Juan de Zaldívar (1514–1570) was a Spanish official and explorer in

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

. He served as a city councillor of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

from 1539 to 1570. He explored Northern New Spain (the modern-day Mexican states of

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

and

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de 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 divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

as well as southeastern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

) in search of the mythical towns of Cíbola and Quivira. By the 1560s, he was the owner of mines, farms and slaves, and one of the richest men in New Spain.

Early life

Juan de Zaldívar was born in 1514 near Vitoria in Basque Country, Spain. His father was Ruy Díaz de Zaldívar and his mother, María Pérez de Oñate. His maternal uncles were

Cristóbal de Oñate Cristóbal de Oñate (1504 — October 6, 1567) was a Spanish Basque explorer, conquistador and colonial official in New Spain. He is considered the founder of the contemporary city of Guadalajara in 1531, as well as other places in Nueva Gali ...

, who served as the Lieutenant-Governor and interim Governor of

Nueva Galicia Nuevo Reino de Galicia (New Kingdom of Galicia; ) or simply Nueva Galicia (''New Galicia'', ''Nova Galicia''), known in Nahuatl as Chimalhuacán (‘the land of shield bearers’), was an autonomous kingdom of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It w ...

in the 1530s and 1540s, and

Juan de Oñate Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador, explorer and viceroy of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain, in the present-day U.S. state of New Mexico. He led early Spanish expedition ...

, an administrator of the Spanish Crown.

Career

Zaldívar emigrated to

in 1533. Six years later, in 1539, he was appointed as a city councillor of

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (; 1510 – 22 September 1554) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led a large expedition from what is now Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542 ...

. He served in this capacity until his death in 1570. Meanwhile, Zaldívar was asked by Coronado to explore Northern New Spain (the modern-day Mexican states of

and

as well as southeastern

) in search of the gold in the mythical town of Cíbola in 1539. By 1541, he was asked to find another mythical town, Quivira. By 1566, Zaldívar was the owner of mines, slaves, and farms. He had become one of the richest men in New Spain.

Personal life

Zaldívar married Marina de Mendoza, the daughter of Luis Marín, a wealthy

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

who was involved in the 1521 fall of Tenochtitlan alongside

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

. They had eight children.

Death

Zaldívar died in 1570.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaldivar, Juan de 1514 births 1570 deaths People from Álava Politicians from Guadalajara, Jalisco Immigrants to New Spain Mexican farmers Spanish explorers Spanish slave owners