Juan de Benavídes was born in Benavente in the modern province of Zamora. Prior to the Expedition he received a salary from Viceroy Mendoza. He was present at the 1540 muster as an unassigned horseman. After the Expedition a Juan de Benavídes appears in Colima, Michoacán, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, but the historical record does not make it certain that he was an expeditionary. It is highly likely that he was related to Cristóbal Mayorga and Pedro de Benavídes.
1530-1540
AGI, Justicia, 258, pieza 1, “Relacion de los salarios” [fol.800r:Nov. 1539, a Johan de benavides...L pesos]
1540-1550
1540, Feb: Muster in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 12 [2 horses, elk hide jacket, native arms (order: Pedro, Cristóbal Mayorga, Juan)]
1550-1560
?Hillerkuss, Documentalia [Benavides, Juan de: interpreter; 11 March 1551, witness in Tenamaxtlan, partido de Colima, p.65; 7 April 1551, witness in Teocaltitlan, 70-72; 15 April 1551, in the pueblo of Zapotitlan, which is the encomienda of Juan de Zaldívar, vecino of Guadalajara, witness, p.73-74 and same day witness in Xonacatlan, p.75; 17 April 1551, witness in Cactlan, p.75-76; 24 March 1551, witness in Poncitlan, Cuitzeo and 1 April 1551 in Compostela; the outskirts of Michoacán, p.89-94; 13 April, 1551, witness in Coinan, encomienda of Andrés de Villanueva, p.96-97];
?Hillerkuss, Diccionario Biográfico, vol.1 [possibilities: 1)1550, Witness in Guadalajara; 3)1551 in Tenamaxtlan and in Poncitlan, Altos de Jalisco; April 10, 1551 at an estancia of pigs and other livestock of Juan de Zaldívar; Coinan; all having to do with the bishoprics of Jalisco and Michoacán; in Zapotitlan; in Xonacatlan; in Cactlan; interpreter]
?AGI, México, 281 [1559, Probanza of Pedro Diáz Pizarro, Michuacán, witness: Juan de Benavídes, vecino, 35 +/-, signed-no signature]
1560-1570
?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 7, exp. 11, 1568 [fol.28: notary for case Juan de Benavídes, Michoacán; also, vol.8, exp.2, fs.116; vol.8, exp.4, fs.18; vol.9, exp.1, fs.57; vol.9, exp.2, fs.54; 1561, vol.17, exp.4, fs.20; 1562, vol.38, exp.10, fs.27; 1569, vol.39, exp.3, fs.45; 1571, Vol.46, exp.4, fs.7; vol. 111, exp.2, fs.8; vol.111, exp.12, fs 15 (Guayanguero); 1574, vol.68, exp.4, fs.49; 1570, vol.72, exp.8, fs.1; exp.12, fs.48; vol.109, exp.3, fs.6, 162; vol.110, exp.2, fs.8; exp7, fs.9 (the notary in Michoacán is the same, signature copied from Vol. 8);
?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 7, exp. 12, 1568 [Valladolid, Michoacán; an Hernando Ortega is accused of refusing to listen to a sermon; witnesses: a Juan de Benavídez is a ministerio público [mto puco] in March 1568, Benavídez signs (have signature, same as Inquisición, vol.8, exp.4, 1572); another is a Cristóbal García, colegial, 39 years old];
1570-1580
?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 110, exp. 5, 1570 [fol.143: notary in Colima: same as the notary in Michoacán];
?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 46, primera parte, exp. 4, 1572 [fols. 15-22: a Juan Ruiz is fiscal of the audiencia episcopal de Michoacán; he brings charges against Álvaro de Ojeda and Florián Palomino, estantes in the mines of Guanajuato, for making heretical statements; Juan de Benavídez, mt [ministerio], certifies documents; Benavídez signs (same signature as AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 7, exp. 6)];
?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 112, exp. 12, 1572 ["El Santo Jubileo en Tuspa. Un caso para el Santo oficio (1571-1572) [note.45, la foliacion de este documento es nuestra la ponemos entre parentesis por no tenerla el original], notario apostolico, p.370; signed and rubric p. 381];
?AGI, Contaduría, 679 [penas deposited in the caja real: in April 1578, a Juan de Benavídes is fined 2 pesos in Mexico City]
?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisicion, vol.8, part 2, exp.4 [fol.383v: notary for case Juan de Benavídes, Michoacán, 1572, signed];
AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 91, exp. 4, 1568-72 [fol.19: notary in Mexico: the notary in Michoacán is the same, signed];
?Hillerkuss, Diccionario Biográfico, vol.1 [4) notary apostolic in Michoacán (probably #3), p.161-62]
after 1590
?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD61, Inquisición, Vol. 214, exp. 16, 1593 [fol.236: against Cristóbal Ruíz for having forged the signature of the secretary of the Holy Office on a prison order against Juan Benavídes]
Other Info:
AGI, Indiferente General, 160; Piferrer, Nobiliario, 3:29-31, #1153 [family name from Jaén; originally from Galicia; from Viedma and used that in their name; Men Rodríguez de Viedma y de Benavídes was the first to take Benavídes]