Alonso de Toro

Brief Biography

Alonso de Toro, a native of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid province), was the son of Pedro de Toro and Mari Flores. Prior to the Expedition Alonso served on the Montejo expedition to Honduras. He was not present at the 1540 muster, but stated in several documents that he was a friend of Vázquez de Coronado and lived in his household. Most likely he served under the captain general on the Expedition.

Gender
Male
Title (Y/N)
No
Date of Birth
ca. 1510
AGE-1540
30
Age Set
25-35
Country of Origin
Spain
Place of Birth (City/Town)
Alcalá de Henares
Place of Birth (modern province/state/region)
Madrid
Last Known Location
Purificación, Mexico
Position on Expedition
Unknown
Pre-Expedition Occupation
Scribe
Post Expedition Occupation
Scribe
Farm owner
Encomendero
Residence After Expedition
Purificación (Mexico)
Married
Yes
Ability to sign name
Yes
Relatives
father:Pedro de Toro; mother:Mari Flores
References-Documentary

1540-1550:

González-Leal, Relación Secreta  [p. 78-81: Xalisco: Alonso de Toro, tiene indios; p. 92: Vecinos de la Villa de la Purificación: includes Juan Fernández de Íxar, Alonso de Toro, tiene Guaricata];

AGI, Justicia, 339, N.1, R.3 [September 1544, sobre ciertos pueblos] [knows Vázquez de Coronado did take a horse of Samaniego's to Tierra Nueva] [Toro, vecino of Purificación, could sign his name (no signature on copy);

AGI, Justicia, 339, N.1, R.1 [September 1544 and February 1545, witness:Toro has lived and continues to live with Vázquez de Coronado in his household, has known Vázquez de Coronado for 11 years, is between 28 and 30 years old, can sign his name (no signature on copy, is de parte witness] [in his second testimony he says that he is about 35 years old] [adds that Vázquez de Coronado has (in 1545) “doss myll Castellanos de Renta”] [vecino de la villa de Purificación; says he is an amigo de Vázquez de Coronado]; 

AGI, Justicia, 339, N.1, R.3 [re: pueblo of Tepic, Sept. 1544: Toro was the escribano for a cédula from Vázquez de Coronado to Francisco de Godoy in 1543, Guadalajara; vecino of Purificación; witness for Bracamonte, signed (no signature on copy);

AGI, México, 1064, L.1\1, “Informes” [fol.254r]  = Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:6208 = Icaza, Diccionario, #1182 [vecino of the governacion of Nueva Galicia; native of Alcala de Henares; son of Pedro de Toro and Mari Flores; 12 years in Nueva España; served the king in the government of Honduras with Montejo [1537]; then in Nueva Galicia with Vázquez de Coronado, with whom he went with to Tierra Nueva de Cíbola, without haber habido provecho; married with 3 daughters; has an estancia of Indians in the province of La Purificación that has 64 Indians; has another pueblo with 60 Indians del qual no se sirve por estar junto a los de guerra; has another in the province of Compostela which serves little for the same reason];

Papeles de Nueva España, “Suma de visitas,” #827 [Xirosto en Nueva Galicia; este pueblo tiene 68 indios casados y 64 viejos y muchachos; siembran 2 fanegas de maiz y ayudan a beneficiar 2 fanegas de trigo que labran con bueyes y dan el servicio que pueden en la heredad del cacao y dan leña y herba y algun servicio en casa; esta 2 leguas de Purificación; es tierra fertil; Malobaquet tiene 50 indios con sus mugeres y 25 solteros; estan de guerra y no sirven; es tierra esteril; esta 15 leguas de Purificación];

Papeles de Nueva España, “Suma de visitas,” p.119 [Guaricata en Nueva Galicia; Esta en lo alto de la serrania y por lo alto del Rio de Centiquipaque; dizese que es mucha gente mas no se sabe quanta es. Y por lo mas alto estan los pueblos de los Tecuanes; no tienen encomendero. Dizese que es mas pulida gente y de mejor calidad; solian señorear estos hasta el Rio de Centiquipaque; no se sabe la calidad de la tierra ni cantidad de gente]