Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate y Salazar (Spanish: [ˈxwan de oˈɲate] ⓘ; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador from New Spain, explorer, and colonial governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain. He led early Spanish expeditions to the Great Plains and Lower Colorado River Valley, encountering numerous indigenous tribes in their homelands there. Oñate founded settlements in the province, now in the Southwestern United States.
Juan de Oñate | |
|---|---|
Equestrian statue of Juan de Oñate, Alcalde, New Mexico | |
| 1st Spanish Governor of New Mexico | |
| In office November 1598 – 18 April 1606 | |
| Succeeded by | Cristóbal de Oñate (son) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1550 Pánuco, New Spain (now Zacatecas, Mexico) |
| Died | Guadalcanal, Seville, Spain |
| Spouse | Isabel de Tolosa Cortés de Moctezuma |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Cristóbal de Oñate Catalina Salazar y de la Cadena |
| Occupation | Explorer and governor of New Mexico |
| Signature | |
Oñate is notorious for the 1599 Acoma Massacre. Following a dispute that led to the ambush and death of thirteen Spaniards at the hands of the Ácoma, including Oñate's nephew, Juan de Zaldívar, Oñate ordered a brutal retaliation against Acoma Pueblo. The Pueblo was destroyed. Around 800–1000 Ácoma were killed.
Today, Oñate remains a controversial figure in New Mexican history: in 1998, the right foot was cut off a statue of the conquistador that stands in Alcalde, New Mexico, in protest of the massacre, and significant controversy arose when a large equestrian statue of Oñate was erected in El Paso, Texas, in 2006. On June 15, 2020, the statue of Oñate in Alcalde, New Mexico was temporarily removed by Rio Arriba County workers at the direction of officials. Civic institutions will make the final decision on the statue's future.