The name Francisco Díaz was very common both in Spain and New Spain. Francisco was not present at the muster of 1540 but did appear as a witness for fellow expeditionary Cristóbal de Escobar and reported that he came to New Spain in 1538 on the same ship as Cristóbal and that he participated in the Expedition. Using the available documentary record we prefer the Francisco Díaz who was born in 1522 in Nájera (La Rioja), an area controlled by the Mendoza clan. This individual most closely matches the timeline of arriving in New Spain with Escobar. Building on this assumption, Francisco lived most of his life in Mexico City, was a scribe, and married to Ana de Luxán, with whom he had at least four children. He probably died in Mexico City sometime before July 18, 1562, the date his widow filed a document.
1530-1540:
AGI, México, 206, N.35 [Cristóbal de Escobar came on same navío as Francisco Díaz; arrived in 1538]
1540-1550:
?González-Leal, Relación Secreta [pp. 57-67: Pobladores without Indians: includes a Francisco Díaz]
?AGI, Justicia, 270, Pieza 2, “Visita a los alcaldes de México, Gerónimo de Medina y Gonzalo López, 1542” [a witness is Francisco Díaz, who can sign his name-no signature on copy] (the date of this testimony means that this man may not be ours; unless this is in the Fall)];
?APSM, “Bautismos de Españoles, 1536-1746” [fol.128v Francisco Diáz and his wife baptized Andrés with padrino Mari López, wife of Pedro de Vargas, 27 Oct. 1543;
AGI, México, 204, N.19 [Sept 24, 1545; estante in Mexico City; asking for a merced; parents- Juan Diáz and María Diáz, vecinos of Nájera; escribano; witnesses- Juan de Mançanares, Juan Izquierdo, Alonso Diáz];
?APSM, “Bautismos de Españoles, 1536-1746” [fol.166r: 8 Feb 1546 Francisco Diáz and Juan de Morales padrinos for son of Juan de Villalobos, deceased];
?AGN, El Libro de Tasaciones [p. 556-59: Xalatlaco, en la comarca de México, obispado de México; 1546: a Francisco Díaz, escribano, prepared an agreement between Comendador Cervantes, the encomendero, and the natives of Xalatlaco];
AGI, México, 204, N.22 [witness: Francisco Díez, escribano de su magestad, native of Nájera, estante in México, about 25 years of age] [Díez has known Muñoz about 4 years (which makes it unlikely that this Muñoz was on the expedition; unless this Muñoz went and this Diáz didn't) [Díez could, of course, no signature on copy];
?APSM, “Bautismos de Españoles, 1536-1746” [fol. 171v: 18 July 1546 Juan Muñoz and Leonor de Salazar baptize Ynés, Francisco Diáz, padrino];
?AGI, Justicia, 260, Pieza 1, 1543-1547 [fol.88v: witness to payment for Indian labor, 14 Sept 1546];
?AGI, Justicia, 266, Quaderno 2, “Probanza de don Antonio de Mendoza” [Francisco Díez, scheduled witness, Mexico City, 5 Jan 1547, didn't testify];
1550-1560:
?APSM, “Bautismos de Españoles, 1536-1746” [II:fol. 14r: 24 Mar 1553 Pedro de Nájara and Juana Hernández baptize María, Francisco Diáz and Catalina Egas];
AGI, Contaduría, 663B, [Payments made from funds paid to the cámara: to a Francisco Díaz, escribano de la audiencia, 18 pesos for time spent in preparing a probanza in May 1554];
AGI, Justicia, 153, N.2, Pieza 1 [1554: witness for Francisco Hernández Chillón, Francisco Diáz, alguacil of the mines, Tasco, native of Najera, estante in the mines; Rodrigo Maldonado, alcalde mayor of the mines; signed his name-no signature on copy, 26 more or less];
?AGGEC, Juan de la Torre, Registro 5 [p.12-14:February 3, 1555, Luis Ramírez de Vargas alcalde mayor of Colima, contracts with a Francisco Díaz, vecino of Ciudad de México, estante in Colima, concerning a mulata slave]
