[1] He reached Santa Fe in July 1839, finding no seal, flag, coat of arms or other normal consular equipment when he arrived.
When the expedition approached Santa Fe, Alvares asked Governor Manuel Armijo for permission to go out and talk with the leader, but was refused.
[1] He was a resourceful individual, "an artful dodger and a pragmatist of the highest order", and became a wealthy and influential member of Santa Fe society both before and after the U.S. took control.
[1] After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had been signed in February 1848, Álvarez strongly supported admitting New Mexico into the union as a state.
[1] However, the military Governor John Munroe forbade the assumption of civil power by the elected officials.
[8] On 9 September 1850 the U.S. Senate passed a compromise bill that included an act to organize a government for New Mexico as a territory, and this overrode the state legislature.