Vicente de Zaldívar facts for kids

Vicente de Zaldívar (born around 1573 – died before 1650) was a Spanish soldier and explorer. He explored parts of New Mexico and the Great Plains. He was involved in a major conflict at Acoma Pueblo in 1599.

Early Life and Family

Vicente de Zaldívar was born in Pánuco, Zacatecas, around 1573. His family, the Zaldívars, and the Oñate family were very important in Zacatecas and New Mexico.

His father, Vicente de Zaldívar, Sr., was a soldier. He fought in the Chichimeca War (1550-1590) and other battles. His great-uncle, Cristóbal de Oñate, also fought alongside his father.

Vicente's mother was Magdalena de Mendoza y Salazar. He had a brother named Juan de Zaldívar. Juan de Oñate, who started the Spanish colony of New Mexico in 1598, was their uncle and second cousin.

Career as a Soldier and Explorer

In 1595, Vicente de Zaldívar was given an important role. His uncle, Juan de Oñate, made him a Sargento mayor. This was part of their plan to colonize New Mexico for Spain. They arrived in New Mexico in 1598.

Hunting Buffalo on the Plains

Finding enough food and supplies was hard for the new colony. On September 15, 1598, Zaldívar led a group of 60 men. Their guide was Jusepe Gutierrez. They went onto the Great Plains to see if Bison, also known as American buffalo, could be tamed.

They started from Pecos Pueblo. Zaldívar traveled about 250 kilometers (155 miles) east. He likely reached the Canadian River valley. There, he found huge herds of buffalo.

Zaldívar and his men built a large pen. They tried to catch thousands of buffalo. But the buffalo were wild and strong. They killed three horses and hurt 40 others. Zaldívar then caught some buffalo calves, but they all died quickly.

Since taming buffalo didn't work, Zaldívar focused on hunting. He returned to the Spanish settlements with about 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of buffalo fat. He said buffalo meat was even better than Spanish beef. Zaldívar and his men got back on November 8, 1598.

Conflict at Acoma

On December 4, 1598, Zaldívar's brother, Juan, and other Spanish soldiers were killed. This happened at Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. After this event, Vicente de Zaldívar was promoted. He became Maestre de Campo, which meant he was second-in-command to Oñate.

In January 1599, Zaldívar led an attack on Acoma. This was in response to his brother's death. The conflict resulted in many Acoman people being killed or taken captive. A poet named Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá later wrote a poem about this event.

Jumano War Expedition

In 1601, Zaldívar was the maestro de campo for an expedition to Quivira. During this journey, he met the Jumano people. He also took part in the Jumano War of 1601.

Personal Life

Vicente de Zaldívar married María de Oñate. She was his cousin and the daughter of Juan de Oñate. They had one son, Nicolas de Zaldívar y Oñate. Their son later received the title of Adelantado.

Later Life

Zaldívar was honored with the Order of Santiago in 1626. He passed away sometime before 1650.