Terms & Place Names In Records

Hi, Everyone:
I am currently going through a film for the marriage records of the San
Diego Parish of Huejuquilla El Alto, Jalisco for the 1800's. Well, I have
found a new term I have never run across before and wanted to ask if anyone
knows what it means. The term is "puesto." They will say so and so was
originally from and a resident "del puesto de San Antonio." I looked up the
word and the only thing that would make sense is that it means a military
post or a post of some kind. But, there is no other information given in
these records to indicate this is so. Also, this is
used interchangeably with a person being originally from and a resident "del
Hacienda de San Antonio." So, I'm wondering, is it a military post or a
Hacienda, or does "puesto" refer to something on this hacienda? Well, if
you may know, I would appreciate some info about this, because so many of
the place names given are refered interchangeably as "puesto de," "hacienda
de," and "rancho de."

Now, for names, this I have seen very frequently on all sorts of records
saying where someone was from or a resident of. These, I am assuming are
place names, but I am not sure if they are merely land forms or actual names
of towns, etc. Perhaps, they are the names of ranchos or haciendas? This
is not always said, but translated literally, they become something else.
For example, someone may be from "La Boquilla," which is not always in
capital letters. Well, the word "boquilla," supposedly refers to a feature
of a river canyon, but it could be a nearby rancho or little pueblo. It
never says as far as this name goes. Another one is saying that someone is
a resident of "La Cienaga," which can be both a place name or a land
description where this person may have a dwelling. So many people in
Mexico, even now, lived in little cliff dwellings and handmade shelters in
river canyons and so forth, I am only left to wonder if these are
descriptions of such places. But, I do realize that place names are given
based on the descriptions of them and hacienda names can be shortened in
common usage. Such as, instead of always saying to each other, "oh, he
lives on the Hacienda de la Boquilla," they would shorten it to, "oh, he
lives on the boquilla." Unless you were there, you are not going to know
this.

So, rattling on and on, I hope that in all of this, there is someone out
there who may enlighten me on this perplexing issue.

Corrine Ardoin
Santa Maria, California