The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924 Page: 332
344 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern historical Quarterly
some deliberate investigations Monterey finally decided to limit
Ofiate's contract in some important particulars. Of special sig-
nificance was the fact that Velasco had granted Ofiate, as governor
and captain-general of New Mexico, immunity from interference
by the viceroy of New Spain or nearby audiencias. This was re-
voked by the count so that Ofiate was held responsible to the
viceroy in matters of war and finance, and to the audiencia in
judicial affairs. Several other limitations were made causing great
discontent and a great deal of controversy later on. Making a
virtue of necessity Ofiate accepted these modifications provisionally.
Meanwhile Monterey had asked the king to await additional in-
formation before approving Oiate's contract. He soon received an
order suspending the contract with the latter. This was due to
the fact that a new applicant, Don Pedro Ponce de Le6n, who was
favored by the Council of the Indies, was at that very time seeking
to displace Ofiate. For almost a year Ponce's fortunes were in
the ascendency while Ofiate, who was already on the road to New
Mexico, was seeking to hold his army intact. The Council of the
Indies actually made separate capitulations with Ponce, who gave
elaborate promises, all of which were better than those made by
Ofiate. But by that time Ponce's empty promises had failed to
materialize. He was ill and unable to undertake the expedition.
The viceroy of New Spain, who evidently disliked Ponce more
than Ofiate, now threw his influence for the latter, with the result
that the negotiations with Ponce were broken off and Ofiate was
permitted to proceed to the reduction of New Mexico.
The documents which tell the story of Don Pedro Ponce de
Le6n are entirely new. They include: the contract made with
him on September 25, 1596; an elaborate statement drawn up by
order of the Council of the Indies showing how much more ad-
vantageous was Ponce's capitulation than Ofiate's; numerous let-
ters from which the rise and ebb of the former's hopes clearly
appear; and a large number of royal cedulas confirming various
privileges which he was to enjoy. Without these documents the
Ofiate entrada could never have been completely and accurately
depicted. In the future no one will attempt to write of the found-
ing of New Mexico without a careful study of these invaluable
documents.332
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924, periodical, 1924; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101086/m1/338/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.