Doña Maria Gertrudis Barceló was a professional gambler and card dealer in New Mexico in the early 19th century. But the details of her life are all over the place, depending on the source. 

Research: 
New Mexico History Museum. “The Gambling Queen of Santa Fe.” Press Release. 8/20/2009. https://media.newmexicoculture.org/release/91/the-gambling-queen-o
Dominguez, Orae. “Maria Gertrudis Barceló, Doña Tules.” New Mexico History. State Records Center and Archives. https://newmexicohistory.org/2013/10/24/maria-gertrudis-barcelo-dona-tules/
New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative. “Maria Gertrudis Barcelo.” https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/location/maria-gertrudis-barcelo/ 
National Park Service. “La Tules, María Gertrudis Barceló.” 3/11/2021. https://www.nps.gov/people/maria-gertrudis-barcelo.htm\
Thwaites, Reuben Gold. “Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XX - Part II of Gregg's Commerce of the Prairies, 1831-1839.” Cleveland, Ohio. The Arthur H. Clark Company. 1905.
Magoffin, Susan Shelby, and Stella Madeleine Drumm. “Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico : the diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin, 1846-1847.” New Haven : Yale University Press, 1962.
Lecompte, Janet. “La Tules and the Americans.” Arizona and the West , Autumn, 1978, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Autumn, 1978). https://www.jstor.org/stable/40168728
Kendall, George Wilkins. “Narrative of the Texan Sante Fé Expedition.” New York : Harper and Brothers. 1846.
Brewerton, G. Douglass. “Incidents of Travel in New Mexico.” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. April 1854. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924080772092&view=1up&seq=599&skin=2021&q1=april
Nogar, Anna M. et al. “Nuevomexicano Cultural Memory and the Indo-Hispana Mujerota.” Journal of the Southwest, Vol. 58, No. 4 (Winter 2016). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26310186
Chávez, Fray Angélico. “Doña Tules, Her Fame and Her Funeral.” From “Santa Fe Nativa: A Collection of Nuevomexicano Writing.” University of New Mexico Press. 2009.
Cook, Mary J. Straw. “Doña Tules: Santa Fe’s Courtesan and Gambler.” University of New Mexico Press. 2007.

Do&ntilde;a Maria Gertrudis Barcel&oacute; was a professional gambler and card dealer in New Mexico in the early 19th century. But the details of her life are all over the place, depending on the source.&nbsp;
Research:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>New Mexico History Museum. &ldquo;The Gambling Queen of Santa Fe.&rdquo; Press Release. 8/20/2009. https://media.newmexicoculture.org/release/91/the-gambling-queen-o</li>
<li>Dominguez, Orae. &ldquo;Maria Gertrudis Barcel&oacute;, Do&ntilde;a Tules.&rdquo; New Mexico History. State Records Center and Archives. https://newmexicohistory.org/2013/10/24/maria-gertrudis-barcelo-dona-tules/</li>
<li>New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative. &ldquo;Maria Gertrudis Barcelo.&rdquo; https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/location/maria-gertrudis-barcelo/&nbsp;</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;La Tules, Mar&iacute;a Gertrudis Barcel&oacute;.&rdquo; 3/11/2021. https://www.nps.gov/people/maria-gertrudis-barcelo.htm\</li>
<li>Thwaites, Reuben Gold. &ldquo;Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XX - Part II of Gregg's Commerce of the Prairies, 1831-1839.&rdquo; Cleveland, Ohio. The Arthur H. Clark Company. 1905.</li>
<li>Magoffin, Susan Shelby, and Stella Madeleine Drumm. &ldquo;Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico : the diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin, 1846-1847.&rdquo; New Haven : Yale University Press, 1962.</li>
<li>Lecompte, Janet. &ldquo;La Tules and the Americans.&rdquo; Arizona and the West , Autumn, 1978, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Autumn, 1978). https://www.jstor.org/stable/40168728</li>
<li>Kendall, George Wilkins. &ldquo;Narrative of the Texan Sante F&eacute; Expedition.&rdquo; New York : Harper and Brothers. 1846.</li>
<li>Brewerton, G. Douglass. &ldquo;Incidents of Travel in New Mexico.&rdquo; Harper&rsquo;s New Monthly Magazine. April 1854. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924080772092&amp;view=1up&amp;seq=599&amp;skin=2021&amp;q1=april</li>
<li>Nogar, Anna M. et al. &ldquo;Nuevomexicano Cultural Memory and the Indo-Hispana Mujerota.&rdquo; Journal of the Southwest, Vol. 58, No. 4 (Winter 2016). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26310186</li>
<li>Ch&aacute;vez, Fray Ang&eacute;lico. &ldquo;Do&ntilde;a Tules, Her Fame and Her Funeral.&rdquo; From &ldquo;Santa Fe Nativa: A Collection of Nuevomexicano Writing.&rdquo; University of New Mexico Press. 2009.</li>
<li>Cook, Mary J. Straw. &ldquo;Do&ntilde;a Tules: Santa Fe&rsquo;s Courtesan and Gambler.&rdquo; University of New Mexico Press. 2007.</li>
</ul>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Doña Maria Gertrudis Barceló was a professional gambler and card dealer in New Mexico in the early 19th century. But the details of her life are all over the place, depending on the source.

