Francisco de Olivares

Brief Biography: 
Francisco de Olivares, son of Alonso de Olivares and Mari Velázquez, was a native of Béjar del Castañar (in modern Salamanca province). He arrived in Mexico City around 1528. Prior to the Expedition he took part in the pacifications of Çipotecas, Guatemala, and Nueva Galicia, along with don Luis de Castilla and Melchior Pérez. Francisco was present at the 1540 muster as a member of Guevara's company. After the return of the Expedition to Mexico City, Francisco took up residence in Guadalajara, where he was a regidor and encomendero. He may have died in 1559 or 1560, because he disappears from the Guadalajara cabildo records after January 1559.
Gender: 
Male
Title (Y/N): 
No
Date of Birth: 
ca. 1511
AGE-1540: 
29
Age Set: 
25-35
Birthplace
Country of Origin: 
Spain
Place of Birth (modern province/state/region): 
Salamanca
Place of Birth (City/Town): 
Béjar del Castañar
View Birthplace on Map: 
Click to View on Map
Date of Death: 
1559?
Death Details Known?: 
No
Died on the Expedition?: 
No
Last Known Location: 
Guadalajara, Mexico
Position on Expedition: 
Horseman
Within Viceroy Mendoza's Sphere: 
Yes
Post Expedition Occupation: 
Encomendero
Regidor
Residence After Expedition: 
Guadalajara (Mexico)
Married: 
Yes
Name of Spouse: 
Leonor Padilla, daughter of Cristóbal Romero, conquistador
Ability to sign name: 
Yes
Relatives: 
father:Alonso de Olivares; mother:Mari Velázquez
References-Documentary: 

pre-1530:

?Millares Carlo y Montecón, Indice y extractos, I:1721 [Nov. 5, 1528, poder to Pedro de Vargas]

1540-1550:

1540, Feb: Muster in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 12 [1 horse, native arms, Guevara's company]

González-Leal, Relación Secreta  [p. 78-81: Xalisco: Francisco de Olivares, tiene indios; p. 81-82: Despues de sacado este memorial han dad las personas siguientes: Francisco de Olivares; p. 88-90: Pobladores vecinos de Guadalajara que tiene indios: Francisco de Olivares, ha servido en esta Nueva España y Guatemala, es casado con hija de conquistador, tiene encomendado el pueblo de Gualica [Yagualica];

Garmendia Leal, Fundadores [p.13: Listed in the Padrón de Tetlán, 1541]

?AGI, Justicia, 269, Pieza 6 [Residencia a Hernán Pérez de Bocanegra, 1545, witness in 1543 in Ciudad de México is Francisco de Olivares, has fight with Francisco Díaz] [might be in Mexico City at this time];

AGI, Justicia, 339, N.1, R.1 [December 1544, Residencia que el licenciado Lorenzo de Tejada, oidor de la Audiencia Real de Nueva España, tomo a Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, Governador que fue de la Nueva Galicia, y a su teniente] [Olivares, more than 30 years old, could sign his name (no signature on copy) [este testigo yba e paso con el campo al tiempo que paso a la tierra nueva];

AGI, México, 1064, L.1\1, “Informes” [fol.258v:vecino of Guadalajara; native of Béjar del Castañar; son of Alonso de Olivares and Mari Velázquez; 19 years in Nueva España; pacifications of Çipotecas, Guatimala and Nueva Galicia; went to Cíbola; married to the daughter of Cristóbal Romero; encomienda - pueblo of Agualican [Yagualica, (HID)] which has 100 men which Cristóbal Romero bought from Juan de Alaejos; encomienda - pueblo de la barranca; digo en corregimiento];

Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:7163 =  Icaza, Diccionario, #1214 = Melchior Pérez’s Petition for Preferment in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 32 [p.538-39: Francisco de Olivares, a vecino of Guadalajara, more than 40 years old, testified as a witness for Pérez] [he could sign his name] [Olivares went to Nueva Galicia with don Luis de Castilla, along with Melchior Pérez; has known Pérez since 1533];

?AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD72, Real Audiencia, Mercedes, vol.2, exp. 503, 1543 [fol. 205v: December 22, 1543: a Francisco de Olivares is granted an estancia and a caballería en términos del pueblo de Ixtlatlan, sujeto a Jacona (MICH)];

1550-1560:

AHMC, Caja A11, exp. 5, document 392 [p. 255-261: January 14, 1582, Colima: Melchor Pérez is dead; August 17, 1556: will of doña María Álvarez, wife of Melchor Pérez, vecino de Guadalajara; she brought no dowry to the marriage; their children were Catalina Mejía (wife of Pedro de Ledesma) and Isabel Mejía (wife of Alonso de la Vera), and Mari Álvarez (doncella); Pérez and Álvarez gave as dowry to their daughter Catalina "el pueblo de Cuyupustlan y estancia de Cacalutlan que es en la jurisdicción de [Guadalajara]," Francisco de Olivares, vecino of Guadalajara, is a witness];

AHAG, Gobierno, Escrituras, General, 1579-1735, Tierras y Molinos de Santa Ynés, 1690, fol. 46r: June 27, 1558, Juan de Zaldívar renounces "un sitio de molino" in favor of Francisco de Estrada; Francisco de Olivares is a regidor of Guadalajara and signs his name; Olivares signs again as regidor, January 1, 1559, fol. 48r];

Garmendia Leal, Fundadores [p.62: married to Leonor de Padilla, hija de Cristóbal Romero and Ana de la Cerda (p. 190 of the protocolos of Hernández Cordero)];

Palomino y Cañedo, Protocolos de Rodrigo Hernández Cordero, Anotaciones, #15 [p.190: Palomino y Cañedo speaks of Leonor de Padilla, daughter of Cristóbal Romero, conqueror, wife of Francisco de Olivares, conqueror, being assigned encomienda by Vázquez de Coronado as governor; p.248-encomienda of Yahualica]

Other info: Dorantes de Carranza, Sumaría relación, 265 [his father, Andrés Dorantes was from Béjar del Castañar, 10 leagues from Salamanca and 10 from Plasencia; Béjar is located there in provincia of Salamanca];

Gran Enciclopedia de España [3:1424-25 - Béjar in Salamanca and there is a santuario de la Virgen del Castañar near Béjar]