Vicente de Zaldívar (c. 1573 – before 1650) was a Spanish soldier and explorer in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. He led the Spanish force which perpetrated the Acoma Massacre at the

Acoma Pueblo Acoma Pueblo ( , ) is a Native American pueblo approximately west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. Four communities make up the village of Acoma Pueblo: Sky City (Old Acoma), Acomita, Anzac, and McCartys. These communities ...

in 1599. He led or participated in several expeditions onto the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

Early life

Vicente de Zaldívar was born in Pánuco, Zacatecas, circa 1573. The Zaldivar and Oñate families of Zacatecas and

were prominent and intertwined. His father, Vicente de Zaldívar Sr., served in the

Chichimeca War The Chichimeca War (1550–1600) was a military conflict between the Spanish Empire and the Chichimeca Confederation established in the territories today known as the Central Mexican Plateau, called by the Conquistadores La Gran Chichimeca. ...

of 1550-1590 and other wars alongside his uncle (thus Vicente's great-uncle),

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 ...

. His mother was Magdalena de Mendoza y Salazar. He had a brother,

Juan de Zaldívar Juan de Zaldívar (1514–1570) was a Spanish official and explorer in New Spain. He served as a city councillor of Guadalajara from 1539 to 1570. He explored Northern New Spain (the modern-day Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora as well as ...

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 ...

, the founder of the Spanish colony of

in 1598, was their uncle and second cousin.

Career

In 1595, Zaldívar was appointed Sargento mayor by his uncle, Juan de Oñate, in their colonization of

for the Spanish Crown. They arrived in New Mexico in 1598.

Buffalo hunting

Food and resources were scarce in the young colony of New Mexico. On September 15, 1598, Zaldivar and his guide, Jusepe Gutierrez, led a group of 60 men onto the

to determine whether

Bison A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American ...

, the American buffalo, could be domesticated. Departing from

Pecos Pueblo Pecos National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in San Miguel County, New Mexico. The park, operated by the National Park Service, encompasses thousands of acres of landscape infused with historical elements from ...

, Zaldivar journeyed 57 leagues eastward, about , probably to the

Canadian River The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Acoma Pueblo Acoma Pueblo ( , ) is a Native American pueblo approximately west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. Four communities make up the village of Acoma Pueblo: Sky City (Old Acoma), Acomita, Anzac, and McCartys. These communities ...

in New Mexico on December 4, 1598, Zaldívar was promoted to

Maestre de Campo ''Maestre de campo'' was a rank created in 1534 by the Emperor Charles I of Spain, inferior in rank only to the '' capitán general'' and acted as a chief of staff. He was chosen by the monarch in the Council of State, and commanded a ''tercio'' ...

, second in command to Oñate. In January 1599, Zaldívar avenged his brother's death in an attack on Acoma, culminating in the Acoma Massacre in which hundreds of Acomans were killed or enslaved. Poet Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá subsequently wrote a poem about his victory.

Jumano War

Zaldívar was maestro de campo in the expedition to

Quivira Quivira was a province of the ancestral Wichita people, located near the Great Bend of the Arkansas River in central Kansas, The exact site may be near present-day Lyons extending northeast to Salina. The Wichita city of Etzanoa, which flouris ...

in 1601. During that process, he encountered the Jumano people and participated in the Jumano War of 1601.

Personal life

Zaldívar married María de Oñate, who was his cousin (

's daughter). Their only offspring was a son, Nicolas de Zaldívar y Oñate, who was later appointed

Adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning 'advanced') was a title held by some Spain, Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish ''conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th a ...

Later life and death

Zaldívar received the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

in 1626. He died by 1650.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaldivar, Vicente de 16th-century births 17th-century deaths Spanish soldiers Spanish explorers of North America Spanish mass murderers Spanish murderers of children Explorers of New Mexico Order of Santiago Native American genocide perpetrators