Fernando de O fíate, 1612 
441 
Evidence officially received by the royal Audiencia of New Spain upon 
what was submitted by Don Fernando de Oñate in regard to his 
character, merits, and services, and those of Don Fernando de Ohate 
his father, and his grandfathers . [ 1612 .] 
In the City of Mexico, on the twentieth day of February, 1612, the 
señores president and oidores of the royal Audiencia of New Spain de¬ 
clared that inasmuch as it has been petitioned by Don Fernando de Oñate 
that evidence be received in this royal Audiencia in regard to his charac¬ 
ter, merits, and services, so that he may appear before his Majesty and his 
royal Council of the Indies to ask that he be granted the favor, in re¬ 
muneration of his services and those presented by Don Fernando de Oñate, 
his father, of a knighthood in one of the military orders, or any other favor 
which it may please his Majesty to grant, and since, in accordance with 
his royal decree, this royal Audiencia has to receive evidence officially, 
they ordered that the said evidence should be taken and received. By the 
señor Don Pedro de Otalora, as president of the said royal Audiencia 
through the death of the señor archbishop and viceroy of the said New 
Spain, the licentiate Diego Núñez Morquecho was named as the oidor 
before whom it should be done. And for this he caused to appear before 
him all the persons whom he understood to be acquainted with the truth, 
and he was given the power and authority that the law requires to question 
and re-question them as might be necessary, and when the said evidence 
had been prepared to submit it to the royal court for its decision. And 
they thus provided and ordered. Martín Ossorio de Agüero. 
In the City of Mexico, on the third day of the month of March, 1612, 
the señor licentiate Diego Núñez Morquecho, oidor of this royal Audien¬ 
cia, to whom its royal court, on the twenty-second of February of this 
year, committed the taking of the proofs of the merits and character of 
Don Fernando de Oñate, the younger, declared that inasmuch as in the 
said matter his Majesty had to receive evidence officially, in accordance 
with what has been ordered by his Majesty, he ordered and directed that 
the witnesses in it should be examined by the following questions: 
First, whether they know the licentiate Juan de Paz de Vallecillo, his 
Majesty’s fiscal in this royal Audiencia, and the said Don Fernando de 
Oñate, the younger, and his parents and grandparents. 
Item: Whether they know that Don Fernando de Oñate, being married 
and veiled, 82 according to the order of Holy Mother Church, with Doña 
Leonor de Ribadeneyra, had and procreated, as his legitimate and eldest 
son, born of legitimate marriage, the said Don Fernando de Oñate, the 
younger, rearing and supporting him as such, and that common repute 
has held him to be such; that the said Don Fernando de Oñate, father of 
the said Don Fernando, is the same who presented the evidence of merits 
in the year 1577, which will be shown to the witnesses and will be ordered 
despatched and sent to the court of his Majesty together with that offi¬ 
cially taken and judged by this royal Audiencia; and that up to the present 
time the said Don Fernando has not succeeded in securing any reward for 
