Juan Velarde Colodro, 1612-1614 
477 
the crown, the captain came to this city for a relief party of soldiers and 
other things; the viceroy, the Marquis of Salinas, gave it to him and put 
the people of the party under his charge, making him their commissary. 
He led the party to New Mexico, consuming more than two years in this 
work, giving a good account of everything. For proof of this, reference 
is made to the title which he has presented. This is what the witness 
knows and has seen, etc. 
To the ninth question this witness said that he has seen the titles which 
Captain Juan Velarde Colodro has presented, and that he is the person 
named in them. That never in all the time that he was in New Mexico 
did he receive any compensation for his services, for there was no oppor¬ 
tunity ; but never did the captain fail to respond punctually to the demands 
of his Majesty’s service with his arms, servants, and horses, disregarding 
hardships and inclement weather. All this the witness saw, he himself 
having always been present during all the conquest in the capacity of 
adjutant [ayudante de] sargento mayor of the army. This he knows, 
etc.; and all the foregoing is the truth according to the oath which he has 
taken, etc. 
In the City of Mexico on the sixth day of the month of September of 
the year mentioned, the oidor caused to appear before him for the purpose 
of testifying in this official investigation Vicente de Zaldivar Mendoza, 
maestre de campo of the New Mexico expedition. The oath was received 
from him, he taking it in the presence of the oidor , etc. 
Being questioned according to the interrogatory he said as follows: 
To the first question he said that he knows his Majesty’s fiscal and the 
Captain Colodro mentioned in the question. 
To the general legally prescribed questions respecting competence he 
said that he is thirty-six years old, and that they [the general questions] 
do not disqualify him. 
To the second question he said that what he knows about it is that he 
knows the contents of the question to be true, for this witness saw the 
journey performed, in conformity with his Majesty’s cédula, Don Juan 
de Oñate being general, and himself sargento mayor of the expedition. 
As such, this witness was present when the men who went to New Mexico 
were enlisted, and he saw the Captain Juan Velarde Colodro was one of 
the first who enlisted for the journey under the royal standard. The 
captain attended punctually to all which this witness and the general com¬ 
manded him, assisting in all the official business which was necessary 
during the enlistment, as well as upon the entire journey until the provinces 
of New Mexico were reached. During it all he had many personal duties 
to attend to, in his capacity as captain and in attention to other matters 
confided to him as a person of importance. This he responds, etc. 
To the third question this witness said that he saw that when the entire 
army had arrived in the provinces of New Mexico, and a great number 
of the Indians had been pacified, they gave their submission to his Majesty 
before Captain Juan Velarde Colodro, he being named secretary for the 
purpose because the business was so important; yet he did not for that 
reason fail to take part with his arms in the war or to do what was neces- 
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