Rodrigo de Tamarán

Brief Biography

Rodrigo de Tamarán, the son of Ruy Díaz de Aguero, was a native of Espinosa de los Monteros (Burgos province), as was most likely the expeditionary Juan de Ribaneyra. He came to New Spain in 1527. Rodrigo was present at the 1540 muster as an unassigned horseman. He stated in 1547 that he had been one of the discoverers of some important silver mines and spent most of his life in the mining business.

Gender
Male
Date of Birth
1515
AGE-1540
25
Age Set
25-35
Country of Origin
Spain
Place of Birth (City/Town)
Espinosa de los Monteros
Place of Birth (modern province/state/region)
Burgos
Died on the Expedition?
No
Last Known Location
Chalchuites mines (Zacatecas, Mexico)
Position on Expedition
Horseman
Within Viceroy Mendoza's Sphere
No
Pre-Expedition Occupation
Miner
Post Expedition Occupation
Miner
Residence After Expedition
Tasco mines, Mexico City, Chalchuites mines (Zacatecas)
Married
No
Relatives
father:Ruy Díaz de Aguero
References-Documentary

1540-1550:

1540, Feb: Muster in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 12 [2 horses, elk hide jacket, head armor, native arms]

AGI, Justicia, 339, N.1, R.1 [witness:native of Espinosa de los Monteros; estante in Mexico City; 30 years old; known Vázquez de Coronado 8 or 9 years; went to Tierra Nueva];

AGI, México, 1064, L.1\1, “Informes” [fol.273r]  = Boyd-Bowman, Indice geobiográfico, II:7697 = Icaza, Diccionario, #1320 [Tamara; native of Castañedo in Las Montañas; son of Ruy Díaz de Aguero; 20 years in Nueva España; one of the first discoverers of the mines of the Cerro de San Martín de Çunpango; and the Cerro Rico of Tasco, those of Nixapa and Culiacán; went to Cíbola; always maintains his armas and horse; is poor]

1550-1560:

Enciso Contreras, Ordenanzas de Zacatecas  [p. 52-65: No. 3 [Archivo parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, Jérez, Zacatecas, Constituciones de la archicofradía del Santísimo Sacramento, sita en la parroquial mayor de Zacatecas, Zacatecas, January 1, 1551; copy made in 1801, 31 chapters of ordenazas for the Santa Cofradía del Santísimo Sacramento y Santa Concepción de la Serenísima Virgen y Madre de Dios; Rodrigo de Tamara is listed as one of the cofrades of the cofradía in las Minas de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in the provincia of Zacatecas];

?Tello, Libro Segundo  [p.572: 1558, Rodrigo de Tamara went to the mines of Zacatecas]

1560-1570:

BPE, “Bienes de difuntos,” Folder C1-10-10, 1563 [fol. 4r: Juicio de Testamentario de Antonio Ruíz Aragonés; January 10, 1563, las minas de los chalchuites, almoneda de los bienes de Bartolomé Luys; "unas calzas pardas," "un sonbrero y un bonete viejos," and "una bota de tener vino" are purchased by a Rodrigo de Tamara[n]; fol. 4v, Tamara[n] also purchases an "espejo pequeño," "un espada," and "una bacinyl[l]a"]

1580-1590:

AGN, Instituciones Coloniales, GD23, Real Audiencia, Civil, vol.647, exp.1, 1583 [1583, doña Francisca de Carriazo, widow wife of Francisco Rodríguez, deceased; 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 signature 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 Martinez, 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 Ávila, 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 Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, 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 Chillón, 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: Lorenzo Sanz, Castilla y León en América [Espinosa de los Monteros (Burgos)]