Domingo Jironza Petriz de Cruzate
| Domingo Jironza Pétriz de Cruzate | |
|---|---|
| 27th and 29th Spanish Governor of New Mexico | |
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In office 1683–1686 |
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| Preceded by | Antonio de Otermin |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Reneros de Posada |
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In office 1689–1691 |
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| Preceded by | Pedro Reneros de Posada |
| Succeeded by | Diego de Vargas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1640 Huesca, Aragon, Spain |
Domingo Jironza Pétriz de Cruzate (or Domingo Gironza) (born c. 1640) was a Spanish soldier who was Governor of New Mexico from 1683 to 1686, and again from 1689 to 1691. He came to office at a time a large part of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was independent of Spanish rule due to the Pueblo Revolt. With limited resources, he was unable to reconquer the province.
Domingo Jironza Pétriz de Cruzate was born around 1640 in the province of Huesca in Aragon, Spain. Possibly he was the Domingo Xironza who married Sebastiana de Oquendo in Mexico City on 30 April 1663. If so, he was the son of Antonio Xironza and Ana Mangues Pérez. He joined the Spanish armed forces and served in the wars between Spain and Portugal. On 10 April 1680 Jironza sailed from Cadiz as Captain in command of fifty soldiers, bound for New Spain. On his arrival the viceroy, Payo Enríquez de Rivera, made him mayor of Metztitlán, an office that he held until 1682.
The Spanish were driven out of New Mexico in 1680 after the Pueblo Revolt. In 1683 Jironza was appointed Captain General and Governor of the New Mexico frontier, with the mandate of fighting the Apaches and attempting to re-conquer the territory. His headquarters were at El Paso del Norte, and he founded the Presidio of San Elizario near to that town.
On 15 October 1683 a party of seven Jumano Indians from La Junta de los Ríos, at the junction of the Rio Conchos and Rio Grande near modern-day Presidio, Texas, came to El Paso, asking for the Spanish to send missionaries to their country and beyond. Their spokesman, Juan Sabeata, talked of the great wealth of these lands, and those of the great kingdom of Texas that lay beyond. Jironza sent Juan Domínguez de Mendoza, an experienced militia leader, and Fray Nicolás López to explore the Jumano country and establish missions. The expedition left El Paso on 15 December 1683, going down the Rio Grande to La Junta, then on to the Edwards Plateau. They spent six weeks there, building a fort as defense against Apaches near the location of modern San Angelo, Texas, and hunting buffalo for hides and food. They fed and baptized many of the friendly local people who visited their camp. On their return, Domínguez and López made a strong case for sending soldiers and missionaries to the Jumano country. However, Governor Jironza was unable to help since his forces were tied up fighting the Pueblos.
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