Juan de Beteta

Brief Biography

Juan de Beteta was born around 1516 in Torralba in the modern province of Cuenca. His place of birth was within Mendoza-controlled properties. He was approximately twenty-four years old when he went on the Expedition, having arrived in New Spain in 1539. Juan was present at the 1540 muster as an unassigned horseman. Following the Expedition, he was a mine owner and a government official in the Taxco mines in Mexico. His wife was Luisa de Sosa, a criada of don Luis de Castilla. His parents were Francisco Provencio and María López de Beteta. Historical records indicate that Juan de Beteta could sign his name. Juan de Beteta died in Taxco, Mexico sometime between January 1578 and March 1578.

Gender
Male
Date of Birth
1516
Age Set
15-25
Country of Origin
Spain
Place of Birth (City/Town)
Beteta
Date of Death
Between January and March 1578
Place of Birth (modern province/state/region)
Cuenca
Died on the Expedition?
No
Last Known Location
Taxco mines, Mexico
Position on Expedition
Horseman
Within Viceroy Mendoza's Sphere
Yes
Post Expedition Occupation
Miner
Corregidor
Residence After Expedition
Taxco Mines
Married
Yes
Name of Spouse
Luisa de Sosa
Name of Children
Alonso de Sosa, lego; fray Luis de Beteta; fray Miguel de Beteta
Ability to sign name
Yes
Relatives
father:Francisco Provencio;mother:María López de Beteta
References-Documentary

1530-1540

AGI, Justicia, 1021, N.2, pieza 5, “Probanza de don García López de Cárdenas” [1539 arrived in New Spain]

1540-1550

1540, Feb: Muster in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 12 [horse, native arms]

González-Leal, Relación Secreta  [pp. 73-78: long list of persons of =mixed residence: includes a Juan de Beteta, minero]

AGI, Justicia, 1021, N.2, pieza 5, “Probanza de don García López de Cárdenas” [México, end of 1547 and early 1548 (por parte)] [witness: Beteta, estante en México, natural de Beteta, about 30 years old; says when he arrived from Spain the jornada to Cíbola was already apregonada; says he missed the fighting at the beseiged pueblo because he was coming back from another entrada; says it was a tierra fria e de grandes despobaldos, therefore his majesty was best served by their leaving] [could sign his name, no signature]

AGI, Contratación, 197, N.21, R.22 [April 1545, Bartolomé Hernández, carpenter, deceased in Tasco; Hernandarias de Saavedra, alcalde mayor of the mines; Rodrigo Álvarez, purchased an item; Juan de Beteta  purchased a capote pandillo con faxas de terciopelo, daga, talabarte; Juan Pérez, barbero purchased almoaca e talabarte de terciopelo viejo, zapatos, tenedor; Juan de Plazencia purchased un guacal (basket), unas sueltas, cabecadas de la tierra, petaca de nequen e poco de sevo, 6 panos de mantas de la tierra, 16 barrena,  grande, another petaca, un escoplo and some palos for the petaca; Francisco González, 2 sierras pequenas; Hernan González, witness, estante in the mines of Tasco; Juan Franco, was in the office of defensor de los bienes of Bartolomé Hernández; witness: Francisco de Vargas, estante in the mines of Tasco; Francisco Gonzáles, merchant, son of Jorge Gonzáles; those asking for money from the estate: Francisco Gonzáles, don Luis de Castilla for a loan];

AGI, Justicia, 262, Pieza 1 [5 Dec. 1546, Probanza of Mendoza, witness #208, native of Torrealba, 30 years more or less, in Nueva España for 8 years, he is in the mines of Tasco; signed his name [fol. 229v-236v] [witness immediately following García Rodríguez] [250 españoles de caballo; 1000 horses; 300 Indians from Culiacán, voluntarily (on the Muster 5 people separate Beteta and Rodríguez)];

1550-1560

AGI, México, 1064, L.1\1\, “Informes,” fol.239v = Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:4236 = Icaza, Diccionario, #1076 [resides in the mines of Tasco; native of Beteta; son of Francisco Probençio and Mari López de Beteta; 9 years in Nueva España; went to Cíbola; married; always keeps armas and horses; his father also served the king with his arms];

