Pastor and activist Ramón Ortiz was born
in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1813. He attended seminary in Durango,
Mexico, and was ordained to the ministry in 1833. After his ordination
he spent several years in Mexico, working and ministering to Indians
and mestizos in several of the small mining villages. From 1838
to 1896 he was pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission at El Paso
del Norte (Ciudad Juárez) and the surrounding missions.
Father Ortiz is remembered for his efforts
to promote peace between the citizens of Mexico and the United
States before, during, and after the Mexican War. He served as
Mexican congressman in 1848, and as a commissioner to New Mexico
in 1849. The following year he made many efforts (largely unsuccessful)
to help the Mexican settlers in the area to retain their land
on the Texas side of the border.
Father Ortiz died on March 11, 1896. He was
buried in the churchyard of the San Jose Mission near Juarez,
and newspapers reported that thousands of mourners attended his
funeral, one of the largest in the history of the Paso del Norte
area.
