Toribio Alameda is one of the most curious and interesting characters in my genealogy. I've been lucky to find several facts during and after Toribio's lifetime, but unfortunately none before his time. He, and possibly his brother Pedro, happen to be listed on the Second Company of "Indios" of the "Milicias Urbanas de San German" (San German Urban Militias). After the Dutch and British attacks of the 18th Century, Spain conducted several Census to list males able to take up arms as militiamen when needed. These were known as "Listas de Milicias Urbanas" (Urban Militias Muster Rolls). From 1816 to 1818, listings were conducted throughout the Island. These listings sometimes separated whites from brown/indian or black men. In San German, there were four Companies of white men and four Companies of "Indian" males.
The natives of Puerto Rico, known as Taino (related to the Arawacs) are believed by many to have had disappeared as a nation and/or culture long before these lists were populated. However, the racial distinction was still there in many places, and certainly by the Spanish, who kept very complete and meticulous records, many lost today, of its colonies in America. Many people that still carried strong genetic characteristics of the ancient Taino, still roamed the land, albeit thoroughly christianized. They still do, to this very day. Indeed back then, militiamen were segregated as "White" throughout the island, "Indios" in the San German Region, "Pardos" in the Caguas-Gurabo Regions, and "Morenos" in areas near Guaynabo. It is the lists of Compañías de Indios that interests us the most, since they are unequivocal in the racial distinction they assign to these inhabitants of south-west Puerto Rico. It is a distinction that, I believe, removes the ambiguity of other classes such as "pardo" or "mulato". These south-west locals were designates as Indios because they were considered a pure racial collective two hundred and twenty years ago. They lived, geographically speaking, very close to those areas where the last known Tainos settled many years before these lists were populated; the Indieras, in today's Municipality of Maricao.
My GGGG-Grandfather Toribio Alameda was an "Urbano" of rank, basically a rank-and-file militiaman. We believe he was born between 1765-1775. As a citizen, Toribio was married to María Asunción Padilla. We still do not know if she was also "India" or anything else. They were parents of Juan Eugenio and Maria Bernarda (Bernardina) and Maria S. Alameda Padilla. Maria Bernarda was born about 1785, if we accept as correct her age at the time of her death: 104 years old on October 4, 1889. Maria Bernarda married Juan Lozada in 1824, and I do not believe she was 39 years old when she married, so I think her age at the time of death was wrongly stated and mistaken. Maria Bernarda and Juan were parents of Bartolomé, Pedro and Marcelino Lozada Alameda. Marcelino married Ramona (Rosario?) Camacho. They were parents of Jose Maria Lozada Camacho, born in 1863. Jose Maria married Maria Gerónima Hernandez Mercado (b. 1864). They were parents of Ramona, Mariana, Gregoria, Anacleto, Eusebio, Juana Gracia, Graciana (Graciela), and Sofia Lozada Hernandez. Graciana (Graciela, 1890-1959) married Juan Garcia Rosado. They were parents of Cesar Elias, Luis Antonio (Toño), Gerónima (Chon), Maria de Jesus and Ana Maria. Ana Maria is my grandmother. She was born on May 14th, 1917 and married Domingo Delgado (Domingo Santiago Delgado) in Guánica on October 8th, 1934. They had 2 children; Wanda and Domingo, my father.
Fecha: 5 de octubre de 1889
Fallece en: 4 de octubre de 1889, de achaques seniles a los 104 años de edad.
Comparece: Jose Maria Lozada Camacho, casado, mayor de edad, agricultor, vecino de la fallecida, Barrio de Lajas Campo (JMLC es nieto de la fallecida).
Hija legitima de Toribio Alameda y Asunción Padilla.
LDS Reg Civ, Lajas Defn 1889, Libro 5 Fo 153, Acta #153. Img 184/2300
The natives of Puerto Rico, known as Taino (related to the Arawacs) are believed by many to have had disappeared as a nation and/or culture long before these lists were populated. However, the racial distinction was still there in many places, and certainly by the Spanish, who kept very complete and meticulous records, many lost today, of its colonies in America. Many people that still carried strong genetic characteristics of the ancient Taino, still roamed the land, albeit thoroughly christianized. They still do, to this very day. Indeed back then, militiamen were segregated as "White" throughout the island, "Indios" in the San German Region, "Pardos" in the Caguas-Gurabo Regions, and "Morenos" in areas near Guaynabo. It is the lists of Compañías de Indios that interests us the most, since they are unequivocal in the racial distinction they assign to these inhabitants of south-west Puerto Rico. It is a distinction that, I believe, removes the ambiguity of other classes such as "pardo" or "mulato". These south-west locals were designates as Indios because they were considered a pure racial collective two hundred and twenty years ago. They lived, geographically speaking, very close to those areas where the last known Tainos settled many years before these lists were populated; the Indieras, in today's Municipality of Maricao.