Maria Gertrudis Barceló, Santa Fe’s Gambling Queen

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1ecba1ac-6577-45b5-be99-ae5e01742f55/transcript

This 2018 episode covers Libertalia, which, in truth, may be completely fictional. It's called a pirate settlement, though the man who spearheaded it claimed he wasn't actually a pirate.

This 2018 episode covers Libertalia, which, in truth, may be completely fictional. It's called a pirate settlement, though the man who spearheaded it claimed he wasn't actually a pirate.

SYMHC Classics: Libertalia

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b92bbcbf-baf6-4279-95cd-b498004e3f55/transcript

Tracy shares the topics she considered for the recording in the Bahamas but decided against. Holly talks about her admiration for Thomas Huxley.

Tracy shares the topics she considered for the recording in the Bahamas but decided against. Holly talks about her admiration for Thomas Huxley.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Pirate Evolution

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/754e85b9-5eee-4456-bdd4-b498004e38e5/transcript

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname “Darwin’s bulldog” for his very vocal support of Darwin’s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn’t normally have access to those things. 

Research:
Bernoulli, D., Jenkyns, H.C. “Thomas Henry Huxley, a stone tablet, coccoliths, and deep-sea sediments in the high Alps.” Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 112, 1661–1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02330-5
Bowen, Keith. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Ebsco. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/thomas-henry-huxley
Burkhardt, Richard W.. "Jean-Baptiste Lamarck". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck
Darwin, Charles. “On the Origin of Species.” JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. London. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm
Desmond, Adrian J. "Thomas Henry Huxley". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Henry-Huxley
Dolan, John R. “The famous and lesser-known illustrations of Thomas Huxley’s Bathybius.” History of Oceanography.  International Commission of the History of Oceanography. https://oceansciencehistory.com/2020/07/13/the-famous-and-lesser-known-illustrations-of-thomas-huxleys-bathybius/
“Freshwater Bathybius.” Nature 4, 49–50 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049b0
“The Great Debate.” University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate
“The History of Evolutionary Thought.” Understanding Evolution. Berkeley University. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-history-of-evolutionary-thought/1800s/early-concepts-of-evolution-jean-baptiste-lamarck/
Huxley, T.H. “Agnosticism.” K. Paul, Trench. London. 1889. https://archive.org/details/a622650700huxluoft/page/169/mode/1up
Huxley, T.H. “Aphorisms and Reflections. From the Works of T. H. HUXLEY, Selected by
Henrietta A. Huxley. Macmillan and Co. London. 1907. Accessed online: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Aphor.html
Huxley, T.H. “Autobiography and Selected Essays.” Riverside College Classics. 1909. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1315/1315-h/1315-h.htm#link2H_4_0007
Huxley, T.H. “Collected Essays, Volume V: Science and Christian Tradition.” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15905/15905-h/15905-h.htm
Huxley, T.H. “Evidence as to man's place in nature.” D. Appelton and Co. New York. 1863. https://archive.org/details/evidenceastomans00huxl/page/n1/mode/2up
Huxley, T.H. “On Some Organisms Living at Great Depths in the North Atlantic Ocean.” Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science.  viii., new Series, 1868, pp. 203-212. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/SM3/bathy.html
Huxley, T.H. “On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals.” Project Gutenberg eBook. 2001. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2932/pg2932-images.html
Joshi RS. “The Inner Root Sheath and the Men Associated with it Eponymically.” Int J Trichology. 2011 Jan;3(1):57-62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3129131/
Lamarck, Jean-Baptiste. “Zoological Philosophy.” Macmillan. London. 1914. https://archive.org/details/ZoologicalPhilosophy
Lyons, Sherrie L. “Thomas Henry Huxley : the evolution of a scientist.” Prometheus Books. New York. 1999.
McGraw, Donald J. “Bye-Bye Bathybius: The Rise and Fall of a Marine Myth.” Bios, vol. 45, no. 4, 1974, pp. 164–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4607257
“Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963.” The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1963/summary/
Pearce, JMS. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Hektoen International. Sept. 18, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/09/18/thomas-henry-huxley/
Schwartz, Joel S. “Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and ‘Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.’” Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 23, no. 1, 1990, pp. 127–53. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4331120
“Thomas Henry Huxley.” Darwin Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge. https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/thomas-henry-huxley
“Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895).” Humanist Heritage. https://heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-huxley/
Tunstad, Erik. “Darwin's Bulldog: Thomas Huxley 200 Years.” Prosa. July 10, 2025. https://prosa.no/artikler/aktuelt/darwins-bulldog-thomas-huxley-200-ar
Wyhe, John van. “It ain't necessarily so ...” The Guardian. Feb 9, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.myths

