Editing Carnuel, New Mexico (section)

== History ==

Carnuel (full name '''San Miguel de Loredo de Carnué''') is {{convert|20|km|mi}} east of the original center of the city of [[Albuquerque]]. The town was created in 1763 to defend Albuquerque from the raids of [[Comanche]], [[Kiowa]], and [[Plains Apache]] [[Native Americans of the United States|American Indians]]. The town is located at the mouth of [[Tijeras Canyon]], a strategic and natural corridor between the hostile Indians of the [[Great Plains]] and the Spanish settlements of the [[Rio Grande]] valley. Nineteen men<ref>Akins, Nancy J. (2004), "Excavations at San Antonio de Padua (LA 24, NM 14, Bernalillo County, New Mexico, ''Museum of New Mexico: Office of Archaeological Studies, Archaeology Notes 293, p. 135</ref> some with families, comprised the first settlers at Carnuel. They were mostly from the lower [[castas]] of Spanish society, "mestizo" (“half blood,” mixed race Indians and Spanish) and [[genízaros]] (Indians who lived among the Spanish and had adopted some elements of Hispanic culture). For the mestizo and genízaros the attraction to settle at Carnuel and other genízaro settlements was the opportunity to own land through a [[land grant]] from the New Mexican government.<ref>Gonzales, Moises (Winter 2014), "The Genizaro Land Grant Settlements of New Mexico," ''Journal of the Southwest,'' Vol. 56, No. 4., pp 591-592. Downloaded from [[JSTOR]].</ref>

Apache raiders killed several people in the area and the survivors abandoned the settlement in 1771. Carnuel was resettled in 1819 by descendants of the original settlers plus additional landless [[mestizos]]. Twenty-two families were given land at Carnuel and another 22 received land at San Antonio, a community about {{convert|10|km|mi}} northeast of Carnuel. By that time New Mexico had made peace with the Comanche and the threat to the eastern frontiers of the colony had decreased, making the settlement feasible. The genízaro heritage continued to influence land and water usage rights in the Carnuel land grant into the 21st century. Also within the original area of the land grant are the village of [[Tijeras, New Mexico|Tijeras]] and [[Cedar Crest, New Mexico|Cedar Crest]] CDP (census designated place).<ref>Gonzales, p. 592</ref><ref>Akins, p. 135</ref>