La Tules, the most notorious woman of Santa Fe
New Mexico history is replete with tales of strong, independent women. The fact is that the area was so desolate, rugged and remote that women frequently had to be strong, relying on their own wits and bravery to get by.
Yet none of these women are likely as well known—or as infamous—as Santa Fe’s lady gambler and courtesan Doña Tules.
Doña Tules was born Maria Gertrudis Barcelo in the Bavispe Valley of Sonora, Mexico around 1800. When she was about 15 the family moved north to a small village south of Albuquerque. where in the mid-1820s she married Manuel Antonio Sisneros. Unlike most women of the day, Doña Tules retained her own name and apparently continued to handle her own affairs and money.
By the late 1820s, Doña Tules had found her way to the gold mining camps of the Ortiz Mountains where she became a remarkably successful dealer of Monte, a card game that was very popular among Spaniards and Mexicans. It is also rumored that she worked as a prostitute during this time.
Not long there after, Doña Tules and her husband found their way to Santa Fe, where she opened her own gambling house, salon and (some say) brothel in or near Burro Alley.
Over the next several years her gambling house thrived, her husband seems to have dropped out of the picture and Doña Tules reportedly took a series of lovers, possibly including the then governor of the Mexican province of New Mexico. It is also believed that during the Mexican-American War Doña Tules tipped off American officers to a surprise attack by Mexican forces aimed at retaking New Mexico from the newly arrived Americans.
Late in her life, Doña Tules asked the newly-arrived Bishop Jean Baptist Lamy for permission to be buried in the old adobe church where the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi now stands. Though reluctant to grant such a wish because of her reputation, the bishop relented because of the large donation she made to the diocese.
Doña Tules died in January 1852 and was buried in the church with great fanfare. She left behind a sizable estate of gold, silver and real estate.
It is said that in addition to being a highly successful gambler, Doña Tules was also have fine harp player and many people report hearing harp music coming from the location of her gambling house late at night in downtown Santa Fe.
Is it Doña Tules? We may never know.
About the author:
Ken Ortolon is a former journalist who has a passion for history, particularly the history of the American Southwest. His interest in New Mexico history was sparked in the 1980s when his wife began making frequent trips to Santa Fe on buying trips for her art gallery, which specialized in Native American art and jewelry. Ken enjoys sharing his knowledge of the centuries-old city of Santa Fe and the people who have lived here—Native American, Spanish, Mexican and American. He is a popular guide for Discovery Walking Tours, and a docent guide at La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe’s most historic place of lodging.