally through the census showed an ever-growing population; but it had not always been so. Just ten years earlier in 1780, an outbreak of small pox caused many deaths and placed a terrible burden on the local officials to find a way to deal with the problem. As the town grew, problems with the church structure surfaced. The nearly ninety-year-old church was clearly in need of repair or total restoration. In 1792, church leaders decided that a new place of worship was deemed necessary and that it should be located to the north side of the plaza.

With a clear vision towards future growth, this new site allowed for a larger structure with future additions possible. Its fortress-like exterior with two towers on the front gave way to a large nave, narrow, but with a typical long profile in the interior. The monumental ceiling height brought a sense of awe and a peacefulness to the space. Its design followed other New Mexican churches with a cruciform outline: a single nave and two transepts forming the outline of a cross. The rectory on the east was built to house the priest and the small staff that handled the daily business of a growing parish.

Into the 19th century San Felipe continued to play a vital role in the lives of the Alburquerque parishioners; but by 1850, the community began to change drastically. The United States took control of the region and New Mexico was now a territory of the United States. A few years later the Archdiocese of Santa Fe was created, and an archbishop was appointed to lead the Roman Catholic Church in the region. Once dominated by Durango, Mexico, the diocese was now led by a French archbishop. In 1868, the Jesuits assumed renovation of San Felipe Neri, changing it from the regional architecture to an imitation Gothic design. By the 1890s the church added Victorian wooden towers, a wooden floor, and a stamped metal ceiling. A convent was added and was administered by the Sisters of Charity, who brought formal education to Albuquerque.

Through the following years and into the 20th century few changes were experienced. In the later 1940s the area became known as Old Town with few residents, but still the parish was maintained as a viable parish. Today, San Felipe de Neri Church, as it has become known, moves into the 21st century. It carries on the traditions of the past and thrives as a vibrant part of Albuquerque life. It is still an active parish following the time honored spiritual administration to the faithful just as it has for the past nearly 300 years.

(Used with permission)