Onates in Zacatecas

Hello Ed,
My mother's maiden name is Onate, and she is reported to have been born in either Villa Garcia, Zacatecas or Aguascalientes, Ags. I say reported because she had no birth certificate, grew up believing she was from Aguascalientes until she met her aunt Leonarda Onate who told her otherwise. Tia also took us to meet her brother Adolfo Onate living at the time (1960's)in Guadalajara. I have not been able to verify through FHC where she was born. My grandfather was Luis Onate and my ggrandfather was Don Rosalio De Onate. I was also taken to Don Rosalio's tomb inside a church in Aguascalientes. Unfortunately, I was about 12 at the time and not much interested. My mother's oral family history sounds like a gothic novel. Ironically, the only records I have found are from Panuco, Zacatecas 1882 on the marriage of my maternal grandmother--Santelices. I'm aware of the Onate history you so kindly made available; it's much more recent past that's got me stumped! Alice

--- ed@serros.net wrote:

From: Edward Serros
To: research@lists.nuestrosranchos.com
Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Mary,
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 21:41:15 -0700 (PDT)

Mary,

Via personal email, you asked me more about Pánuco and I must comment on the Oñate family.

The Oñate family has everything to do with Pánuco, originally a great silver-producing pueblo. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crist%C3%B3bal_de_O%C3%B1ate for a summary of the Oñate family activities in Pánuco. Don Juan de Oñate “discovered” and named El Paso, Texas. More Don Juan, see http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/OO/upo2_print.html.

If you prefer Spanish, see http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_O%C3%B1ate for Don Juan de Oñate.

As is the case of many great mining cities, once the mines become depleted the inhabitants leave, hence a pueblo fantasma, which fairly much describes Pánuco today given descriptions I have had of the place presently and also conversations with people from Zacatecas.

I was in Zacatecas, Zacatecas two years ago and I unforgivably did not visit the town, or at least what is left of it. It is the part of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, see http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2004/2/2004_2_44.shtml, which starts off with a discussion of Pánuco. The latter link is a delightful story of a journey on the El Camino Real.

I will also post this on the Ranchos site. For what it is worth, many of the Cerros (or Cerro or de Cerro or de Serro) are originally from Pánuco, or so it is said. There is a part of Páncuo called Casa de Cerro. I have not made any connections with my family and anybody in Pánuco, as of yet.

Ed Serros