Facundo Melgares

[3] In 1803, Melgares enlisted at the Presidio of San Fernando de Carrizal, south of El Paso del Norte.

[5] Despite the enmity between Spain and the United States, the two men became close friends[7] and it is Pike's surviving map which details Melgares' expedition.

He delivered the 1812 Constitution in New Mexico with support for inclusion of the indigenous people in its governance, for example, the right to vote and hold public office.

In August 1818, King Ferdinand VII of Spain, advised by his viceroy, Ruiz de Apodaca and General García Conde, appointed Melgares Governor of New Mexico with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The governor issued a call to all the citizens of New Mexico, for contributions of grain and other supplies (such as metals for weapons) to aid his forces stationed in Santa Fe.

In late October 1818, Melgares tasked Captain Andrés Gómez Sanudo, chief of the military second in Taos, with marching to Jemez and attacking no later than 7 November 1818.

Two months before the New Mexico viceroy's alert about an imminent attack by the United States, Melgares had ordered a reconnaissance of the Arkansas Valley to verify rumours of a U.S. presence among the Pawnees.

Melgares source was Sergeant José Cayetano Hernández, who said that while he was in captivity, a U.S Army officer visited the Pawnees to propose a plan of unification with the Kiowas in an effort to invade the Spanish territory.

Although Melgara did not believe the sergeant, he notified General Garcia Conde and sent Lieutenant Jose Maria de Arce north of the New Mexico border to confirm the intelligence.

Shortly after his departure from northern New Mexico, 400 men under the command of Juan de Dios Peña, the mayor of Taos, joined the expedition.

Arce crossed the Sangre de Cristo Mountains into the Huerfano Valley and proceeded to the Platte River but did not find any invading force.

Despite the reassurances, Melgares requested a reinforcement of 500 soldiers, half as infantry, armed with rifles and bayonets, to strengthen the outposts of the north.

In February 1819, when it seemed the U.S.-Mexico border was safe, the commander, General Antonio Cordero, tasked Melgares to make peace with the Native Americans in every way he could.

Despite the objections of Viceroy Ruiz de Apodaca and General Cordero, Melgares succeeded and on 21 August 1819, imposed a formal peace agreement between Spain and the Navajo.