The Last Conquistador

by Marc Simmons

Juan de Oñate (1552-1626) was born in Zacatecas, Mexico to Cristóbal and Doña Catalina de Salazar y de la Cadena de Oñate. Both of his parents were originally from Spain. Cristóbal was of Basque ancestry and Doña was from southern Spain. The de Önates were a wealthy and powerful family in Zacatecas and Juan used the family's prominence to his advantage. In 1598 Juan led a large expedition of settlers into the upper Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. He became the first governor of New Mexico, an administration that was filled with successes and failures and ultimately brought disgrace to Juan. In his final years he traveled to Spain and was able to retrieve some of the prestige he had known. He died in Spain while acting as mining inspector for all of Spain.