AGI, Justicia, 162, N.2, Pieza 2 [fol.25r:18 March 1559, Francisco Hernández Chillón y María de Sandoval vecinos de Mexico con doña Isabel Ruíz, witness: knew Francisco Hernández Chillón and María de Sandoval for 8 or 10 years in this place and Isabel Ruíz for 15 years, 40+, did not come to the mines of Tasco until 1543, signed-no signature on copy];

Actas de Cabildo, Tomo III, Book 6, p.415 [19 July 1560-Juan de Beteta, vecino of the Tasco mines appeared and presented a poder from the miners and citizens of Tasco; 23 June 1560 Juan de Beteta was sent back to get a proper poder; p.420 31 July 1560-Juan de Beteta presented a petition on behalf of the miners and vecinos of the Tasco mines; they want to vote for the 2 procuradores that will be sent to the Spanish court; cabildo agreed and Juan de Beteta has the poder to be the chosen voter];

1560-1570

AGI, Contaduría, 667A [diezmos de plata, 1562: a Juan de Beteta diezmo 5 marcos de plata];

AGI, Contaduría, 667A [diezmos de plata, 1563: Juan de Beteta diezmo 161 marcos de plata];

AGI, Contaduría, 667A [azogue, 1565: Juan de Beteta buys 10 quintales de azogue for 1,900 pesos para las minas que tiene en Tasco];

 AGI, Contaduría, 667A [tributos, 1563: Juan de Beteta buys 135 fanegas de maiz de Talistaca for 67 pesos];

AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD72, Real Audiencia, Mercedes, vol.5-6, segunda parte, exp.s/n, 1563 [fol. 551r: July 1563, a Juan de Betata is corregidor del pueblo de Teotenango (Tenango del Valle, north of Tasco, in Mexico); he is informed that the Indians of that pueblo have complained about abuse by their priest, Pero López Buitrago; they also complain about theft by four españoles: Vázquez, Castañeda, Jiménez, and Pedro Talavera; Betata is to investigate and punish the Spaniards if they are guilty];

 Valderrama, Cartas, #28, p.217 [1564, married to a criada of Luis de Castilla, corregidor by Velasco I];  

1570-1580

AGI, Contratación, 477B, N.2, R.13 [bienes de difuntos; Juan de Beteta, natural de Beteta, jurisdicción de Cuenca, y difunto en las minas de Tasco, con testamento por el que mandó restituir 129 pesos a los herederos del bachiller Pedro Almíndez Chirinos, 1583] [hijo de Francisco Provencio y María López de Beteta, casado con Luisa de Sosa; herederos: Alonso de Sosa, lego; fray Luis de Beteta y fray Miguel de Beteta, de la orden de San Agustín, sus hijos] [Pedro Almíndez Chirinos, deceased, 1 enero 1578, veedor de la Nueva España, quien poseyó hacienda de regulares proporciones en Taxco, pues sus herederos siguieron explotándola durante largo tiempo, y tuvo por mayordomo al minero Juan de Beteta; wrote a will on 1 Jan. 1578, dead by 28 March 1578]

