Trujillo Family Pueblo Research

What this means:

Before we get all carried away. I likely have Native ancestry through intermarriage with Pueblo families (especially from Pojoaque and Nambé), and my family lived within or adjacent to Native communities for generations. But that does not equal tribal enrollment or formal recognition.

This is not uncommon in Northern New Mexico, where:

• Cultural and family ties between Hispano and Pueblo communities are deeply intertwined.
• Many individuals with Native roots were recorded as “Hispanic” or “Mexican” in church and federal records — especially if they did not live on Pueblo land or were not enrolled.

With that … let’s begin.

Pojoaque Pueblo Ancestry

My lineage traces back to Pojoaque Pueblo in the mid-19th century. FamilySearch records indicate that my great-great-grandfather, Manuel Antonio de Jesús Trujillo (1853–1933), was born in the Pojoaque area of Santa Fe County ancestors.familysearch.org. In an 1860 territorial census index for New Mexico, multiple Trujillo family members are listed in Pojoaque and nearby pueblos. For example, a José Dolores Trujillo (age 23) is recorded as a resident of “Fojoaque” (Pojoaque), confirming Trujillo presence on Pueblo land in that era archive.org. Manuel’s parents (Juan Bautista Trujillo and María Dolores Gonzales) were from Pojoaque archive.org, anchoring the family in that Tewa Pueblo community. While the 19th-century records often classified Hispanos separately, the Trujillo family’s residence in Pojoaque suggests close association with the Pueblo. By the 1880s, Manuel Trujillo had moved his family north – one son, Marcelino Trujillo, was born in Taos County in April 1885 ancestry.com – but their Pojoaque Pueblo roots remained a key part of the family history.

Nambé Pueblo Connections

Evidence also points to Trujillo relatives in Nambé Pueblo. An Ancestry record shows a Clarita (Helarita) Trujillo, born about 1842 at Nambé Pueblo and living there into the early 1900s ancestry.com. This suggests that some of my collateral ancestors (perhaps a great-grandaunt or distant cousin) were enrolled or resident in Nambé. Although Clarita’s exact relationship to my line is unclear, her presence on the “Nambe Pueblo Indian Reservation” ancestry.com confirms that the Trujillo surname figures into Nambé’s historical census rolls. It’s likely that members of the extended Trujillo family appear on U.S. Indian Census Rolls for the Northern Pueblos Agency, which oversaw Pueblos like Pojoaque and Nambé in the early 20th century. (For instance, the Bureau of Indian Affairs annual Indian censuses from 1920–1930 covered Nambé and Pojoaque Pueblo populations accessgenealogy.com, and any Trujillo listed therein would demonstrate official Pueblo enrollment.) While we did not find a specific Northern Pueblo census entry by name in the sources, the documentation of Clarita Trujillo’s birth and death at Nambé Pueblo ancestry.com is a strong indicator of Native identity within my extended family.

San Juan (Ohkay Owingeh) Pueblo Records

The Trujillos were also connected with San Juan Pueblo (Ohkay Owingeh). In the 1860 U.S. Census of New Mexico, several Trujillo individuals are explicitly enumerated in the “Indian Pueblo of San Juan.” For example, a Severino Trujillo (age 27) is listed among the San Juan Pueblo Indians ahgp.org, as is a Teodora Trujillo ahgp.org. These entries show that people bearing the Trujillo name were living on Pueblo land at San Juan and counted as members of that Native community. It is quite possible these were relatives of my ancestors (perhaps siblings or cousins of earlier Trujillo generations) who became part of Ohkay Owingeh. By the 20th century, descendants with the Trujillo surname were notable members of San Juan Pueblo. One example is Reyecita Trujillo, a San Juan potter born circa 1900. Reyecita was a Pueblo member from Ohkay Owingeh, active in the 1930s craft revival adobegallery.com. Her presence underlines that Trujillo family members were enrolled at San Juan, carrying forward a Native identity. Although Reyecita’s exact link to my line is not confirmed, she illustrates how the Trujillo lineage blended into Pueblo society. Any Trujillo appearing in Ohkay Owingeh’s tribal rolls or census entries (for instance, in the 1937 “United Pueblos” Agency roll accessgenealogy.com) would affirm that integration. In summary, the San Juan Pueblo census and pottery records confirm Native Pueblo identity for Trujillos of Northern New Mexico.

