Juan de Onate Expedition - 1598
San Elizario, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Spanish interest in the territory known as New Mexico increased during the 1580s and 1590s. Although reports of mining and missionary possibilities were significant, King Philip II of Spain was also concerned about New World explorations of rival England. As a result, Don Juan de Onate was commissioned in 1595 to lead an expedition to claim and colonize the New Mexico region in the name of the king. After many delays, Onate and his party of 400 men and members of their families left Santa Barbara, Mexico in January 1598. Instead of following earlier routes, they crossed the Chihuahua Desert to reach the El Paso area. In a formal ceremony at this site on April 30, 1598, Onate issued a proclamation, known as La Toma, taking possession of the region for Spain. Included was all land drained by the Rio Del Norte, the Rio Grande. Proceeding north, Onate established headquarters near present Santa Fe and founded the province of New Mexico. As Governor, he directed exploration of the area until he resigned in 1607. Onate's expedition and La Toma brought Spanish rule to the American Southwest and preceded colonization efforts of other European nations on the North American continent. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As Spain eyed both the mineral and missionary promise of New Mexico and worried over English rivals in the New World, King Philip II commissioned Don Juan de Oñate in 1595 to claim and colonize the region. In January 1598 Oñate led some 400 men and their families north across the Chihuahuan Desert to the El Paso area, where on April 30, 1598, he performed the ceremony called La Toma, taking formal possession of all the land drained by the Rio Grande for Spain. He then pressed north to found the province of New Mexico near present Santa Fe.
Why it matters
La Toma marks the arrival of Spanish rule in the American Southwest—decades before Jamestown or Plymouth—shaping the region's language, faith, and culture for centuries.
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Related people
- · Juan de Oñate
- · Philip II of Spain
Related events
- · La Toma
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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