Apodaca Families

I am a Apodaca and a direct descendant from my paternal Great-grandmother, Leonarda Apodaca, born on September 6, 1875 in Santa Barbara, New Mexico. She was first generation born here in the U.S. Leonarda's parents are Maccimo Apodaca and Prajedis Torres. I am 10th generation. The Apodaca's were from Paso del Norte, Chihuahua, Mexico. My paternal grandfather was Benajmin Apodaca gwas born in Salem, New Mexico, his parents, Hesiquio Lucero and Leonarda Apodaca.

After the death of her father Maccimo Apodaca in 1885, she went to La Mesilla to live with her Aunt Narcisa Apodaca Lucero. She entered the Lorreto Academy for nuns in Las Cruces New Mexico. Later, she entered the Good Shepherd Home Convent in La Mesilla, where she taught until 1896. She resettled in Santa Barbara, and  moved to a town called Salem, New Mexico where my Grandfather Benjamin Apodaca was born in 1897. There she met and married Juan Contreras and lived in San Lorenzo, New mexico where most of my great uncles and aunts were born.



Maccimo Apodaca was born on May 10, 1848 in Paso de Norte, Chihuahua, Mexico. He was baptize

at the orignial adobe church, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe in Paso de Norte, Chihuahua, Mexico. This church is about 400 years old and still stands to this present day. I took a trip to Paso del Norte, present day Juarez to see the church where all my ancestors actually got married and baptized their children. Maccimo and Prajedis got married at Montecello, New Mexico in San Ignacio Catholic Church. Very little is known about Leonarda's mother Prajedis Torres. 

According to church documents Juan Apodaca is my 3rd great-grandfather. He was originally from a town called Senecu, which is on the outskirts of Paso Del Norte. Born about 1824.  He was the son of Felix Apodaca and Gorgonia Pasos. He proposed to 25 year old Luisa Armendaris, daughter of Agustin Armendaris and Tomasa Lara.  Tomasa was of Indian descent and I'm still in the process of determining what tribe she belonged to.  They were married on May 27th 1847. they had 5 children that I'm aware of. They migrated to the New Mexico Territory. In 1870 they were residing in La Mesilla, New Mexico. They later moved further north along the Rio Grande to a tiny setlement called Santa Barbara which was across the river from Salem.