POWER

JUAN DE OÑATE

New Mexico, 1598

I was born in New Spain, not Europe.

My family owns a silver mine in Zacatecas.

My wife is the granddaughter of Hernán Cortés,

who conquered the Aztec emperor Moctezuma—

but my wife is also the great-granddaughter

of that same defeated native emperor.

She’s a mixed-race mestiza, child of two enemies,

such a fitting origin

for the mother of soldiers.

When King Felipe II of Spain orders me to claim

all the lands north of the Río Grande, I ride my horse

across a wide, shallow river, hoping for the riches

of Cíbola, where natives are said to dress themselves

in emeralds and gold.

Imagine my dismay

when all I find are ordinary towns,

small pueblos lit by the golden sun, surrounded

by cornfields

and bean vines.

•

My disappointed men threaten mutiny,

so I keep them marching farther and farther,

determined to be remembered

as the founder of cities—El Paso

and Santa Fe.

My legacy of strength will be built

atop ancient villages filled with the farms

and bones

of conquered tribes.

My wife calls me brutal

and greedy.