Picurís Pueblo and Taos County

My great-grandparents José Sabino Trujillo (1882–1949) and Magdalena Henrietta Jaramillo (1887–1972) eventually settled in Taos County, in the vicinity of Picurís Pueblo. While José Sabino himself was of Pojoaque ancestry, he lived in northern New Mexico as an adult. In fact, their son Enrique “Tiger” Trujillo (my grandfather) was born on 26 September 1906 in Taos County ancestry.com. This places the family near Picurís Pueblo around the early 1900s. The 1930 U.S. Federal Census shows José Sabino’s household in Taos County ancestors.familysearch.org, and although the census did not label them as Indian (since José Sabino was Hispanic by culture), their residence was adjacent to Picurís Pueblo land. Notably, Picurís Pueblo’s 1930 census enumeration district included Spanish-surnamed families in surrounding villages us-census.org – indicating the Trujillos likely appeared in census rolls of that area. Indeed, genealogical sources highlight a María Gertrudis Trujillo born in 1869 “in Picurís Pueblo, Taos, New Mexico” ancestors.familysearch.org, suggesting earlier Trujillo ties there as well. While we did not locate José Sabino or his children on a specific BIA “Indian Census” for Picurís, the family’s long residence in Picurís’s orbit implies interaction and possibly intermarriage with the Pueblo. Any Trujillo entries in Picurís tribal enrollment records would likely be cousins of my line. For example, if Magdalena Jaramillo had Picurís relations, her collateral relatives might appear on those rolls. In sum, the Trujillos’ Taos County records (births, censuses) place them on the edge of Picurís Pueblo, and a few 19th-century Trujillo references within Picurís hint at Native affiliation in that community.

Confirmation of Pueblo Identity

Collectively, these records underscore that members of the Trujillo family tree were recognized in Pueblo contexts. We see direct evidence of tribal residency: Trujillos listed on pueblo census rolls (e.g. Severino Trujillo at San Juan Pueblo in 1860 ahgp.org) or in vital records tied to a pueblo (e.g. Helarita Trujillo of Nambé Pueblo ancestry.com). We also have evidence of tribal enrollment/status through later individuals like Reyecita Trujillo of Ohkay Owingeh adobegallery.com. For my direct ancestors, the documentation is a bit more indirect – José Sabino and Magdalena Jaramillo appear in standard territorial and federal censuses as New Mexico residents (Taos and Santa Fe counties) without a tribal designation ancestors.familysearch.organcestors.familysearch.org. This suggests that they themselves were not formally enrolled in a Pueblo, likely due to being of Hispanic status. However, their pueblo heritage and surroundings are clear from the historical record. Manuel Antonio de Jesús Trujillo’s birth in Pojoaque ancestors.familysearch.org and the family’s movements through Nambé, San Juan, and Picurís areas show a consistent thread of living among Pueblo peoples. In the extended family, several siblings and cousins did marry or reside in Pueblo communities – those who did are captured on Native rolls. Each documented instance – whether a name in an Indian census, a Pueblo church register, or a BIA record – that links a Trujillo to a Pueblo confirms a piece of Native identity in my family tree.

Sources: Historical census and enrollment records for New Mexico Pueblos, as cited above, provide the evidence for these conclusions. Key examples include the 1860 Territory of NM census index showing Trujillos at San Juan Pueblo ahgp.org, genealogical data on Trujillo births at Pojoaque ancestors.familysearch.org and Nambé ancestry.com, and FamilySearch/Ancestry profiles linking Trujillo individuals to Pueblo locations in the 19th and 20th centuries ancestry.comadobegallery.com. Each of these entries helps confirm either Native Pueblo enrollment, residency on Pueblo land, or Pueblo ancestry for members of the Trujillo family. The convergence of these records paints a comprehensive picture of a family deeply interwoven with the Pueblos of Pojoaque, Nambé, Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan), and Picurís.