Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate (1550–1626) was a Spanish explorer, conqueror, and the first governor of the area that is now New Mexico. He led early Spanish expeditions into the Great Plains and the Lower Colorado River Valley and helped establish settlements in the region.
Oñate set up the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México and served as its governor from 1598 to 1606. He based his government at Ohkay Owingeh (the Pueblo of San Juan) and worked to spread Catholic missions as Spaniards expanded their control into present-day New Mexico.
One of the most infamous events of his career was the Ácoma Massacre of 1599. After a dispute with the Acoma Pueblo, Oñate’s forces attacked the pueblo, killing many people and destroying homes. He punished survivors harshly, and the brutality of the encounter led to his eventual banishment for cruelty and misrule.
In 1601, Oñate led a separate expedition east to the Great Plains in search of the legendary city of Quivira. He met several indigenous groups, described vast grasslands, and engaged in battles and negotiations. The journeys provided some of the first European descriptions of parts of the southern Plains, though details are still debated by historians.
His last major voyage, in 1604–1605, went west to the lower Colorado River in an attempt to find a sea route to supply New Mexico by sea. The expedition reached the Gulf of California and then returned to New Mexico.
Oñate was recalled to Mexico City and later exiled from New Mexico for cruelty and mismanagement. He eventually went back to Spain, where he lived the rest of his life and died in Seville in 1626. He is sometimes called “the Last Conquistador.”
Today, Oñate remains a controversial figure. Some view him as an important explorer and founder, while others criticize him for violent acts against Indigenous peoples. In New Mexico and surrounding areas, statues and place names connected to him have sparked protests and changes.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:08 (CET).