On Saturday, April 12, Casa San Ysidro hosted a talk on the “Bad Girls of New Mexico” with historian Robert Tórrez.
Casa San Ysidro is a reconstructed historical building located in the village of Corrales. The property is owned by the Albuquerque Museum. On the second Saturday of every month, free public events are held there, featuring guest speakers who cover New Mexico history.
Visits to and tours of Casa San Ysidro typically cost $4-$6 on weekdays, but admission is free every Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tórrez said he believes the concept of crime interests people.
“Some of the most famous people in New Mexico are outlaws: Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett,” Tórrez said. “People want to hear about that kind of thing. I don't know if it's a morbid thing or not, but there's an interest.”
A couple of significant events discussed by Tórrez included the public execution of Paula Angel — who was the only woman to be hanged during the territorial period — and the execution of mother and daughter Maria Josefa and Maria Francisca after they were convicted of murdering their husband/father.
Tórrez learns about the “Bad Girls of New Mexico” through public court records and news publications from the “wild west” period, he said. Tórrez also analyzes other criminal cases from the past 300 years to better understand how the cases were adjudicated.
Lexis Lovato is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @lovatolexis
