There were three expeditionaries with the name Juan Ruiz. We have arbitrarily assigned (1) to the expeditionary from Hispañola, (2) to the expeditionary from Agudo, and (3) to the expeditionary who settled in Chiametla and was illiterate. Juan (2) was a native of Agudo (Ciudad Real province) and was the son of Hernando Bastardo and Catalina Ruiz. He came to New Spain in 1529 and participated in Guzmán's entrada in Nueva Galicia for which he received a corregimiento. Juan was not present at the 1540 muster, but he did state in 1552 that he went to Tierra Nueva. After the return of the Expedition Juan took up residence in Compostela and Guadalajara.
1530-1540:
?Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:3391 (ref. Los Judíos en la Nueva España [in México 1539];
?Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:4181 [to Mexico 1530?, maybe from Agudo:Ciudad Real, founder of Compostela or [native or vecino of Torremilano = dos Tórres (Torremolinos, Malaga), in Mexico in 1530, vecino and fundador of Compostela in 1531]
?Fernández Sotelo, La Primigenia Audiencia Nueva Galicia ["Fe de las encomiendas", cédula firmada de Licencado de la Torre, en Guadalajara, 20 July 1538, encomiendas to Toribio de Bolanos e Pedro Cuadrado, between those of Alonso de Castaneda, called Guainamota, and those of Diego de Proano, called Tepeque, and those of Andrés de Villanueva, Alonso Lorenzo and Juan Ruíz, called Tlaltenango (near Zacatecas); p.289-290]
1540-1550:
González-Leal, Relación Secreta [p. 78-81: Xalisco: a Juan Ruiz, vecino de Compostela; pp. 88-90: Pobladores vecinos de Guadalajara que tiene indios: Juan Ruiz es herrador, es casado y muy pobre; pp. 90-92: Vecinos de Compostela: Juan Ruiz];
AGI, México, 1064, L.1\1, “Informes” [fol.247r] = Icaza, Diccionario #1304 (a repeat of #1139) [vecino of Compostela, native of Agudo in the Orden of Calatrava; son of Hernando Bastardo and Catalina Ruiz; 18 years in Nueva España; conquest of Nueva Galicia w/Guzmán, where he has ever afterward resided; has no Indians, is poor];
?Icaza, Diccionario, #655 = Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:5330 [the mother-in-law, no name] of Juan Cermeño, native of Palos, daughter of Antón Martín Ciruelo and Marina Alonso de Cerpa, is the widow of Juan Ruiz, who came 24 years earlier [1523], conquest of Pánuco [w/Guzmán], had a repartimiento that was taken for no reason, 2 daughters [dead by 1547];
AGI, Justicia, 336, N.1 [witness: testimony concerning certain pueblos, Compostela, spring 1552] [Ruiz, vecino de Compostela, 25+ years old, has known Vázquez de Coronado about 11 years, is de parte witness in Compostela] [went on the jornada] [could sign his name (no signature on copy)];
AGI, Patronato, 72, R.2 [Méritos y servicios de Cristóbal Pérez, son-in-law Juan Ruiz, 1572: Juan Ruiz, conquistador of Nueva Galicia with Nuño de Guzmán, was given corregimientos, Cristóbal Pérez had Ruiz, his father-in-law, who was paralized, living in his house for 8 years, until he died; Pérez is married to Luisa Pérez, natural daughter of Juan Ruiz; vecino de Guadalajara, been there more than 28 years; came to Nueva España more than 30 years earlier; 23 years before, married Luisa Pérez, daughter of Juan Ruiz, who came with Nuño de Guzmán; Cristóbal and Luisa have 6 sons and daughters (Catalina Pérez, Ana Pérez, María Pérez, Juana Pérez, Cristóbal Pérez, and Luis Pérez); Pérez and his sons and criados came with the viceroy's license and brought with them 3 arcabuzes, 3 cotas, 3 partesanas, 6 swords with their daggers; February 28, 1572; he sido obligado al abasto de las carnecerías de Guadalajara; soy hombre libre, hijo de Juan Pérez de Valverde, vecino de la villa de la Palma en las islas de Canaria; came to Nueva España about 30 years before; hombre moreno de color membrillo, mulato delgado, 47 years old]
?AGI, Justicia, 269, Pieza 6 [“Residencia a Hernán Pérez de Bocanegra,” 1545, criminal proceso of a Juan Ruiz, latonero, against Gómez de Luque and his wife]
?AGI, Contaduría, 1784, N.3 [1542-47, Cuentas del contador in Lima, Juan de Caceres de lo que recibio para socorro de los soldados que acompanaron Gasca: Payments: Juan Ruiz 200 pesos de socorro]
?AGI, Contaduría, 1784, N.3 [1542-47, Cuentas del contador in Lima, Juan de Caceres de lo que recibio para socorro de los soldados que acompanaron Gasca: cargo de 150 pesos que rescibio e cobro de Juan Ruiz que hizo de prestido and Payments: Juan Ruiz 200 pesos de socorro]
