Fernando de Oñate, 1612 
455 
placing his hand on his breast and promising to speak the truth; being 
questioned by the said interrogatory, he made the following declaration: 
To the first question he declared that he knows his Majesty’s fiscal of 
this royal Audiencia and Don Fernando de Oñate, the younger, and Doña 
Leonor de Ribadeneyra, his wife, parents of the said Don Fernando de 
Oñate, the younger, and also Cristóbal de Oñate and Doña Catalina de 
Salazar, his wife, paternal grandparents of the said Don Fernando de 
Oñate, the younger, and Fernando de Ribadeneyra and Doña Maria de 
Mérida, his wife, maternal grandparents of the aforesaid Don Fernando, 
and he has knowledge of the purpose for which this evidence is being 
taken. 
As to the general questions respecting competence he declared that he 
is nowise disqualified and that he is fifty-five years of age. 
To the second question he declared that he knows and it is true that the 
said Don Fernando de Oñate, the younger, is the legitimate son of the 
legitimate marriage of the said Don Fernando de Oñate and Doña Leonor 
de Ribadeneyra, for this witness saw that the aforesaid persons, being 
married and veiled according to the order of the Holy Mother Church, 
had and procreated from the said marriage as their legitimate and eldest 
son the said Don Fernando de Oñate, the younger, and that they have 
treated and reared him as such, they calling him “ son ” and he calling 
them “ father ” and “ mother,” and in this repute he has always held and 
considered them, without anything to the contrary. And this witness 
had knowledge of the proofs of merits that were presented in the previous 
year of ’77, in this royal Audiencia, by the said Don Fernando de Oñate, 
the elder, and, although they were sent to the court of his Majesty with 
the opinion of this royal Audiencia, as was publicly known, it has never 
since come to the knowledge of this witness that the said merits have been 
rewarded; on the contrary this witness is certain that no favor has ever 
been granted to the said Don Fernando, for if it had been done this witness 
would know it, through his constant intercourse with the family of the 
said Don Fernando, and for the same reason he knows that what is stated 
in the said proofs is true. This he affirms. 
To the third question he declared that he knows and saw that after 
the said Don Fernando de Oñate had presented the proofs of merits men¬ 
tioned in the question, the corregimiento of this City of Mexico having 
become vacant previously to this, the Marquis of Montesclaros, 92 then 
viceroy of this New Spain, observing the high lineage, character, and good 
abilities of the said Don Fernando de Oñate, chose and named him to be 
corregidor of this city. This witness saw him fill and exercise the said 
office with great integrity, rectitude, and Christianity, adding much lustre 
in this community to his name, of which he left laudable opinion and fame. 
This witness knew that he gave a good account, from which no blame 
resulted to him, in regard to which reference is made to the principal 
article in it. This witness saw that the said Marquis of Montesclaros, 
holding in great esteem the said Don Fernando and all his brothers, as 
being of the highest rank known in this kingdom, appointed at the same 
time as his captain of the guard Don Alonso de Oñate, legitimate brother 
of the said Don Fernando, the elder, 93 and this witness saw him fill and 
