Cristóbal Maldonado

Brief Biography

Cristóbal Maldonado was present at the 1540 muster and was listed as an unassigned horseman. In 1547 he stated that he came to New Spain in 1533, was a native of Burguillos (Sevilla province), and the son of Ruy López Maldonado and Leonor Rodríguez. Cristóbal had an earlier career in pacification and conquest, having served in the 1532 conquest of Bauruco and participated in Guzmán's pacification of 1533. He was assigned encomiendas for his service, but they were later rescinded. By 1535 he was in Compostela, which may be where he was when the Expedition gathered there. After his return to New Spain, he settled in Pánuco (Tamaulipas).

Gender
Male
Title (Y/N)
No
Date of Birth
ca. 1514
AGE-1540
26
Age Set
25-35
Country of Origin
Spain
Place of Birth (City/Town)
Burguillos
Place of Birth (modern province/state/region)
Sevilla
Died on the Expedition?
No
Last Known Location
Oxitipan, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
European Social Status
Commoner
Position on Expedition
Horseman
Within Viceroy Mendoza's Sphere
No
Pre-Expedition Occupation
Encomendero
Post Expedition Occupation
Encomendero
Residence After Expedition
Pánuco, Tamaulipas (Mexico)
Married
Yes
Name of Spouse
Catalina González, widow
Ability to sign name
Yes
Relatives
father:Ruy López Maldonado; mother:Leonor Rodríguez
References-Documentary

1530-1540:

AGI, Justicia, 190, N.2 [El fiscal contra Lope de Samaniego, alcaide de las atarazanas de México y su forteleza, sobre embargo de sus esclavos, witnesses to the interrogatorio in september 1535: Francisco de Villegas; Juan de Villalba; Francisco de Godoy, alguacil mayor y regidor de Compostela, 27 or 28 years old; says he participated in the conquest of Nueva Galicia and many of the subsequent attempts to "restore peace;" he himself has Indians (in encomienda) who have never provided anything to him (not gold or silver or even corn); he has seen "muestras de plata y de oro" from San Miguel, can sign, but no signature; Sebastián Pérez; Cristóbal Maldonado, vecino of Compostela, about 21 years old, he is clearly a fairly recent arrival and has known Guzmán for only two years, can sign, but no signature; Miguel Sánchez, vecino de Compostela, about 30 years old, has known Guzmán for about 6 years and participated in the conquest of Nueva Galicia; Rodrigo Ximón, vecino de Compostela, about 30 years old, has known Guzmán since settlement of Nueva Galicia, he went many times to the valles de Banderas in attempts to bring the natives to peace, he has seen that there are very good mines at San Miguel; Martín Benítez, vecino de Compostela, more than 30 years old, has known Guzmán for about 4 years, he participated in the conquista of Nueva Galicia and of the valles de Banderas, he has seen the mines in San Miguel. he participated in many of the atttempts to "restore peace," can sign, but no signature; Pero Hortigón; Gaspar Brizeño; Luis Salado; Álvaro de Bracamonte; Pero Ruíz de Haro, vecino de Compostela, about 23 years old, has known Guzmán for 4 or 5 years, can sign, but no signature on copy; Alonso de Castañeda, says that Espíritu Santo was abandoned many days before; Pedro de Veloa; Juan Sánchez Belmonte, Hernando de Escalante; Cristóbal de Oñate, veedor de su magestad, about 30 years old; he has known Guzmán for about 7 years; he participated in the conquests of Nueva Galicia and the valles de Banderas, he has seen the mines of San Miguel, can sign; Melchior Díaz, 30-something years old--missing paper, vecino de Compostela, has known Guzmán about 6 years, he has seen "muestras de oro y de plata" from San Miguel, can sign]

1540-1550:

1540, Feb: Muster in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 12 [2 horses, native arms]

González-Leal, Relación Secreta  [p.71: Vecinos de Pánuco: includes Cristóbal Maldonado];

AGI, Justicia, 275, N.1 [Visita a Juan de Bustos, vecino y regidor de la villa de Sanistevan del Puerto de la provincia de Pánuco, 1546; Cristóbal Maldonado is witness and vecino in Pánuco, fols. 7v-8r] [associated with Diego Hernández, Francisco de Tórres, and Francisco Rodríguez in Pánuco (no signature on copy);

AGI, México, 1064, L.1\1, “Informes” [fol.234v] = Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:1042 = Icaza, Diccionario, #1038 [vecino of Pánuco; native of Burguillos; son of Ruy López Maldonado and Leonor Rodríguez; 15 years in these places in the conquest of Bauruco; 14 years in Nueva España when he came with Guzmán to Jalisco; for those deeds he received encomiendas of Ayula, Taltaçapan and Tinto which were taken away when he came to this city with Guzmán; went with Vázquez de Coronado to Tierra Nueva]

