In 1549 a baby named Juan de Onate was born. He was born in Zacatecas, New Spain (Mexico). His father’s name was Cristobal De Onate; his father was a conquistador/silver baron. Juan’s mother was Dona Catalina Salazar. They were silver mine owners, and Spanish-Basque colonists. He grew up dreaming of conquering the region north of New Spain.
Juan de Onate first career was as an Indian fighter. He was an Indian fighter in the Northern Frontier region of New Spain. Juan de Onate then married Isabel de Tolosa de Moctezuma. She was the granddaughter of Hernan Cortes. When he grew older he started an expedition. In 1595 King Philip ІІ ordered Juan De Onate to conquer the upper part of the Rio Grande Valley. His expedition started