212 
The Founding of New Mexico 
side of the Rio del Norte south of the junction of the Río Chama, 75 was 
the point of departure for the expedition. With Oñate went seventy sol¬ 
diers, two missionaries, and a number of servants. The route was by way 
of Galisteo, the Canadian River, and overland to Quivira at the site of the 
present Wichita, Kansas. Because of Indian hostilities the party soon 
returned, after having been gone from San Gabriel from June 23 to 
November 24, 1601. 
When Oñate returned to New Mexico from his Quivira expedition in 
1602, he found that most of the settlers and missionaries had deserted and 
gone back to Santa Bárbara where they gave evidence of their displeasure 
with Oñate by filing fifty-seven different charges against him. This is 
explained by the fact that the colonists disapproved of Oñate’s explora¬ 
tions because they preferred that he should devote all his energies and 
activities to the internal development and organization of the country. 
At once Zaldivar was sent by Oñate to arrest the deserter colonists and 
send them to New Mexico, as was done. After this Zaldivar was sent 
to Spain to appeal in person to the king for reinforcements for Oñate. 7R 
In Spain Zaldivar asked for permission to recruit as many as sixty 
musketeers and professional ship-builders to be used for discovering a 
port on either the North or the South sea and for constructing vessels 
thereon. On June 12, 1602, permission was given him to recruit forty 
such men and to conduct them to New Spain at royal expense not to 
exceed 1,500 ducats. Permission was also given him to engage at Oñate’s 
expense two expert pilots “ for the mapping of the routes to be traversed 
in that expedition Finally, Zaldivar was authorized to take with him 
seventy harquebuses; thirty muskets; one hundred coats of mail; one 
hundred cuishes; fifty steel helmets; one hundred swords and daggers; 
and fifty leather jackets. 77 
About the same time three very significant royal cédulas were issued 
with reference to Oñate. The first of these, issued on February 7, 1602, 
formally conferred upon Oñate, and upon his son after his death, the title 
of governor; at the same time the various privileges, honors, prerogatives, 
and immunities supplementary to the governorship were listed. 78 In a 
second cédula, issued on July 4, 1602, Oñate was given authority, after 
the Indians of New Mexico had submitted, to levy tributes upon them, 
“ provided that they do not exceed ten reales a year for each tributary 
75 Bolton, op. cit., p. 203; reprint of original manuscript map, p. 212; translation of the 
official account of the expedition to the east, p. 251. 
76 Ibid., p. 206. 
77 The Council of the Indies to the president of the Casa de Contratación, Valladolid, 
June 12, 1602. This volume, p. 403. See also royal cédula to the president of the Casa 
de Contratación, Burgos, June 23, 1603. This volume pp. 407-409. See also Royal cédula 
to the viceroy of New Spain, Valencia, Jan. 21, 1604. This volume, pp. 409-411. See also 
Royal cédula to the officials of the Casa de Contratación, Valladolid, Sept. 8, 1603. This 
volume, p. 409. 
78 Title of adelantado of the provinces of New Mexico for Don Juan de Oñate, Villal- 
pando, Feb. 7, 1602. This volume, pp. 397-399. 
