TEJANO HISTORY Juan De Oñate, and his expedition into northern New Spain began in Spring of 1598. They stopped in El Paso, and gave thanks before proceeding on their perilous journey into unknown Spanish territory. They ultimately settled San Juan de Los Caballeros (Santa Fe). The is a prelude to that journey. A Prelude to the 1598 Entrada into Santa Fe by Juan de Oñate A. Lopez-Cadena, Rehoboth Beach, DE 11-17-14© Don Cristóbal de Oñate (b.1504, Spain, d. October 6, 1567, Pánuco, Zacatecas) was Juan de Oñates father. A Basque, Cristóbal was an explorer, conquistador, and colonial official in New Spain. He founded Guadalajara in 1531, as well as Nueva Galicia in western New Spain. The Oñate family was from Vitoria [de] Oñati, in the Basque region of northern Spain. Cristóbals father, Juan Pérez de Narriahondo, changed their surname to Oñate. It means at the foot of the mountain pass in Basque. His mother was Osana González de San Llorente. They were of ancient nobility, from the House of Haro [López de Haro, Grandees of Spain] whose origins date to the Middle Ages. His grandfather Pedro de Baeza, Señor de Narrihondo, was one of Spains last feudal lords. Cristóbal arrived in New Spain in 1524. He was assistant to auditor Rodrigo de Albornoz. Albornoz, appointed by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain, was one of five auditors that oversaw the government of Hernan Cortez. Cristóbal married Catalina Salazar de la Cadena, daughter of Captain General Gonzalo de Salazar and Catalina De La Cadena-Maluenda. This was Catalinas second marriage. Her first husband was Ruy Diaz de Mendoza, of the famous Mendoza clan. They claimed El Cid as an ancestor. Catalinas maternal uncle, Antonio De La Cadena-Maluenda, was Treasurer of New Spain. Catalinas father Gonzalo Salazar was a high-ranking noble in the Royal Treasury, and a member of the ruling junta of New Spain. In 1529 Cristóbal joined forces with the brutal Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán. They succeeded in pacifying the current states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Aguascalientes, parts of Sinaloa, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí (western New Spain). That region became Nueva Galicia. Cristóbal also founded the cities of Compostela and Tepic, in present-day Nayarit, Guadalajara and Zacatecas. In 1531, he founded Guadalajara. The town was named after Guadalajara, Spain, birthplace of Beltrán de Guzmán. Juan de Oñate, Cristovals son, became mayor in May 24, 1533. The town, near Tonala, was under constant Indian attacks, and Guzmán ordered it be moved to Tlacotán. The site was moved again in March 1535. Emperor Charles V granted the village a coat of arms and officially named it Guadalajara in 1539. In September 28, 1541 Guadalajara was attacked by Caxcanes Indians. These were the same indians that had fought in the Mixtón War. They lived in present-day Jalisco, in southern Zacatecas, and Aquascalientes. Called Chichimeca, by the Spanish and Aztecs, they were grouped with all nomadic and semi-nomadic natives living in the deserts of northern Mexico. However warlike, they were protecting their land, and the Caxcanes were actually sedentary, and depended on agriculture for their livelihood. They lived in permanent settlements, and are believed to have spoken Uto-Aztecan, they same language as the Comache of west Tejas/Texas. (See Photo) Guadalajara thrived in the Atemajac Valley, along the San Juan de Dios River. This site provided a better defense from Indian attacks. On February 5, 1542, Cristóbal appointed members of the new council to govern the new city. Present day Guadalajara was established soon thereafter on February 14. The settlers were Cristóbal de Oñate and 63 families from Spain and Portugal. They came from Extremadura, Castile, Andalusia, fifteen were Portuguese, some were Basques, and others were mountaineers. Cristóbal became a benefactor to the natives and treated them well. The Oñate name is well known in New Mexico and west Texas. Theres an Oñate High School in Las Cruzes, and statues of Juan de Oñate in Expañola, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. By 1595 Cristobals son, Juan de Oñate, was granted permission to explore the northern Spanish territory beyond the Rio Grande. He pushed forward with Antonio De La Cadena Bullon, and Juan Guerra Reza as major investors. In fact Guerra sold his silver mine to fund the expedition. The colony failed, the Cadenas lost their patrimony, and Oñate lost face. Please read about the Juan de Oñate journey and settlement of Santa Fe on the web. Descendants of these colonists, the Oñates, Salazars, Cadenas, Guerras, Zaldivars and others settled Monterrey, Cerralvo, Parras, Agualeguas and Tejas. Catalina Salazar de la Cadena, and her first husband was Ruy Diaz de Mendoza, are the ancestors of the Cadenas from Nuevo León and Tejas. Notes: On the web, please see Juan de Oñate, Vicente de Zaldivar, Gonzalo de Salazar and Catalina de La Cadena Maluenda. Also see: Oñate statue controversy in Española, NM. Web photos below:
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 18:23:36 +0000
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