1550-1560:

AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD72, Real Audiencia, Mercedes, vol.3, exp. 627, 1550 [fols. 222r y v: December 1550: Cristóbal de Maldonado, vecino de la villa de Santiago de los valles de Oxitipan (Pánuco area), is married to Catalina González, widow of Francisco Guillén, francés, who holds in encomienda the pueblo of Tanchipa; the grant is transfered to Catalina]

1560-1570:

?Porras Muñoz, El Gobierno de la Ciudad de México [1564, signer of the petition for perpetual encomienda sent to king, p.232];

?Catálogo, Resumen e Índices [1578, Diego de León, intérprete de la Real Audiencia, e Inés de Santa Clara, su mujer, vecinos, venden a favor de María de Paz, viuda de Rodrigo Sánchez, vecina, 50 pesos de oro común anuales de censo a redimir, que imponen nuevamente sobre unas casas que tienen en esta ciudad, en la calle que va del monasterio de Santo Domingo y de la calle de la Carrera, que llaman de Pedro de Paz, para el barrio de Tomatlán, que tiene por linderos: casas de Cristóbal Maldonado y de otra parte casas de Diego de León, casas del otorgante y casas y corrales de Damián García Franco y de Juan de Alcalá, las cuales adquirieron por justo título y recibieron por el censo 700 pesos de oro común, de lo cual el escribano da fe. Y se obligan de pagar los dichos 50 pesos de oro común de censo y tributo a la dicha María de Paz, en reales, con las costas, daños e intereses que sobre ellos vinieren, en 2 pagas iguales al fin de cada 6 meses la mitad; y corre este censo desde de la fecha de esta carta. Con condición que se obligan a mantener las casa reparadas y bien labradas de manera que vayan en crecimiento; que no se puedan partir ni dividir las dichas casas. Firmaron. Testigos: Gaspar de Valdés, Cristóbal de Cervantes y Diego Pascual, vecinos y estantes];

?Catálogo, Resumen e Índices, 2440, AA290 [fol.526v-527: Mexico 3 Mar 1581, Venta, Baltasar de la Cadena, vecino, vende a don Juan Puerto Carrero Sandoval [sic], vecino, [...]  Firmaron. Testigos: Cristóbal Maldonado, Alonso de Estrada y Pedro de Lugo, vecinos y estantes]

1570-1580:

?Catálogo, Resumen e Índices  [1578, Juan Yáñez, vecino de la villa de San Miguel, en la provincia de los Chichimecas, estante en México, vende al señor Leonardo de Cervantes Casaús, vecino, todas las haciendas que posee en las provincias de Jilotepeque y los Chichimecas y en los llanos y términos de la villa de San Miguel y de Santa Catalina, que son: [list of properties]; - Y dos pares de casas que están en la villa de San Miguel, que compró las unas a Francisco Pérez -que tienen por linderos casas que fueron de Maldonado; y por la otra solares vacíos- y las otras casas a Domingo de Silva];

?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD51, Gobierno Virreinal, General de Parte, vol.2, exp.231 [Viceroy Enríquez hago saber a vos el corregidor de Xicotepeque Cristóbal Maldonado; tribute is corn, herbas and 70 pesos that the principales have to collect; 6 Oct. 1579];

?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD51, Gobierno Virreinal, General de Parte, vol.2, exp.1205 [15 Feb. 1581, Viceroy Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, corregidor of Xicotepecque, Cristóbal Maldonado has made a report that the natives owe a quantity of pesos de oro and have not paid them; Cristóbal is to be paid from the tributes: el maíz, yerba];

?AGI, México 98 [no date: Lawsuit between doña Isabel de Cervantes and doña María Maldonado over Xicotepeque, the encomienda of Cristóbal Maldonado; María was the child of Cristóbal and Beatriz de Zuñiga, his first wife; regarding 150 pesos of gold in tribute; dixo y alego no tener obligacióna dar los alimentos que se le pedian por no ser su hija doña María y aver nacido en esta ciudad estando el ausente mas abra de tres anos en los reinos de Castilla demas de que no era casado en el dicho tiempo con dona Beatriz de Zuñiga con quien despues se desposo y velo siendo dona María Maldonado de doze o treze anos la qual respondio a lo referido por Cristóval Maldonado alegando aver se casado clandestinamente con doña Beatriz y aver ella nacido durante este matrimonio clandestino]

Relatives?: ?AGI, México, 22 [1590, Alcaldes Mayores: Luis Maldonado, son of a fiscal and an old settler, Hacotlalpa]