“Nuestros Antepasados” (Our Ancestors)

This is a book that for over forty years was carefully researched and footnoted by the principal author Ernest S. Sanchez. It is a story that is weaved together by multiple interviews with families and their familial history that makes this account and supported by documentation. This book brings into focus the following points: 1. History of the settlement of New Mexico from Onate to the present... 2. The principal families that were involved in the settlement and their experiences... 3. The New Mexican experience from the Hispanic view in the history of the settlement of Lincoln County and the Lincoln County War... 4. An insight on the personal relationship of the Hispanics with William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid).... 5. A very accurate reference in the genealogy of the families that settled in Lincoln County New Mexico. This story illuminates the rich customs and traditions of the people that make up New Mexico history. We get a view of the every day life experiences of the Nuevo Mexicanos, that were passed forward from generation to generation. This account also exposes the violence, greed and racism that not only permeated the Spanish settlement of New Mexico but also fueled the Lincoln County War. It is an American story, a story of the painful birth of a nation.