My GGGG-Grandfather Toribio Alameda was an "Urbano" of rank, basically a rank-and-file militiaman. We believe he was born between 1765-1775. As a citizen, Toribio was married to María Asunción Padilla. We still do not know if she was also "India" or anything else. They were parents of Juan Eugenio and Maria Bernarda (Bernardina) and Maria S. Alameda Padilla. Maria Bernarda was born about 1785, if we accept as correct her age at the time of her death: 104 years old on October 4, 1889. Maria Bernarda married Juan Lozada in 1824, and I do not believe she was 39 years old when she married, so I think her age at the time of death was wrongly stated and mistaken. Maria Bernarda and Juan were parents of Bartolomé, Pedro and Marcelino Lozada Alameda. Marcelino married Ramona (Rosario?) Camacho. They were parents of Jose Maria Lozada Camacho, born in 1863. Jose Maria married Maria Gerónima Hernandez Mercado (b. 1864). They were parents of Ramona, Mariana, Gregoria, Anacleto, Eusebio, Juana Gracia, Graciana (Graciela), and Sofia Lozada Hernandez. Graciana (Graciela, 1890-1959) married Juan Garcia Rosado. They were parents of Cesar Elias, Luis Antonio (Toño), Gerónima (Chon), Maria de Jesus and Ana Maria. Ana Maria is my grandmother. She was born on May 14th, 1917 and married Domingo Delgado (Domingo Santiago Delgado) in Guánica on October 8th, 1934. They had 2 children; Wanda and Domingo, my father.
Ana Maria Garcia Lozada (1917-1988)
Fray
Iñigo Abbad y LaSierra, on his book Historia
Geográfica, Civil y Natural de la Isla de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico,
tells us that, among the forces that protected the San German Militia, there was a large Company of Indians by 1780. He also mentions how the Indians left the island of Puerto Rico after the wars of conquest, to stay away from the Spaniards, moving to the adjacent islands including Mona and Vieques. Not being able to survive in these, they requested land in the big Island and were given land in areas of San German and Añasco, henceforth known as the Indieras, where they lived separate from the Spanish until the beginning of the 18th Century. After that date, they began to admix with the white and negro population until their caste disappeared[1].
Another historical account of the presence of Indians as late as the 18th Century are the "Padrones de Población Civil". These were completedbetween the years 1765 and 1803. They made the distinction between the white, indians, mulato slaves, free mulatos, negro slaves and free negroes. Brau (1975) discusses their reality as “Indios cuya existencia se había comprobado
oficialmente, no eran los procedentes de cruzamientos y que existían
confundidos en la clasificación de pardos libres, sino tipos de raza pura,
descendientes de aquellos que
emancipados por Carlos V, procuraron
alejarse de sus opresores. Instalados todavía en 1570, el terrenos
próximos al San Germán de Guadianilla, de allí se remontaron a los más agrio de
la sierra, en sitio que por tal vecindario, se llamaba La Indiera”.
All this historical evidence offers support to the belief that many militiamen on the "Compañias de Indios de San Germán", including my ancestor Toribio Alameda, were truly racially indigenous (Taino), either totally or partially through any of their parents, and that they quite possibly maintained close ties to those communities in the Indieras.
(updated July 2014)
[1] Hernández Aquino, Luis. Diccionario
de Voces Indígenas de Puerto Rico. Tercera Edición, 1993.
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Defunción de Maria Bernarda Alameda Padilla, viuda, 5 hijos con Juan Lozada (difunto)Fecha: 5 de octubre de 1889
Fallece en: 4 de octubre de 1889, de achaques seniles a los 104 años de edad.
Comparece: Jose Maria Lozada Camacho, casado, mayor de edad, agricultor, vecino de la fallecida, Barrio de Lajas Campo (JMLC es nieto de la fallecida).
Hija legitima de Toribio Alameda y Asunción Padilla.
LDS Reg Civ, Lajas Defn 1889, Libro 5 Fo 153, Acta #153. Img 184/2300
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