Juan de Oñate

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado traveled north in 1540 searching for the legendary wealthy cities of Cibola.

Now, by n- 1598, Juan de Oñate was leading Spanish colonists into New Mexico, beginning a permanent Spanish presence in the region.

So that meant people, supplies, money, and valuable goods were moving between Mexico and their settlements farther north.

One of the most important routes was the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.

Yeah, yeah.

True.

Now, Juan de Oñate and oth- other early Spanish figure eventually get pulled into the story too.

You know, Oñate was wealthy and politically powerful, so naturally his name became useful to treasure hunters looking for an owner.

La Nueva Mexico.

And when Juan de Oñate brings a colony here in 1598, uh, one of his captains writes an epic poem.

It's part history, part poe- poet-

Yeah

But the Spanish returned 12 years later to enter into an alliance with the Pueblos because it's becoming very violent around here because of all the different peoples wanting access to our limited resources.

So 1692, Vargas comes, those Juan de Oñate colonists from 1598, there's a mere remnant left after the Pueblo Revolt.

So Vargas needs more colonists from Mexico City.

He brings them.

We'll start on the road.

The Spanish came up the Rio Grande in 1598 under Juan de Oñate, and they built the oldest European settlements in the interior of the country.

Santa Fe was founded around 1610.

The villages that matter for this story came later, after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 threw the Spanish out, and the reconquest of 1692 brought them back.