Cristóbal de Oñate

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Cristóbal de Oñate (* around 1504 in Oñati (?), Basque Country ; † October 6, 1567 in Panuco , Zacatecas , Mexico ) was a conquistador and colonial official of Basque descent in the viceroyalty of New Spain . He is considered the founder of the cities of Guadalajara and Zacatecas in what is now Mexico.

family

Cristóbal de Oñate was born around 1504 to Juan Pérez de Narriahondo, who later changed his name to Juan de Oñate; his mother was Osana González de San Llorente. He was a distant member of House Haro, which already existed in the Middle Ages . From three marriages he had a total of six children - including Juan de Oñate (1550-1626).

Life

Cristóbal de Oñate arrived in Mexico in 1524 as a member of the escort of Rodrigo de Albornoz , an auditor sent by Charles V to oversee the rule of Hernán Cortés . In 1529 he took part in the expedition of an army of Spanish soldiers and Aztec and Tlaxcaltec auxiliaries to the area of New Galicia , where he founded the cities of Compostela and Tepic as well as Guadalajara and Zacatecas. At Zacatecas he and his prospectors discovered enormous silver deposits , making him one of the richest men in New Spain; he also worked as a farmer (haciendero) and cattle breeder (ranchero) . In addition, he was appointed provincial governor three times by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza in the 1530s and 1540s . Nonetheless, he continued his soldier life, but he and his fellow soldiers were defeated in 1540 by an Indian army as part of the Mixtón War . After that he seems to have withdrawn into private life.

See also

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Oñate, Cristóbal de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Conquistador, explorer and colonial governor
DATE OF BIRTH around 1504
PLACE OF BIRTH unsure: Oñati , Basque Country, Spain
DATE OF DEATH October 6, 1567
Place of death Panuco , Zacatecas , Mexico