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Early Colonization into Northern New Mexico

The exploration by the Spaniards began in Mexico in 1517 when Francisco Hernández de Córdoba discovered the Yucatan and entered through Cape Catoche. The following year, Juan de Grijalva landed on the island of Cozumel, which he called Nueva España (New Spain) since the expedition was sponsored by the queen of Spain. By April 27, 1519, Hernando Cortes, a soldier and alcalde (mayor) of Santiago, Cuba, was sent to conquer Nueva España for the queen of Spain. Cortes and his expedition met resistance from the Aztecs. Cortes and his soldiers fought the ruler of the Aztec Nation and defeated Moctezuma II, the ruler (according to history books).

As the conquest moved north with Nueva España colonized, families from Spain started to settle in what is known today as Mexico. The Spaniards were in search of the “seven cities of gold.” In 1540, Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza sent the conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado with a large expedition to explore north of the (Rio del Notre) Rio Grande, which is known today as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and the plains of Texas and Kansas. The expedition consisted of several hundred men, horses and mules, and some wives and children of the men. The seven cities of gold were never found, and the expedition was considered a failure and, in return, the southwest of the US Continent set stage for future exploration and colonization of territory for the queen of Spain.

A full-scale expedition (1540–1542) to find the cities was dispatched from New Spain under the leadership of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. The treatment of the Pueblo people by Coronado and his men led to the long-standing hostility between the Native Americans and the Spanish and slowed Spanish conquest. The first regular colony at San Juan was founded by Juan de Oñate in 1598 and became the first capital of New Mexico. The Native Americans of Acoma revolted against the Spanish encroachment and were severely suppressed

It wasn’t until 1598 that Don Juan de Oñate was commissioned to lead a large expedition north into Nuevo Mexico. On January 1598, Don Juan de Oñate gave the command to his nephew, Vincente de Zaldivar, to proceed north to the Rio Grande (Rio del Norte), opening a new and more direct trail from Mexico City on into Northern New Mexico via El Camino Real, which is still traveled today, one of the oldest road in the United States. On April 20, 1598, Oñate reached the Rio Grande (Rio del Norte) and proclaimed official possession as governor and captain general of all the land north of the Rio Grande (Rio del Norte).

In 1609, Pedro de Peralta was made governor of the “Kingdom and Provinces of New Mexico”; and a year later, he founded his capital at Santa Fe (“la vida real de Santa Fe”). The little colony did not prosper greatly, although some of the missions flourished, and haciendas were founded. The subjection of Native Americans to forced labor and attempts by missionaries to convert them resulted in a violent revolt by the Apache in 1676 and the Pueblo in 1680. Under the leadership of a Picuris Pueblo Indian named Popay, the Indians united and retaliated against the Spanish in the well-known Revolt of 1680, which drove the Spaniards back to El Paso de Norte.