Timely Conquest

TIMELY CONQUEST BY JERRY P. MARTINEZ Timely Conquest tells the story of Luciano Herrera my maternal great grandfather and Jesus María Martin my paternal great grandfather as they adapt to life in New Mexico under U.S. control. They traded with the Indians they fought the Tejanos in the Civil War at Glorieta New Mexico. Both experienced love and loss. Timely Conquest offers a fascinating snapshot of a time of change for American West and for the people who called it home. Luciano was born in 1832 when New Mexico was ruled by the non-existent government of Mexico. He was fourteen when Colonel Steven Kearney led the U.S. Army into New Mexico. In the book Timely Conquest, Luciano confronts several life threatening situations. But on the most critical of decisions when he chose not to take the Frenchman Julio’s life is one he forever regretted the most. Was he a coward for not killing the Frenchman when Luciano came home unexpectedly and found Julio and his wife Isabella in bed? Killing an adulterous wife under the previous New Mexican law was, in his mind more lenient, but the US law now governed. Because Luciano’s inability to destroy this man’s life his wife Isabella was impacted the most. Was he a coward or too free spirited to spend a life in an Americano prison? Luciano associated courage or lack thereof with being callous to kill another person. That moment of indecision haunted him throughout his life always questioning his valor. He often defends his manhood against men because of his heritage and other times because he has gringo friends. He roamed the West in search of his manhood in search of his identity. Jesús María Martin was born in 1846 the year New Mexico was taken over by Colonel Kearney. When the U.S. Army took control of New Mexico in 1846, the rules of Spain and Mexico no longer applied, Americano law now governed. The Spanish customs and order prevailed in his home regardless of the Americano take over. A man’s word ruled before and even after the Americanos took over the Territory. When Jesús joined the New Mexico volunteers his outlook on life changed. After his discharge from the service he roamed the Territory instead of going home to his parents in Abiquiu. He met Lucinda, his first love only to be denied her company. During a weak moment her father had promised his young daughter Lucinda would marry his old widowed friend. The word of a gentleman held true even if it meant that love was a lost cause. Heart broken and feeling betrayed by old customs he continued to roam the vast lands of the west. Eventually the duty to his aging parents and his conscience forced him to return home. The lure of the West would wait. Author’s Bio. I believe that time should not govern my movements and I approach each second with an easiness and laid back attitude. I enjoy life because God would have it no other way. My education started in the Catholic tradition at Holy Cross a small school located in Santa Cruz, NM and continued until I received my MBA from Loyola Marymount University. My love of music is masked by my inability to sing, love for paintings adorn my walls because I lack artistic talent, and my love for the outdoors sends me to the links and streams. I wrote my first book LECHE de COYOTE for the sole purpose of documenting my ancestry. Not satisfied with the lack of information available on how my ancestors lived their lives I included a mini BIO on myself. My thirst for writing and knowledge of my family's history encouraged me to write Timely Conquest my second book. WHO AM I is my latest book. I am a proud twelfth generation northern New Mexican. My first ancestor to settle in New Mexico was Asencio de Arechuleta 1572-1623 was born in Eibar, Guipuzcoa, Espana (Spain). He was one of the Onate led soldiers that went into New Mexico in 1598. He married Ana Perez de Bustillo 1581-1626 in Mexico City. I currently reside New Mexico after calling California my home for 40 plus years.