Margarita Dolores Armijo

Margarita: Daughter, Wife, and Mother.

Margarita Dolores Armijo was born on June 9, 1913, in Mora County, New Mexico. Her parents were Jeronimo Armijo (1869-1927) and Florencia Garcia (1872-1953). The 1920 U.S. Federal Census states that Margarita (age 6) lived with her family in Abuelo, Mora County, New Mexico. Margarita's older brother Salvador lived in the nearby home with his wife Juanita.

Margarita's mother Florencia, was of Native American descent. Florencia was born in northern New Mexico and almost certainly of Navajo (Diné) and/or Taos Pueblo heritage. Margarita's father Jeronimo, was born in La Seboya, Mora County, New Mexico Territory. As the story goes Jeronimo traveled to an Indian Reservation when he was a young man and returned to Mora County with the woman that would soon be his bride. Whatever the circumstances of their meeting and courtship, the fact is that records show that the eighteen-year-old Jeronimo married the seventeen-year-old Florencia on January 24, 1887, in Mora County, New Mexico Territory. Jeronimo and Florencia had nine children together, their youngest being Margarita Dolores. Margarita's older siblings were: Adela (b. 1889), Salvador (1890-1952), Maria Eufemia (1897-1950) Elicia (b. 1898), Eliseo (b. 1900), Fidel (1903-1977), Lucario (1908-1974), and Delfinia (b. 1910). Margarita's father, Jeronimo died in 1927, just two months after Margarita had turned 14 years old.

Vicente, Margarita, and Florencia

At sixteen years old, Margarita became a mother when her son Jeronimo "Jerry" was born on December 5, 1929, in Mora County. Jerry's father's name was Elio Jaramillo and little is known about his role in Margarita's or Jerry's life. The story goes that Margarita's family did not like Elio and kept him out of her life. Life was difficult for Margarita, being a single mother with no formal education past the second grade. Shortly after Jerry's birth, Margarita and Jerry moved to San Miguel County, New Mexico. There, Margarita married widower Vicente Sanchez, who was 40 years her senior. Before his wife had died, Vicente had been married for 30 years to a woman named Avelina, and together they had four children. The courtship between Vicente and Margarita that led to their marriage is unknown, however, it has been said that they met at a formal fiesta. According to the 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Vicente, Margarita, and Jerry lived in the Storrie Project irrigation land grant district. The Storrie Project was a farming district in San Miguel County that had been finalized in 1921. Due to financial troubles after 1929, there were a large number of landowning farmers who left the Storrie Project, leaving the land available to renters, such as Vicente and Margarita. However, living in the Storrie Project was not easy. The land and climate were not always conducive to successful farming. Within a few years, the family bought an adobe home near Margarita's brother Lucario in Upper Town Las Vegas. By 1935, Vicente and Margarita had two daughters: Ricarda "Ricki" (b. 1931), and Senida "Sadie" (b. 1933). At this time, for unknown reasons, Jerry had moved in with his maternal grandmother and aunt, who were living in the neighboring adobe house. It can be speculated that Margarita and Vicente had disagreements about how to raise Jerry, so to make peace in the home, Jerry would live nearby with his grandmother and aunt. It would be nine years before Vicente and Margarita would have their next child. During the 1940s, Margarita gave birth to four more children:  Jose "Joe" (b. 1942), Alfredo (1944-1944), Vicente "Vince" (b. 1945), and Cordelia "Cordy" (b. 1949). Margarita worked hard raising her children as well as assisting the elderly Vicente with labor on his 50 acres of timber property that he managed. There are stories of her working long hours outside, doing manual labor like chopping wood alongside her husband, only to return and cook meals for the family.

In October of 1949, Margarita's husband Vicente, died at the age of 81 years old. Margarita was only 37 years old and found herself a widow with three young children to look after. Margarita's three older children had already begun families of their own. It was the marriage of her daughter Sadie to Mariano Otero that would prove to change Margarita's life forever. Mariano's father's name was Alejandro Otero, whose wife Cleotilda Gallegos had died on August 24, 1949. Alejandro had been married for 37 years and had seven children with Cleotilda. Sometime in late 1949, the 55 year old Alejandro and the 37 year old Margarita began an intimate relationship. Although Sadie and Mariano were surprised at first with the relationship of their respective parent, they accepted that the two had fallen in love. Margarita gave birth to Alejandro's daughter Frances on August 31, 1950. On August 23, 1952, Margarita gave birth to a son, and the coupled named him Alejandro Jr. also known as "Junior." A year later, a third child was born named Johnny. Unfortunately, the sad reality of the times prevented Alejandro from formally marrying Margarita. Alejandro was involved in local politics, being a deputy sheriff and potentially a judge. His status in the community could have been the reason there was no marriage, but the reason why their was no marriage is still unknown. Although it has been said that the couple had discussed marriage, it is almost certain that a marriage did not occur due to outside forces and reasons. Margarita and Alejandro did spend a lot of time together and lived together for most of their relationship. On many weekends, they would go to movies, followed by a night of dancing. Alejandro treated all of Margarita's children well, and took Joe and Vince fishing on a regular basis.

The years 1953 through 1955 were difficult times for Margarita. In April 1953, Margarita's mother Florencia passed away. Alejandro Otero served as one of Florencia's casket bearers.

Click above image to display large display

On December 18, 1954, Alejandro and Margarita's youngest child, Johnny died from the effects of pneumonia. Less than a month later, on January 11, 1955, Alejandro was involved in an automobile accident and died a day later in a local hospital. Alejandro owned Clydesdale horses, property, a small sawmill business, and vehicles at the time of his death. Whatever the circumstances, Margarita and the children she bore him, received very little.

Margaret with Julia Sanchez and Vince Sanchez in the 1950s 

In 1955, after Alejandro's death, Margarita left New Mexico and never returned. She found migrant work in Wyoming, and moved there with her children to live near her son Jerry. In 1958, Margarita moved to Pocatello, Idaho with her children to be closer to her adult daughters. In Idaho and later in Utah, Margarita and her children worked the potato and beet fields during the harvest season for many years.

With children: Senida, Ricarda, Alejandro Jr., Cordelia, and Frances.

Interviews with Margarita's children provided a wealth of information of the kind of woman Margarita was in her later life. She was described as kind, jolly, and a truly good person. While in Pocatello, Margarita attended the local Catholic Church regularly. She enjoyed Sunday dinners with family and all those that needed food. She enjoyed her birthday and holidays. There are stories of her waking her children up on the morning of St. Patrick's Day with a pinch and a smile. Easter was special to her. She enjoyed music and dancing.

When Margarita passed away a few months after her 58th birthday on August 14, 1971, there were a lot of people who were sad that she no longer was on earth to share her kindness with all that she encountered.

Mountain View Cemetery 

**Interviews for this profile were conducted with Ricarda Sanchez Dominguez, Joe Sanchez, Alejandro Armijo, Cordy Sanchez Madrid, and Sadie Sanchez Otero.