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Juan de Onate

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The Resume

    (1550-1626)
    Born in Zacatecas (New Spain), Mexico
    Birth name was Juan de Onate y Salazar
    Led early Spanish expeditions to the Great Plains and Lower Colorado River Valley (1601 - 04)
    Governor of the province of the Santa Fe de Nuevo México colony (1598-1606)
    Known for the 1599 Acoma Massacre

Why he might be annoying:

    He was Hernan Cortes' grandson by marriage.
    He ordered ethnic cleansing against Acoma Pueblo in retaliation for the deaths of thirteen Spaniards, among them his nephew (some 800 - 1,000 Acoma were killed).
    He sentenced most of the 500 plus survivors of the massacre to twenty years' hard labor.
    Additionally, he mandated that all men over the age of twenty-five have a foot cut off.
    He convicted by the Spanish government of using 'excessive force' against the Acoma people.
    He was banished from New Mexico and was exiled from Mexico City for five years.
    A man was shot in New Mexico when a crowd attempted to pull down his statue prompting a fight (June 15, 2020).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He discovered much of the present-day Southwestern United States.
    Historians have called him 'the last great Conquistador.'
    Recent scholarship has pointed out that it is likely a myth that he ordered the prisoners' foot cut off, but rather only had their toes cut off so they would still be useful for labor (much better).
    His punishment was at least proof that colonial society did not condone ethnic cleansing.
    His Alcalde, New Mexico statue was temporarily removed on orders from the state, pending civil institutions' decision about its future (June 2020).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying