The Probanza de méritos of Vicente de Zaldívar: Edition and Notes to Part 1 (1601–1602)

The Probanza de méritos of Vicente de Zaldívar: Edition and Notes to Part 1 (1601–1602) Sonia Kania Vicente de Zaldívar was the nephew of Juan de Oñate, the first governor and colonizer of New Mexico. In the campaign of conquest and colonization of this new province, Zaldívar served first as sargento mayor and later as maestre de campo, second in command under Oñate, after the death of Zaldívar’s brother, Juan. The following is a critical edition of the first part of the Probanza de méritos, so called because it deals with inquiries and witness testimony regarding the service and merits of Zaldívar in the posts he occupied.1 Zaldívar was sent by Oñate to Mexico City in April 1602 to petition for more reinforcements for the enterprise, and these documents were presented in support of that petition . Before embarking on a description of the document studied here, it would be beneficial to review historical events that led to the need to request more troops. Oñate established the first European settlements in New Mexico in the late sixteenth century, but interest in the area had begun decades before.2 In 1539 Fray Marcos de Niza was sent by Viceroy Mendoza on an expedition to explore the seven cities of Cíbola.3 Niza’s expedition was inspired by rumors that the Cabeza de Vaca party brought to Mexico City of civilized people in the Pueblo area; Niza’s “Relación,” in turn, inspired the Coronado expedition of 1540–1542 (Craddock 1999:102). The next noteworthy expeditions of the sixteenth century were those of Chamuscado-Rodríguez (1581–1582) and Espejo (1582–1583). The discovery of a large number of pueblos and the descriptions of Pueblo civilization during this time increased Spaniards’ enthusiasm for exploration and settlement of this part of the northern frontier. The king issued a royal cédula authorizing the conquest of New Mexico on April 19, 1583. Given that there were many parties eager to undertake Sonia Kania is assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Texas, Arlington. Journal of the Southwest 51, 2 (Summer 2009):187–274 188 ✜ Journal of the Southwest this enterprise, the selection process was long and arduous. Although the contract was finally awarded to Juan de Oñate in 1595, the delays in choosing a governor occasioned two illegal entries into the area, the first in 1590 led by Gaspar Castaño de Sosa, lieutenant governor of Nuevo León, and the second in 1593 led by Francisco de Leyva Bonilla and Antonio Gutiérrez de Humaña. Oñate signed the capitulaciones before Viceroy Velasco on September 21, 1595, and he was made governor, adelantado, and captain-general of the new conquests. Oñate quickly began preparations for the expedition into New Mexico and appointed his nephews as his principal lieutenants: Juan de Zaldívar was named maestre de campo, and Vicente de Zaldívar was named sargento mayor. The recruitment process continued in earnest, and by the spring of 1596 Oñate had assembled a party of colonists in the northern town of Zacatecas and was ready to depart for the frontier outpost of Santa Bárbara, the staging point for entry into New Mexico. While the group had reached the Río Nazas, seventy miles south of Santa Bárbara, by September, it would nevertheless suffer various setbacks and delays. These were principally occasioned by the fact that Oñate’s appointment coincided with a change in viceroy, when the Count of Monterrey took Velasco’s place in October 1595. The new viceroy, who thoroughly reviewed the contract and made modifications to it, was at first unfavorably disposed toward Oñate’s appointment. Influenced by the viceroy’s initial attitude, the king entertained a bid from a new candidate for the post, Don Pedro Ponce de León, Count of Bailén, and suspended the Oñate contract, thus halting the expedition. Despite this vacillation, the king ultimately issued the royal order to allow Oñate to continue the conquest of New Mexico on April 2, 1597, the news...