Juan de Oñate's Early Life
Oñate was born in the year 1550 (1550-1626) in the New Spain city of Zacatecas, into a wealthy family of Spanish-Basque colonist and Silver mine owners. Juan de Oñate's father was the conquistador/silver baron Cristobal De Oñate, and his mother Doña Catalina Salazar y de la Cadena. Juan de oñate later on went on and married Isabel de Tolosa Cortes de Moctezima, who was the granddaughter of Hernan Cortes (The conqueror of the Aztec triple alliance) and also the great granddaughter of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma Xocoyozin. during Juan de Oñate's twenties started helping out his father with leading campaigns against the "Unsubdued Chichimec Indians" along the turbulent northern frontier around Zacatecas and prospecting for silver . He also aided the establishment of missions in the newly conquered territory.
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