Prior to 1706, the Spanish government stationed 10 soldiers in the area that would eventually be known as Albuquerque.  Besides their own families, 9 others came along, bringing the total of original permanent settlers to 19 families.  Around this same time, Governor Cuervo, governor of the region and living in Mexico, was eager to establish a villa at the site of the soldier's settlement.  Spanish law required thirty families to be settled in an area before it could be considered for a villa, but Governor Cuervo lied to the Spanish government saying he had 35 families residing in Albuquerque.  Due to the difficulty and length of time it would take to check this for themselves, the Spanish government unwittingly granted Albuquerque the right to be a villa.