Tesuque Village
HISTORY
The name '' Tesuque'' is a Spanish version of the Tewa Indian '~at' unge' onwi" which means, "cottonwood place.” Tesuque Village was historically part of Tesuque Pueblo which dates back at least to 900 AD. Historically, Tesuque Pueblo is noted for its exceptional pottery and for launching the initial offensive against the Spanish Colonists in 1680, which temporarily expelled the conquerors from the region.
The first of Hispanic settlement in the Rio Tesuque area occurred in 1732 after the De Vargas 'Reconquest' of 1692. In 1732, Antonia Montoya sold Juan de Benavides a piece of land containing much of what is now T esuque. EI Rancho Benavides extended from what is now the southern boundary of Tesuque Pueblo to the junction of the Big and Little Tesuque rivers between the mountain ridges on the East and West of the river . El Rancho Benavides became known as San Ysidro (the patron saint of farmers and the name still used for the local church) and later Tesuque Village. In 1752, Juan de Gabaldon obtained much of the Rio Tesuque region in a land grant from the Spanish Territorial Governor. In 1776, Fray Francisco Dominguez visited Rio de Tesuque village and documented that it contained 17 families with 94 people.
The acequias were, and are, much more than merely a means of fairly distributing crop irrigation water. In fact, the acequias are an important cultural heritage linking the whole community . In addition to providing irrigation water, acequias also supplied the community's drinking water, served as routes connecting individual habitations and through the "mayordomos" control of water rights, provided an effective political system that structured the entire village society. Land transaction and acequia records through the Spanish and Mexican periods show continued use of the valley and its water for agricultural purposes. A number of those same acequias irrigate the valley today, with over 150 registered water users belonging to the five acequia associations of the valley . The patterns and configurations of land division and land use in Tesuque today reflect this historic acequia network and the associated agricultural uses of the past.
The watershed that encompasses the plan area is traversed by the Rio Tesuque, which has long been used by both the Native American and Spanish settlers as a route into the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains, for purposes of moving herds of sheep and cattle, hunting and the gathering of firewood, piñones and other food sources and raw materials. Portions of the historic trail system remain intact today and are used by both residents and nonresidents, primarily for recreational uses.
Numerous houses and buildings used for business and residential purposes undoubtedly date back to the mid-1800s. Archdiocese records date the current San Ysidro de Tesuque sanctuary at 1886. The Tesuque Elementary School began serving this community and neighboring communities in 1930 and is one of the oldest schools in the Santa Fe Public School system. In 2005, a new school was built on the site incorporating most of the old building. Bishop's Lodge Resort and Spa, was initially purchased and developed as a personal retreat by Archbishop Lamy in the mid-1800s and many of the historic buildings, have been preserved; most notably the Archbishop Lamy Chapel is which recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s the community continued to flourish as a distinct rural community with a rich mix of agriculturally based uses which included:
• A tree nursery • Apple orchards • Custom butcher shop • Iris farmers
• Williams Chicken Ranch • Harvey family egg and dairy production for La Fonda
• Trout ponds for fish raised and delivered to Lamy to be served on the Santa Fe Super Chief
• Mushroom growers • Vegetable gardens • Irrigated pastures for livestock
Although there are fewer small farms and agricultural uses have downsized, the lives of the current area residents are still intermeshed through many of these environmental, economic, cultural and historical commonalties. Numerous rural endeavors are seen in the community today:
• Beekeepers • apple and mixed fruit orchards • Peacock and chicken owners
• Aspiring and existing vintners and distillers• Vegetable gardens
• Irrigated pastures for horses and other livestock
The late 1970s through the present brought a wave of newcomers seeking a rural lifestyle close to amenities that the City of Santa Fe offered. Contemporary subdivision began to develop on the hills that encompass the valley and new home sites were developed on the valley floor.