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Belen
In his 1777 reminiscences, Juan Candelaria recalled that “Nuestra Señora de Belen” was founded in 1741 with the help of genízaro Indians (Armijo 1929:280-281). On May 19, 1760 the houses of the settlement of Belén on the other side of the Río Grande came into Bishop Tamarón’s view, and from there on 171 the countryside was covered by great poplar groves. Tamarón was received by the alcalde of Tomé with the citizens of his town, of Belén and of Isleta (Adams 1953:201). On August 14, 1766 Lafora commented that this settlement of 38 genízaro and Spanish families lay across the Río Grande from Tomé in a well-cultivated and pastured area (Alessio Robles 1939:96). On 14 November 1780, Juan Bautista de Anza left the pueblo near Valencia and traveled six leagues south, stopping for the night opposite the pueblo of Belen. It was five leagues further south to Las Nutrias (Thomas 1932:198). In December 1846, George Rutledge Gibson and Doniphan’s army passed through Belen while following the west bank of the Río Grande from Alburquerque to Valverde (Bieber 1935:284-287). Given that most colonial traffic passed along the east bank of the Río Grande, the most used caravan paraje would have been opposite the town of Belén.
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