?AGI, Contratación, 197, N.21, R.19 [1546, Pánuco, "Relación de los pesos de oro que el Dr. Castañeda enbio cobrado de Pánuco bienes de Francisco de Villegas y otros difuntos;" document is prepared in the ciudad de México; Antonio de Villadiego, vecino of Pánuco reported in 1546 in Mexico City, that Dr. Castañeda asked him to deliver gold, money and letters concerning the bienes difuntos in Pánuco that the Dr. had collected from doña Catalina de Mexía, widow of Francisco Barrón [nothing in AGI search], now wife of Pedro de Trejo; this is the report Mexía gave him; in Santiago de los Valles, 20 Abril 1546, reported by Gonzalo Bernaldo; on 20 Abril Mexía is ordered to deliver whatever gold, money and letters she has regarding the bienes de difuntos of Francisco de Villegas, Juan Rodríguez, and anyone else; the juez de residencia informs Tello de Sandoval that there are many cases of bienes de difuntos from Santiago and the provincia; 28 May 1545 Tello de Sandoval demands that those handling these bienes report in person to him in Mexico City; 22 June 1545, Santistevan, del puerto de la provincia de Pánuco, it was publicly proclaimed that information regarding the bienes de difuntos will be collected and any frauds or negligence corrected; 1 Oct 1545, that Mexía, as wife of Francisco Barrón and vecina of Santistevan must produce info and pay 1000 pesos that belong to the estate of Francisco Villegas, in Compostela and Santisteban; Mexía reports she is doing the best she can, since she is only the wife, and that her husband also dealt with Tonala and Jalisco; all the items in a chest she delivers, the cofre es de flandes de dos palmos mas o menos; items seem to pertain to Villegas, Francisco Guillén, francés (whose albacea was Juan Rodríguez who is evidently dead), but also IOUs, wills and cartas de pago; gold de Jalisco; she reports also bienes from Francisco Guillén Francés; her late husband was the albacea for Francisco Guillén and delivers an inventory of Guillén's effects; has an inventory taken in Compostela; among her late husband's papers she has 2 conocimientos against Cristóbal de Oñate; un mandamiento de Francisco Vázquez Coronado contra Francisco de Villegas de contia de 200+ pesos de oro apedimiento de Francisco Pilo acesonario de Pedro de Sosa; carta de pago de Hernando Bermejo-7 tomines; una carta from Juan Pastor; mandamiento contra Melchior Díaz; there are 2 inventories of goods of Francisco de Villegas: one in Santistevan (more pages) and the other in Compostela; a poder from Diego Rodríguez to a Pero Martín; 2 conocimientos from Juan Pérez; carta de pago from Miguel Sánchez; conocimiento from Juan Gallego, escribano; carta de pago from Lope de Samaniego [therefore have to be before early 1540]; carta de pago from Juan Gallegos; conocimiento contra Francisco Cornejo con un poder; 2 cartas de pago and a poder from an Alonso Martín; quenta de Francisco Cornejo; desembargo y mando de Cristóbal de Oñate; poder from Juan Rodríguez para el Francés [probably meaning Guillén]; from Juan Rodríguez 2 petitions, a letter; another letter from Juan Ruiz ; conocimiento from Pedro de Najara; carta from Francisco Pilo; a conocimiento from Maese Miguel; an embargo by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado against the goods of Francisco de Villegas; the delivery was witnessed and signed by Juan de Gallegos in Santisteban; 11 Feb 1547 Mexía's husband makes a probanza in Mexico City regarding the bienes de difuntos of Francisco de Villegas, Francisco Guillén, Francés and Juan Rodríguez, all deceased and her deceased 1st husband; Barrón lived in Santiago de los Valles; witnesses included: Francisco de Godoy, age-30+, native of Ubeda, vecino of Mexico City, saw Barrón collect the bienes of Guillén in Nueva Galicia, signed (no signature); February 1547 statement of Pedro de Trexo, current husband of Catalina Mexía"por razón de las costas e gastos e menoscabos de la hacienda del dicho Francisco Barrón que por su ausencia hubo y por su salario que de derecho le viene se retuvieron en ???? poder dozientos pesos de oro que corre para ayuda a lo dicho aunque es mucho mas lo que gasto e perdio en la dicha jornada [to travel from México to Nueva Galicia]" he presents an interrogatorio in which the first question asks if the witnesses are aware that Francisco Barrón collected bienes de difuntos in Nueva Galicia (Guadalajara y Compostela); he resided in Santiago de los Valles (Oxitipán) "que esta desta ciudad [México] ochenta leguas and "partió y fue con [los recaudos y escrituras] a la dicha Nueva Galicia;" he spent more than six months there collecting bienes; Francisco Guillén had gone to Nueva Galicia to collect bienes, but "estar la tierra alzada y de guerra...murió el dicho Francisco Guillén y dexo por su albacea a Francisco Barrón;"]
?AGI, Indiferente General, 1208, N.80 [Petition by the vecinos of Compostela, 28 Nov. 1549; residentes-Alonso López; estantes-Juan Francés, Juan Ruiz]
1550-1560:
?AGI, Contaduría, 664, 1557 [Other grants: Juan Ruiz, 66+ pesos, 7 Aug 1556-7 April 1557];
Hillerkuss, Documentalia [Ruiz, Juan, 25 Feb. 1551, Compostela, witness, estante [n.37-possibly the same man who came to Nueva España in 1529 and went with Guzmán in 1530], p. 60];
1560-1570:
Leal, Fundadores, p.119 [encomenderos y hacendados, 1532-1650: Corregidores: 1563, Zacatecas, relación de salarios y ayudas de costa, includes a Juan Ruiz, conquistador [de Nueva Galicia], pobre y muy enfermo, teniente de corregidor de Analco-Tetlan, Guadalajara (being called a conquistador fits better with the Guzmán guy)]
1570-1580:
?AGI, Contratación, 5709, N.178 [Bienes de difuntos de Juan Ruiz, 1577; libramiento a la Orden de Alcántara para que paguen a Francisca Ruiz de Estacio la cantidad que vino de Nueva España por bienes de Juan Ruiz, su hermano]