Rafael Chacon was a career military man. He fought with Kit Carson against the Utes and Apaches in the 1850s and later with Gov. Manuel Armijo during the Civil War at Glorieta Pass. He followed in his grandfather’s footsteps. Albino Chacon, served as a secretary to Gov. Manuel Armijo, and as a commissary to his troops. Later he became the supreme judge of the entire province of New Mexico during the Mexican period. Rafael’s parents were Urbano Chacon and Lucia Ward. His brother was Felipe Chacon.
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Felipe Maximiliano Chacon, was born in Santa Fe on Dec. 6, 1873. He graduated from St. Michael’s College where he excelled in both Spanish and English literature. As a young man Felipe was mentored by the well-respected Santa Fe historian and journalist Benjamin M. Read. He became the editor of several Spanish-language newspapers in New Mexico from 1911 through the 1930s that included: La Voz del Pueblo and El Independiente in Las Vegas, El Eco del Norte in Mora and El Faro del Río Grande in Bernalillo. In 1922 Chacon became the editor and general manager of La Bandera Americana in Albuquerque and later was the editor for El Nuevo Mexicano in Santa Fe.