MALDONADO JOURNEY to the KINGDOM of NEW MEXICO

About the Book

Maldonado traces the journey of his family from Scandinavia and the Holy Land to Spain and Portugal and finally to the Kingdom of New Mexico. Arriving in 1598 with the expedition of Juan de Oñate, his ancestors were some of the first settlers of New Mexico. Of the 144 original Spanish/Portuguese colonial families from the 16th and 17th centuries listed by historian and cousin Fray Angélico Chávez, in his pioneering book Origins of New Mexico Families/A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period, 119 are on the Maldonado family tree. From the 18th century, 174 of the 277 colonial families identified by Chávez are also on the Maldonado family tree. Over 5,300 names comprise the Maldonado tree - many of them important figures in the annals of New Mexico history. Maldonado's family tree proves the old adage that everyone in New Mexico is a primo, cousin.

About the Author

Gilbert T. Maldonado is the thirteenth generation of his family born in New Mexico. He is First Vice President of the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico where he has written numerous articles on the genealogies of the first families of New Mexico. He retired after forty-two years of service with the U.S. government. His last assignment was as Title X Program Manager for the Department of Energy in charge of remediating all radioactive mill tailing sites in the continental United States. During the Vietnam War he served as a Vietnam-Era Captain with the U.S. Air Force. Maldonado holds Masters degrees from two universities. He resides in Albuquerque with his wife Susie, daughters Lisa Maldonado and Cathy Jones, son-in-law Mark Jones, and grandson Coleton.