Real de San Juan Bautista de Sonora was the location of one of the first silver mines in
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, then part of
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
.
Now ruined, it lies near to the town of
Cumpas
Cumpas is the municipal seat of Cumpas Municipality of the Mexican state of Sonora.
References
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de MexicoINEGIGobierno de SonoraSocial Economic Profile of Cumpas(in Spanish)
External linksCumpas, Ayuntamiento Di ...
, founded in 1643 by the Jesuit missionary Egidio Monteffio.
The name of Sonora seems to have first been given to the principal valley or to the San Juan Bautista mining district, and later was used for the whole province.
Rich mineral deposits were discovered at San Juan Bautista in 1657.
The Presidio de las Fronteras de Sonora was created in 1690, an armed force with no permanent base, but operating at first out of the San Juan Bautista mining camp.
In 1693
Domingo Jironza Petriz de Cruzate
Domingo Jironza Pétriz de Cruzate (or Domingo Gironza) (born c. 1640) was a Spanish soldier who was Spanish governors of New Mexico, Governor of New Mexico from 1683 to 1686, and again from 1689 to 1691.
He came to office at a time a large part o ...
, former governor of New Mexico, was made captain for life of the Presidio of Fronteras and alcalde mayor of Sonora,
holding office until 1701.
In 1702 Don Juan Francisco de Bustamante y Velasco was appointed alcaldía mayor of San Juan Bautista.
As of 1724 San Juan Bautista was within the province of
Nueva Vizcaya,
and was administered by the ''Alcalde mayor de Sonora y minas de San Juan Bautista''.
In 1722, San Juan Bautista was the scene of meetings where the leading citizens and civil authorities of the provinces of Sinaloa and Sonora Ostimuri drew up proposals to radically overhaul the system of government, then dominated by the Jesuits missions. They proposed a secular organization with mission lands divided between Indians and settlers,
and with Indians given the freedom to work where they wanted.
The meetings were convened by Rafael Pacheco Cevallos and captain Gregorio Álvarez Tuñón y Quirós.
Two deputies were chosen to represent the communities, a miner and a merchant.
A description of Sonora in 1767 said the mine had been abandoned, with its shafts flooded, due to the hostility of the
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
s.
Today the land is used for pasturage.
Due to its historical significance, the site has been registered with the National Institute of Anthropology and History, and is protected by the
1972 Federal law for archaeological, historical and artistic zones and monuments.
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{{coord missing, Sonora
Silver mines in Mexico
Silver mining in the Spanish Empire