 

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname &ldquo;Darwin&rsquo;s bulldog&rdquo; for his very vocal support of Darwin&rsquo;s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn&rsquo;t normally have access to those things.&nbsp;
Research:
<ul>
<li>Bernoulli, D., Jenkyns, H.C. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley, a stone tablet, coccoliths, and deep-sea sediments in the high Alps.&rdquo;&nbsp;Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)&nbsp;112, 1661&ndash;1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02330-5</li>
<li>Bowen, Keith. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Ebsco. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/thomas-henry-huxley</li>
<li>Burkhardt, Richard W.. "Jean-Baptiste Lamarck".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck</li>
<li>Darwin, Charles. &ldquo;On the Origin of Species.&rdquo; JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. London. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm</li>
<li>Desmond, Adrian J. "Thomas Henry Huxley".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Henry-Huxley</li>
<li>Dolan, John R. &ldquo;The famous and lesser-known illustrations of Thomas Huxley&rsquo;s&nbsp;Bathybius.&rdquo; History of Oceanography. &nbsp;International Commission of the History of Oceanography. https://oceansciencehistory.com/2020/07/13/the-famous-and-lesser-known-illustrations-of-thomas-huxleys-bathybius/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Freshwater Bathybius.&rdquo;&nbsp;Nature&nbsp;4, 49&ndash;50 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049b0</li>
<li>&ldquo;The Great Debate.&rdquo; University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate</li>
<li>&ldquo;The History of Evolutionary Thought.&rdquo; Understanding Evolution. Berkeley University. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-history-of-evolutionary-thought/1800s/early-concepts-of-evolution-jean-baptiste-lamarck/</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Agnosticism.&rdquo; K. Paul, Trench. London. 1889. https://archive.org/details/a622650700huxluoft/page/169/mode/1up</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Aphorisms and Reflections. From the Works of T. H. HUXLEY, Selected by Henrietta A. Huxley. Macmillan and Co. London. 1907. Accessed online: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Aphor.html</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Autobiography and Selected Essays.&rdquo; Riverside College Classics. 1909. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1315/1315-h/1315-h.htm#link2H_4_0007</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Collected Essays, Volume V: Science and Christian Tradition.&rdquo; https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15905/15905-h/15905-h.htm</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Evidence as to man's place in nature.&rdquo; D. Appelton and Co. New York. 1863. https://archive.org/details/evidenceastomans00huxl/page/n1/mode/2up</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;On Some Organisms Living at Great Depths in the North Atlantic Ocean.&rdquo; Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. viii., new Series, 1868, pp. 203-212. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/SM3/bathy.html</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals.&rdquo; Project Gutenberg eBook. 2001. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2932/pg2932-images.html</li>
<li>Joshi RS. &ldquo;The Inner Root Sheath and the Men Associated with it Eponymically.&rdquo; Int J Trichology. 2011 Jan;3(1):57-62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3129131/</li>
<li>Lamarck, Jean-Baptiste. &ldquo;Zoological Philosophy.&rdquo; Macmillan. London. 1914. https://archive.org/details/ZoologicalPhilosophy</li>
<li>Lyons, Sherrie L. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley : the evolution of a scientist.&rdquo; Prometheus Books. New York. 1999.</li>
<li>McGraw, Donald J. &ldquo;Bye-Bye Bathybius: The Rise and Fall of a Marine Myth.&rdquo;&nbsp;Bios, vol. 45, no. 4, 1974, pp. 164&ndash;71.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4607257</li>
<li>&ldquo;Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963.&rdquo; The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1963/summary/</li>
<li>Pearce, JMS. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Hektoen International. Sept. 18, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/09/18/thomas-henry-huxley/</li>
<li>Schwartz, Joel S. &ldquo;Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and &lsquo;Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp;Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 23, no. 1, 1990, pp. 127&ndash;53.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4331120</li>
<li>&ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Darwin Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge. https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/thomas-henry-huxley</li>
<li>&ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895).&rdquo; Humanist Heritage. https://heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-huxley/</li>
<li>Tunstad, Erik. &ldquo;Darwin's Bulldog: Thomas Huxley 200 Years.&rdquo; Prosa. July 10, 2025. https://prosa.no/artikler/aktuelt/darwins-bulldog-thomas-huxley-200-ar</li>
<li>Wyhe, John van. &ldquo;It ain't necessarily so ...&rdquo; The Guardian. Feb 9, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.myths</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname “Darwin’s bulldog” for his very vocal support of Darwin’s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn’t normally have access to those things. 

Thomas Henry Huxley

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/260a3473-d806-4229-901f-b495016b50f8/transcript

Maria Gertrudis Barceló, Santa Fe’s Gambling Queen

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