Bernardo Pascual Joaquin de Miera y Pacheco

GEDCOM Note

Bernardo was born of two prominent military families in the Valle de Carriedo of Spain. Miera y Pacheco rose to the rank of captain in the Cavalry of Cantabria and came to the new world in 1743. He spend the next 13 years in el Paso, where he participated in several campaigns against the Apaches and their allies. (Micaela Seidel)

Don Bernardo Miera Y Pacheco was not only a War Captain, he was a cartographer and santero. He prepared on of the first official maps of New Mexico. By the time he came into the service of Governor Marin del Valle, he had already mapped much of the lower Rio Grande and conchas River. His santos still exist today. One of his santos of San Miguel is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Another of San Jose is at the New Mexico Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe. (Ronald Antonio Miera)

Bernardo arrived in Santa Fe as early as 1756, when he was Alcalde Mayor of Galisteo and Pecos. He arrived in El Paso in 1743 then moved to Santa Fe. Bernardo was also made war Captain of Pecos and Galisteo. He accompanied Fathers Dominguez and Velez Escalante as guard commander and explorer of their famous tour of explorations, from which noteworthy maps from his hand came into being, including a detailed map of New Mexico in 1779. [MIERA_TREE1.FTW]

Their (Father dominquez and Escalante) goal had been, of course, to find a route to California from Sante Fe. So why were they way up in western Colorado? Because they were trying to avoid the hostel Apache and Hopi Indians in Arizona. Dominques and Escalante went north into Colorado and then cut over West after getting out of the San Juan mountains. They supposedly completed their journey without firing a shot (they were Franciscan priests) and had a few Ute Indian guides. They never made it to California, having left Sante Fe on July 29, 1776 and returning on to Sante Fe January 2, 1777. Another man profited from the trip very much: the cartographer Don Bernado Miera y Pachero, retired captain of the Sante Fe army. During the journey, he prepared a map of the four corners area for Charles III of Spain.

Founders: born in Valle de Carriedo of the Mountains of Burgos in Spain. Son of Don Luis de Miera and Isabel Ana Pacheco, Captain of Cavalry of Cantabria. Married Estefania Dominguez de Mendoza. In 1744 he came from Chihuahua to El Paso with his family, then moved to Santa Fe. In 1756 he was Alcalde Mayor of Galisteo and Pecos. He attempted to recast the ordnance piece at Santa Fe but failed (?). He carved a wooden statue of St. Philip, the Apostle, now on the high altar at San Felipe Pueblo. He accompanied Dominguez and Escalante on their expedition. He made several maps including one of New Mexico in 1771. On Feb 9, 1768 with Pedro Padilla of San Andres de los Padillas - granted an unsettled piece of land adjoining the tract of Salvador Jaramillo and Antonia Baca; bounded on the west by the mai Cebolleta Mtsn, on the east the toad from Zia to Laguna which is the Rio Puerco grant, on the north Salvador Jaramillo and Antonio Baca and the Arroyo Salado and on the south a canyon where some Apaches lived, called Canada de los Alamos, and on the west the Paraje de Cebolleta, the hamlet of some half-breed Navajo Apaches.

Several maps still exist: One of San Miguel is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. San Jose is at the NM Museum of INternational Folk Art in Santa Fe. Two books about the Escalante expedition: Pageant in the Wilderness: Herbert E. Bolton, and Without Noise of Arms: Walter Briggs - covered more territory than Lewis and Clark or Daniel Boone.

Origins of NM Families: Bernardo Miera & Pacheco, a Captain of the Cavalry of Cantabria, was a native of the Valle de Carriedo of the mountains of Burgos in Spain. His father was Don Luis de Miera who served under the Conde de Aguilar in the Army of Philip V. His mother was Isabel Ana Pacheco. He arrived at El Paso del Norte in 1743, where he first resided and participated in 5 campaigns. From there he moved to Santa Fe with his family at the beiginning of Governor del Valle's term. Blue Eyes, White Rose Color, 5' tall.