Juan de Tolosa facts for kids

Juan de Tolosa (born around 1515 – died before 1594) was a Spanish explorer. He was from the Basque region of Spain. Juan de Tolosa is famous for finding huge amounts of silver. He discovered these rich silver deposits in Mexico in 1546. This discovery led to the founding of the important city of Zacatecas.

Early Life of Juan de Tolosa

Juan de Tolosa was born in the 1500s. His birthplace was in or near Tolosa, Spain. People sometimes called him "Barbalonga." This nickname meant "long beard" because he had a very impressive beard. He later moved to a place called New Spain. Today, we know New Spain as Mexico.

Discovering Silver and Founding Zacatecas

We don't know exactly when Juan de Tolosa arrived in the Americas. He was a soldier in a conflict called the Mixtón War. This war happened between 1540 and 1542. After the war, Tolosa began looking for silver. He led several trips with Miguel de Ibarra and Spanish soldiers. They also had Indian slaves helping them.

Finding Silver at Cerro de la Bufa

In a place now called Tlaltenango, local people showed him rocks. These rocks contained silver. On September 8, 1546, he followed the rocks to their source. This source was a hill called Cerro de la Bufa in Zacatecas. He and Ibarra gathered miners and returned to the site. They started to dig for the silver. The silver deposits they found were the richest in all of Mexico.

Founding the City of Zacatecas

On January 20, 1548, Tolosa helped officially start the city of Zacatecas. He did this with Diego de Ibarra, Cristóbal de Oñate, and Baltazar de Bañuelos Temiño. Zacatecas later became known as the "Civilized North." Today, UNESCO recognizes this city as a World Heritage Site. This means it's a very important place for everyone to protect.

Other Silver Discoveries

Tolosa also said he found more silver in 1556. These new deposits were in San Martin, Sombrerete, and Avino. These places were about 115 miles northwest of Zacatecas. He explored for six months with Luis Cortés. Luis was the son of the famous explorer Hernán Cortés. They had 40 soldiers with them. Some people have questioned if Tolosa was truly the first to find silver at San Martin. On another trip, he found important salt deposits. These were at a place called Salinas de Santa Maria.

Tolosa's Financial Situation

Juan de Tolosa was a great explorer. However, he was not as good at business. He owned fewer mines and smelters than other early miners in Zacatecas. By 1594, his children and others said he had died poor. They claimed he spent all his money from Zacatecas on new expeditions. His children were left "without means and in need." They asked the Spanish king for help. They wanted the king to recognize their father's important discoveries.

Juan de Tolosa's Family Life

In 1550, Juan de Tolosa married Leonor Cortés Moctezuma. Leonor was the daughter of Isabel Moctezuma and Hernán Cortés. Juan and Leonor had a son named Juan de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma. They also had two daughters. One daughter was Isabel de Tolosa Cortés de Moctezuma. She married Juan de Oñate Salazar. Their other daughter was Leonor de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma. She married Cristobal de Zaldivar Mendoza. It is believed they had other daughters too. These other daughters were said to be in a monastery in Seville, Spain, in 1604.

When Juan de Tolosa Died

The exact date of Juan de Tolosa's death is not known. However, both he and his wife passed away before the year 1594. In 1576, a man named Matías de Tolosa asked for permission to travel. He wanted to help his "rich brother Juan" in New Spain. This request suggests that Juan de Tolosa had a good network of connections.

See also

In Spanish: Juan de Tolosa para niños