Juan de Oñate: Letter about a Settlement in New Mexico

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Juan de Oñate: Letter about a Settlement in New Mexico
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Abstract

This document is a fragment of a letter in which Juan de Oñate informed the viceroy Gaspar de Zuñiga of the process of colonizing New Mexico. During the second half of the sixteenth century, the authorities of New Spain looked to expand its domains into the far north. Several individuals at the time sought to obtain the right to colonize New Mexico. In 1595 the Spanish crown granted this privilege to Juan de Oñate, who was a descendant of early conquistadors and the member of a wealthy family in Zacatecas. With this privilege, Oñate obtained land grants and fiscal exemptions, as well as the title of governor of New Mexico. Oñate began the expedition in February of 1598 with 400 men and their families.

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