The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 30, July 1926 - April, 1927 Page: 115
330 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Antonio De Espejo and His Journey to New Mexico 115
his services on the entrada, "having traveled, within the past year
and over, more than eight hundred leagues, visiting and exploring
the provinces of New Mexico,"" that he lost no time after his return
to petition a remission of his sentence. With due regard to these
circumstances, the expedition of Antonio de Espejo is to be con-
sidered.
Antonio de Espejo was born in the village of Torre Milano, a
suburb of C6rdova. Nothing is known concerning his parentage
and his early life. IHe came to Mexico in 1571 with Archbishop
Moya y Contreras as one of the officials of the Inquisition to be
put in force by Moya. In 1575 he petitioned that his three-year-
old daughter Juana be declared legitimate and be made his heir.
The legitimacidn was granted. The daughter later married
Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, brother of Fr. Juan Gonzalez de
Mendoza, author of the famous Historia de la China (1585),
which contains an account of the Espejo expedition to New Mex-
ico. It now appears that the historian was given an independ-
ent relacion by his brother, Pedro Gonzales, who went to Spain
in 1584 as agent for Espejo.6
Antonio de Espejo soon became active in the northern interior
as a cattle rancher. His success was marked, for, by 1580, he
owned numerous estancias, or cattle-ranches, in the districts of
Queretaro and Celaya.7 In 1584, when he petitioned the crown
for a commission to undertake the conquest and settlement of
New Mexico, he was able to pledge more than one hundred thou-
sand gold ducats. Hle never failed to mention in his several let-
ters to the king that he was very wealthy and qualified to equip
an expedition without cost to real hacienda. It does not appear
accounts which had just come into his possession: (1) Diego Perez de
Luxdn, "Entrada que hizo en el Nuevo Mexico Anton de Espejo en el aaio
do 82" (A. G. I. 1-1-3/22); and (2) Baltasir de Obregon, "Cronica
comentario 6 relaciones de los descubrimientos antiguos y modernos de N.
E. y del Nuevo Mexico, 1584" (A. G. I., 1-1-3/22). Beyond this slight
use of these documents they have never been used as the basis of an
authoritative account. Not only has the writer consulted the materials
mentioned above, but he has also used numerous other unpublished docu-
ments which he found in the Archivo General de Indias.
"Espejo to the viceroy, 1583, 193.
"Wagner, H. R., The Spanish Southwest, 1542-1794 (Berkeley, 1924),
76-77.
7Memorial of Espejo to the king, in Col. Doc. In1d., XV, 151, 161;
Obregon, Cr6nica (A. G. I., 1-1-3/22) ; Informacion sobre la muerte de
officio de Queretaro, 6 de abril de 1581 (A. G. 1., 58-6-23).
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 30, July 1926 - April, 1927, periodical, 1927; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117142/m1/129/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.