Juan de Oñate, 1602 
401 
Antonio González, the licentiate Pedro Bravo de Soto Mayor, Doctor 
Eugenio de Salazar, the licentiate Villagutierre Chumacen. 
[ The Council of the Indies to the president of the Casa de Contratación. 
Valladolid, June 12, 1602 , 53 ] 
The maestre de campo of the expedition to New Mexico, Vicente de 
Zaldivar, whom Don Juan de Oñate, in whose charge this exploration is, 
sent to these kingdoms on business of that expedition, has represented 
that it is necessary for the prosecution of the undertaking that there be 
sent from these kingdoms some musketeers, and professional ship¬ 
builders 54 in order to construct vessels and discover a port in those seas, 
for there is a lack of such people in that country. Also he has petitioned 
that he be given permission to raise and recruit in Seville and San Lucar 
as many as sixty persons of this class, and that embarkation be given him 
on his Majesty’s account. His Majesty, having taken advice with regard 
to it, has decided to grant him permission to collect, recruit, and take in 
the fleet as many as forty men of this profession, and that your grace and 
the official judges shall arrange with the masters of the merchant ships 
of the said fleet for the supplies and provisions for them until they disem¬ 
bark at San Juan de Ullua. Whatever this amounts to—provided that 
the aid which his Majesty is giving to Don Juan de Oñate, for this pur¬ 
pose, for this time only, does not come to more than 1500 ducats—shall 
be paid in New Spain from the funds of his Majesty in one of the royal 
treasuries of Vera Cruz or Mexico. His Majesty has also ordered that 
your grace and the official judges shall seek two pilots, experienced and 
expert, who are required for the mapping of the routes to be traversed 
in that expedition, and arrange with them to make this voyage, letting 
them make it at the expense of the said Don Juan de Oñate ; this you shall 
do and arrange for everything, as is proper. And inasmuch as it is the 
pleasure of his Majesty to grant to his grace permission that they may 
take on the said journey the arms mentioned in the list that goes with 
this, you will allow the said maestre de campo to take them, after examin¬ 
ing them carefully and making a record of them. For the Marquis of 
Montesclaros you will give a list of those which they carry on board and 
take with them, so that by it in New Spain he can inspect and distribute 
them to the best advantage for the said expedition and see that they are not 
converted into other merchandise. To the preparation and despatch of 
all this you will give much haste, because of the early departure of the 
fleet and the necessity that the maestre de campo shall go in it. In con¬ 
formity with this the said despatch has been sent to be signed by his 
Majesty, and in order to save time the Council has resolved to inform you 
by this writing of the decision which his Majesty has made in this matter. 
Valladolid, June 12, 1602. Signed by the Council. 