Actas de Cabildo, Tomo III, Book 6, p.218 [23 March 1556-citizenship to Francisco Diáz, scribe];
AGI, Contaduría, 664, 1558 [Misc. grants: Francisco Diáz, 150 pesos, 26 May 1557-26 May 1558, sustenance and long service];
?AGI, Contratación, 199, N. 13 [México, 1560: a Juan Ruíz, Francisca's brother, lives in Santo Domingo on the island of Española; their other siblings are Francisco and Catalina Ruíz, who also lived on Española; all are vecinos de Jaén; about 1556 Francisca sent them 3,000 pesos de oro común, but Francisca doesn't know whether they received it; an Andrés Martín, candelero, vecino de México, is named one of her albaceas; Francisca is comadre, muger de Juan Ruíz, trindidor, difunto; a Francisco Díez, escribano, buys at auction Francisca's "hechura de la Madalena y de la quinta angustia en lienzo y las cinco plagas en papel" and a "cholchón lleno de lana" and a wooden bed and two tinajas para agua coloradas; a Pero Martín buys at auction "tres panijuelos pintados de pared e dos costales e un sombrero de muger;" a Juan de Peñas is mayordomo of the hospital de nuestra señora de la concepción de México; an Andrés Hernández is mayordomo de Santa Ana de México];
AGI, Contaduría, 664, 1559 [Misc. payments: Francisco Diáz, 150 pesos, sustenance, 10 June 1558-10 June 1559];
?Catálogo, Resumen e Índices [Mexico 5 July 1559, Miguel Sánchez, vecino de la villa de Toluca, estante en México, otorga poder general a Francisco Ramírez, procurador de causas de la Real Audiencia. Firmó. Testigos: Francisco Díaz, Juan de Vega y Nicolás Gallego, vecinos];
?Catálogo, Resumen e Índices [Mexico 3 May 1559, Pedro de Meneses, vecino y regidor de la ciudad de Los Ángeles, estante en la ciudad de México -como padre y administrador de las personas y bienes de Lázaro de Meneses y Cristóbal de Soto, su hijo legítimo- otorga poder general a Juan Bote de Hinojosa, procurador de causas, vecino de México. Firmó. Testigos: Francisco de Vargas, Nicolás Gallego y Francisco Díaz, vecinos];
1560-1570:
Catálogo, Resumen e Índices [19 july 1561, Juan Izquierdo, vecino, otorga poder general a Hernando del Campo, procurador de causas, vecino. Firmó. Testigos: Francisco Díaz, escribano de Su Majestad; Agustín Díaz y Gonzalo Hernández de Soria, vecinos y estantes];
AGI, México, 206, N.35 [witness for Cristóbal de Escobar] [35 in 1561] [came in same navío as Escobar (1536 or 37 or 38)] [on expedition] [vecino of México; signed his name and having read it, sealed it-no signature on copy, he definitely says 35 (born ~1526)];
?AGNEP, Notaría 3, Caja 3, 1561, Carpeta 1.6 [February 1561, Carta de obligación from Juan Gago, mercader, to a Francisco Díaz, estante en los Ángeles, for 875 pesos de oro común, payment for 25 cargas de cacao]
?AGI, Contratación, 471, N.6, R.1, exp.10, Bienes de Francisca de Torres, Mexico City, December 1561; she had died 8 or 9 months earlier in Mexico City; a Juan de Villafranca took control of his property without authority; witnesses are Francisco de Torres and his son Alonso de Torres; during the almoneda, a Francisco Díaz purchases an almohada for 1 peso, 4 tomines];
AGI, México, 206, N.51 [(this may be the Muñoz on the Coronado expedition-probably not, see AGI, México, 204, N.22)] [Francisco Díez, escribano de su magestad, vecino de México, more than 38 years old, is de parte witness (along with Cristóbal de Escobar, for whom Díaz testified in 206, N.35)] [Díez could sign his name-no signature on copy] [as de oficio witness, the name is spelled Díaz, though the scribe's copy of the signature remains Díez];
?AGI, Contaduría, 667A [quintos de 1561: a Francisco Díaz quinto 133 marcos de plata]
AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD72, Real Audiencia, Mercedes, vol.5-6, primera parte, exp.s/n, 1561 [fol. 236r:February 1561, grant of an estancia de ganado menor en términos del pueblo de Guapanoaya on the road to México to Toluca to Francisco Díaz, vecino de México, escribano de su magestad y del audiencia real; vol. 5, fs. 236, Francisco Diáz, Cuapanuaya, estancia; image 485; escribano of the real audiencia, vecino of Mexico, un sitio de estancia para ganado menor on the outskirts of Guapanocuyo? que es yendo de esta ciudad por el camino real which goes to Toluca near Andres de Cabrera receptor of the audiencia; told to put up houses and corrals and make sure the grant won't harm the Indians; 6 Feb. 1561];
?Catálogo, Resumen e Índices [México, 14 mayo 1562, Álvaro Hernández de Madrid, vecino, vende a Martín de Solís, vecino, un pedazo de tierra que medirá media caballería, poco más o menos, en términos de la ciudad de México -[continues...] Firmó. Testigos: Nicolás de Salamanca, Francisco Díaz y Juan de Alcohola, vecinos y estantes]
Catálogo, Resumen e Índices [18 July 1562, Ana de Luxán, viuda de Francisco Díaz, escribano, vecina -como madre, tutora y legítima administradora de las personas y bienes de Baltasar Díaz, Melchor de Herrera, Gaspar Díaz y Juana Díaz, sus hijos- otorga poder general a Francisco de Escobar, procurador de la Real Audiencia, vecino, y especialmente, para que debajo de la dicha obligación y relevación, pedir bienes de restitución por cualesquier derechos. No firmó. Testigos: Pedro de Monjarás, Baltasar Díaz el mozo y Antonio de Santmartín, vecinos y estantes en México];
Catálogo, Resumen e Índices [25 Jan 1563, Ana de Luxán, viuda de Francisco Díaz, escribano de Su Majestad -como tutora y curadora de sus hijos Gaspar, Melchor, Baltasar y Juana-, vecina, otorga poder general a Francisco López Luxán, su padre, vecino. Y especialmente para vender y pedir que se vendan cualesquier bienes muebles y raíces, casas, huerta y otros bienes. No firmó. Testigos: Hernando Gómez, Pedro González de Fuentes y Juan Morán de la Cueva, vecinos y estantes]
?AGI, Contaduría, 663A [Mexico City, March 1569, an accounting of judgements resulting from lawsuits in Mexico city, a Luis López for quisitón con Francisco Díaz, in December 1554];
?AGI, Contaduría, 663A [Mexico City, March 1569, an accounting of condenaciones resulting from procesos in Mexico city, a Juan Díaz de Gibraleón, his yerno Rodrigo de Aguirre, and his son Francisco Díaz are fined for quistión in November 1559]
Other Info:
Logic for age: if born in 1522 then in 1548 when he says about 25 (he would be 26) and a 1561 document when he says more than 38 (he would be 39) fit nicely; the 1554 document when he says 26 +/- would be 6 years off and the other 1561 when he says 35 would be 4 years off; however, neither of these documents are specific, so 1522 seems like a good date.
?Hillerkuss, Diccionario Biográfico, vol.2 [1)1533 on exp. to Mar del Sur by Becerra de Mendoza; 6)pays diezmos in Zacatecas, 1565 and 1587; 7)pays to caja of Zacatecas for merchandise w/o permit, 1577, p.2:29];
?Romero de Solís, Andariegos [with Becerra in 1533, wife was Francisca Vázquez, came in 1527, went to Peru in 1545 to collect some debts, she awaits his return, children, ref. Icaza, Diccionario, 1374; 1545 a vecino of Colima; 1549 a native of Lagos was albacea for the Portuguese Juan Fernandez; 1553, escribano; 23 June 1545, estante, witness for the dowry letters of María de Caceres; 1553, scribe and notary public; 1578 in the cabildo of Zamora, contador escribano]