1580-1590

AGN Instituciones Coloniales, GD23, Real Audiencia, Civil, vol.647, exp.1 [1583, doña Francisca de Carriazo, viuda wife of Francisco Rodríguez, difunto; regarding 2000 pesos of her dowry; Cristóbal Pérez, in the name of Francisco Rodríguez, vecino of the mines of Tasco, in his lawsuit against his son, Diego, 8 June 1571; 21 Sept 1571, García Rodríguez, clerigo presbitero in Tasco, is an heir of Francisco Rodríguez; Alonso Hernández, heir;  Francisco was a miner; Francisco set up a company with Pedro de Zamora, vecinos of Mexico and lists the slaves, indios and censos that go with it (one slave used to be Juan Vizcayno's; some indios from Culiacán and Nochistlan); censo with Diego Hernández Loro (300 pesos); 7 Sept 1543 censo with Diego Sánchez and Juan Franco (200 pesos); 4 Feb 1546, censo with Pedro de Talavera (200 pesos); his partner Zamora had a censo with Hernán González and his wife Juana García, 1546; 1579, Juan de la Cueva, juez de residencia in Cholula; when he married María Juan Gallego renounced the pueblo of Tetela, and Mendoza gave it to me; Tasco, 23 July 1571, witness: Domingo Martín, vecino, 60 years old more or less; worked for Francisco for 3 months in his hacienda de minas, the hacienda was valued at 40,000 pesos, it was his opinion valdira la dicha hazienda 40,000 pesos de oro de minas y se la compratian Alonso de la Serna, Juan de Beteta, e García Rodríguez; signed but no signatures by Pedro de Ledesma and Martin; Puebla, 25 Jan 1545, witness when Leonor de Villanueva, widow of Juan de Mancanilla delivered letters to the cabildo scribe, Juan Rodríguez; witness to an earlier bill of sale for Francisco was Juan de Beteta, probably 1546, Tasco; 21 June 1548, Francisco registered a letter in Mexico regarding 3 mines of Pedro de Sandoval, each mine next to the other en la venta que dizen de Analco por abaxo de las casas de la morador del dicho Pedro de Sandoval hazia el norte que son por linderos de la una parte junto al camino que va al pueblo de indios e llamado Tasco mina que solia ser del tesorero Juan Alonso de Sosa, e de Juan Ruíz Martínez, e al presentes del Pedro Osorio e Juan de Beteta e Pedro Martir e otros sus conpaneros que la tienen e poseen e por la otra parte mina que solia ser de Gaspar de Avila, Rodrigo Ruyz Pardo e contando el caso digo que ansi es que podia aver 17 anos poco mas o menos que Juan Gallego, vecino de la ciudad de Guaxaca e que solia estar e residir en estas dichas minas juntamente con Rodrigo de Tamarán que asimesmo a la sazon estava en ellas tomaron en tierra verzen todas las dichas tres minas la que confina con la mina que fue de los dichos tesorero Juan Alonso de Sosa, Juan Ruyz Martinez, Rodrigo de Tamarán, las otras dos, Juan Gallego la una para si e e a otra para el governador con esclavos e gente quesuyos tenian e tomadas las tivieron catearon poblaron e poseyeron quieta e pacificamente muchos dias hasta tanto que dende a un ano pco mas o menos el dicho Juan Gallego e los dichos Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, e Rodrigo de Tamarán conpro todas las minas e partes de minas esclavos e otras cosas que estas dichas minas tienan; 16 years since Juan Gallego made a company en todas las minas with Tomas de la Madriz; Juan Gallego sold to Rodríguez this company; perhaps Gallego's partner had already sold his interest to Pedro de Sandoval; Rodríguez is challenging that title against Sandoval, don Luis del Castilla, Diego de Nava who claim 1/8 interest; witness was Juan Franco, el cojo, estante in the mines; 31 July 1554 witness to Sandoval's poder was Francisco Hernández Chillon, estante in the mines; in 1554 Rodríguez, odrero says Gallego sold him some mines 15 years before;  30 March 1554, Mexico,  Juan Gallego says he did sell 2/3 interest in the mines to Rodríguez; 2 April 1554 Juan Gallego, in Mexico, certified the sale; then Rodríguez is suing Gallego that he sold him something he didn't actually entirely own and Gallego denies that and delivers a poder to Rodríguez, again selling 2/3 share; Gallego still alive in 15 June 1554];

Other Info:

Logic for age: in Dec. 1546 he says about 30 (~1516), in late 1547 he says about 30 (could still be ~1516), in March 1559 he says about 40 (he would be 43 if born in 1516)

Relatives:

?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD72, Real Audiencia, Mercedes, vol.16, 1591 [fol.142v:estancia para ganado mayor, outskirts of San Estevan, sujeto of \ Miahuatlan, next to an arroyo, which in the Zapoteca language is called Guiloechipa? and in Mexica Coaçlopastle; Pedro de Olivera was the Corregidor during the tim.e that Archbishop Pedro Moya de Contreras governed; conditions that within a year he has to have livestock on it and cannot sell it within 4 years; 31 Jan. 1591; image 290]