I have been reading my book, Land and Society in Colonial Mexico, by
Francois Chevaliar, about the origins of the great haciendas in Mexico. I
found another passage in it I thought I would share, because it is the
earliest use of the term "vecino," and which helped me in understanding the
term better. Though, I realize, words and how they are applied over
generations can change.

"The next groups of Spanish farmers did not appear until the second half of
the sixteenth century, along the roads leading to the great northern mines.
Starting in 1555, settlers in the town of San Miguel were each given a *
vecindad*, or allotment, by the viceroy's representative, either in person
or in his name. The grant carried with it the title of *vecino*, or
burgher, and usually consisted of a building lot, a garden, one or two
caballerias of harvest land, and a sheep pasture located within a six-mile
square surrounding the town. In exchange, the settlers promised to take up
residence on their land, not to sell their grant for at least ten years
(later reduced to six), and to maintain a horse and weapons."

What this shows me, is that in translating Mexican and Spanish documents and
records, just finding the English words is not necessarily going to bring an
understanding of the record, the person's life, etc. I think, as
genealogists, we are also a bit of the historian, weaving together the story
of our ancestors lives, translating words that are placed into the context
within which they were written. We may imagine the persons named in the
record, assembled in the courtroom or office, or in the church and that may
help us, as well. A vecino, like any of the terms we find in our searching,
such as artesano or filarmonico, may mean something different when placed
within the time period, the society, the family, etc. where these terms were
familiar.

Corrine