Juan de Tolosa
Encyclopedia
Juan de Tolosa was a Spanish Basque
conquistador, possibly born in or near Tolosa, Spain
. He discovered rich silver deposits near the present day city of Zacatecas
, Mexico in 1546.
, Indians showed him rocks containing silver and, on September 8, 1546, he found his way to the origin of the rocks on the Cerro de la Bufa at Zacatecas. With Ibarra he collected a group of miners and returned to the site to exploit the silver deposits which turned out to be the richest in Mexico. On January 20, 1548 Tolosa along with Diego de Ibarra, Cristóbal de Oñate
, and Baltazar de Bañuelos Temiño officially founded what is now the city of Zacatecas, later known as the "Civilized North." This city is recognized today by UNESCO
as a World Heritage Site.
Tolosa also claimed credit for discovering rich deposits of silver at San Martin, Sombrerete
, and Avino 115 miles north-west of Zacatecas in 1556. Along with Luis Cortés, the son of conquistador Hernan Cortés
, and 40 soldiers he reportedly explored for six months at his own cost before finding the silver deposit. His primacy in the discovery of the silver at San Martin has been disputed. On another expedition he made an important discovery of salt deposits at Salinas de Santa Maria.
Tolosa was apparently not as good a businessman as he was explorer, as he owned fewer mines and smelters than other early mining entrepreneurs in Zacatecas. In 1594, his children and other witnesses claimed that he had died in poverty, spending the fortune he had made in Zacatecas on expeditions to find new mines. His children, left "without means and in need" requested assistance from the Spanish crown in recognition of his contributions.
, born out of wedlock and the daughter of Isabel Moctezuma and Hernan Cortés. She had a son, Juan de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma, and two daughters, Isabel de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma who married Juan de Oñate
Salazar and Leonor de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma who married Cristobal de Zaldivar Mendoza. Other daughters, names unknown, were said to be in a monastery in Seville
, Spain in 1604.
The date of Tolosa's death is unknown although both he and his wife died before 1594.
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
conquistador, possibly born in or near Tolosa, Spain
Tolosa, Spain
Tolosa is a town and municipality to the south of Donostia-San Sebastián in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. It is located in a valley of the river Oria and overlooked by Uzturre, a white cross-topped mountain.-Famous people from Tolosa:...
. He discovered rich silver deposits near the present day city of Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
, Mexico in 1546.
Founder of Zacatecas
Tolosa' date of arrival in the Americas is unknown although he was apparently a soldier during the Mixton War from 1540 to 1542. After the war, Tolosa led several expeditions in search of silver along with Miguel de Ibarra and a contingent of Spanish soldiers and Indian slaves. In what is now TlaltenangoTlaltenango
Tlaltenango, Mexican toponym, may mean:*Tlaltenango de Sánchez Román, Zacatecas*Tlaltenango, Puebla*Tlaltenango, Morelos...
, Indians showed him rocks containing silver and, on September 8, 1546, he found his way to the origin of the rocks on the Cerro de la Bufa at Zacatecas. With Ibarra he collected a group of miners and returned to the site to exploit the silver deposits which turned out to be the richest in Mexico. On January 20, 1548 Tolosa along with Diego de Ibarra, Cristóbal de Oñate
Cristóbal de Oñate
Cristóbal de Oñate was a Spanish Basque explorer, conquistador and colonial official in New Spain. He is considered the founder of the contemporary city of Guadalajara in 1531, as well as other places in Nueva Galicia .-Background:Oñate was born in 1552 in Vitoria or Oñate, in the Basque country...
, and Baltazar de Bañuelos Temiño officially founded what is now the city of Zacatecas, later known as the "Civilized North." This city is recognized today by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as a World Heritage Site.
Tolosa also claimed credit for discovering rich deposits of silver at San Martin, Sombrerete
Sombrerete, Zacatecas
Sombrerete is a colonial city and its surrounding municipality of the same name located in western part of the Mexican state of Zacatecas.Known for being a picturesque city and for its large deposits of mineral ores, discovered in the sixteenth century...
, and Avino 115 miles north-west of Zacatecas in 1556. Along with Luis Cortés, the son of conquistador Hernan Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, and 40 soldiers he reportedly explored for six months at his own cost before finding the silver deposit. His primacy in the discovery of the silver at San Martin has been disputed. On another expedition he made an important discovery of salt deposits at Salinas de Santa Maria.
Tolosa was apparently not as good a businessman as he was explorer, as he owned fewer mines and smelters than other early mining entrepreneurs in Zacatecas. In 1594, his children and other witnesses claimed that he had died in poverty, spending the fortune he had made in Zacatecas on expeditions to find new mines. His children, left "without means and in need" requested assistance from the Spanish crown in recognition of his contributions.
Family
Tolosa was called "Barbalonga" in recognition of his impressive beard. In 1550, he married Leonor Cortés MoctezumaLeonor Cortés Moctezuma
Leonor Cortés Moctezuma was the illegitimate child of Hernan Cortés, conquistador of Mexico, and Isabel Moctezuma the eldest daughter of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II.-Background:...
, born out of wedlock and the daughter of Isabel Moctezuma and Hernan Cortés. She had a son, Juan de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma, and two daughters, Isabel de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma who married Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate
Don Juan de Oñate y Salazar was a Spanish explorer, colonial governor of the New Spain province of New Mexico, and founder of various settlements in the present day Southwest of the United States.-Biography:...
Salazar and Leonor de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma who married Cristobal de Zaldivar Mendoza. Other daughters, names unknown, were said to be in a monastery in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain in 1604.
The date of Tolosa's death is unknown although both he and his wife died before 1594.