User:Mdcaron/Isidoro Armijo

Isidoro Armijo
Isidoro Armijo (born Februrary 15, 1871), also known as "Sunny Jim Sherman", is a Mexican American author, land agent, county clerk, and teacher. He is a man of many hats and was well loved in his county. He died in 1949 in New Mexico, United States of America.

Family: Born in 1871 to Hon. Jacinto Armijo and Senora Dona Juanita Silva. Isidoro Armijo was named after his grandfather whose name was Isidro Armijo. Isidoro Armijo was the oldest of four brothers (Catarino, Max, Jacinto, Henry) and two sisters (Josephine and Jennie).

Isidoro Armijo married Jennie Archibald on the 18th of Jan 1901. She was an accomplished young woman from the Centennial state.

Isidoro Armijo had one daughter named Ernestina Allice Evermon. She was born on the 9th of April 1904 in New Mexico, United States of America.

Father: Jacinto Armijo was born on the 13th of Aug 1845 in Socorro, New Mexico, USA and grew up to be an attorney and territorial legislator. Isidoro Armijo’s grandparents (Don Isidoro Armijo and Dona Catarina Montoya de Armijo) were one of the first colonists to settle in the county of Dona Ana. When Jacinto was three his family moved to Las Cruces. Jacinto Armijo was well educated and became a prominent political leader as well as a probate judge.

Nationality: Mexican American. Said to be a Neo-Mexicano meaning the Hispanos of New Mexico.

Opportunities: Isidoro Armijo had a class advantage being the child of New Mexico’s Mexican elite. Some of those advantages were being able to attend college and having connections (his father) to get into politics as well as the judicial system in New Mexico. From an early age you would see Isidoro accompanying his father and Hon. Tranquilino and Col. J. Francisco on their trip across the territory. According to the Santa Fe Newspaper, “Chief Clerk Armijo says (Isidoro Amijo) looking a gentleman and a scholar, actually in a trance, spellbound, absorbing, like a sponge, taking all in .”  Many of Isidoro Armijo’s accomplishments would have been difficult to achieve if his father had not already had strong ties with those in the New Mexico community.

Schooling: Armijo graduated from the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. This college is now known as New Mexico State University. It is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and was founded in 1888.

Occupation: Isidoro Armijo did a variety of things such as County Clerk, Chairman for the board of Education, land agent, teacher, and writer. Following college Armijo accepted a position at Puebla, Mexico where he spent three years as a court interpreter. In 1898 Armijo established El Progresso, a newspaper in Trinidad, Colorado. After working as a teacher in Dona Ana County, New Mexico he started working as a newspaper writer in Las Cruces, New Mexico. After traveling much of the United States and Mexico he became an active member of his state’s politics. From 1902 to 1911, he was Probate Clerk for Dona Ana County, New Mexico. Following that he was an editor of El Eco del Valle from 1900 to 1904. From 1904 to 1908 he edited La Flor del Valle. In 1910, he was appointed as a member of the New Mexico Constitutional Convention. On the list of the “Delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1910” Isidoro Armijo is listed as the delegate for Dona Ana County and labeled a Republican. In 1914 he served a term in the House of Representatives for New Mexico. Later returning to journalism.

Obstacles: According to a New Mexico Newspaper article, “Life has not been all ice cream and pie for the Dona Ana county delegate”. Armijo had done a raid on the land holdings which created concern for those in Austin. This resulted in 600,00 acres worth $60,000,000 being added to the domain of the state of New Mexico.

Well Liked: Isidoro Armijo had the largest number of votes cast in his county for any candidate. He was well known throughout New Mexico and was popular among the people of his county.

Well Known For: Armijo is well known for his story “Sesenta minutos en los infiernos” which was originally published in the newspaper El Eco del Valle in 1911. This story was later translated and published in 1924 as “Sixty Minutes in Hades” in Laughing Horse magazine.

La Revista de Taos: This newspaper was also known as “Taos Valley News”. Was a weekly newspaper that was based in Taos, New Mexico. The dates of publication were from 1905-1922. This newspaper provided material in mostly Spanish and supported the Republican Party. The paper supported the Republican party until it changed to an independent weekly. The motto of the newspaper was “A Liberal and Independent Journal, of the People, for the People, and by the People”. Isidoro Armijo was the business manager and the managing editor.