Fernando de Oñate, 1612 
445 
Catalina de Salazar, his wife, paternal grandparents of the said Don Fer¬ 
nando de Oñate, the younger, and Hernando de Ribadeneyra and Doña 
Maria de Mérida, his wife, maternal grandparents of the aforesaid. He 
has been informed of the purpose for which this evidence is being taken, 
and declared that as to the general questions respecting competence he is 
nowise disqualified, 84 and that he is more than forty years of age. 
To the second question he answered that he knows and saw and that 
it is the truth that the aforesaid Don Fernando de Oñate and Doña Leonor 
de Ribadeneyra, his wife, are married and veiled legitimately and in fasce 
eclesie , 85 for this witness has seen them living in matrimony, and they 
have been commonly reputed and held to be legitimate husband and wife. 
From the said marriage it is known that they have had and procreated 
as their legitimate and eldest son the said Don Fernando de Oñate, the 
younger, and they have reared and supported and nourished him as such, 
calling him “ son ” and he calling the aforesaid “ father ” and “ mother ”, 
and this is public and well known and is a thing of which there can be no 
doubt. This witness has knowledge of the evidence referred to in the 
question which was submitted by the said Don Fernando de Oñate, the 
elder, in the year 1577, and he knows what was contained in it; and it 
has never come to the knowledge of this witness that, although it was 
sent to the royal Council of the Indies, there have ever come from it any 
rewards or remunerations for the said services and merits, for if there 
had been any this witness would know it without fail because of the con¬ 
stant intercourse he has had with the family of the said Don Fernando de 
Oñate. This he affirms. 
To the third question he answered that he knows and saw that after the 
said Don Fernando de Oñate, the elder, presented the proofs of merits con¬ 
tained in the question before this, the corregimiento of this City of Mexico 
having become vacant during the time of the administration of the gov¬ 
ernment of New Spain by the viceroy, Marquis of Montesclaros, 86 be¬ 
cause of his satisfaction with the character of the said Don Fernando de 
Oñate, the elder, and because the latter is one of the noble gentlemen of 
this country, the said viceroy selected him for the said corregimiento , and 
this witness saw him fill and exercise the said office with great integrity 
and to the satisfaction of all this community, as is proved by the excellent 
account which he made to this Council, to which reference is made. And 
this witness also knows and saw that at the said time the viceroy, esteem¬ 
ing the family of the said Don Fernando to be as worthy as has been 
stated, named as his captain of the guard Don Alonso de Oñate, his 
younger brother and uncle to the said Don Fernando, the younger, which 
office he filled with great credit, conducting it in conformity with his 
high rank. This he affirms, and knows nothing to the contrary. 
To the fourth question he answered that he knows and saw that Gov¬ 
ernor Don Juan de Oñate, legitimate brother of the said Don Fernando de 
Oñate and uncle of the said Don Fernando, the younger, entered and made 
the expedition of the campaign to New Mexico at his own cost and ex¬ 
pense, being aided and succored in the very great expenses which he 
incurred in it by the said Don Fernando de Oñate and Don Cristóbal de 
Oñate, his brothers, which they did and declared that they did for the 
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