Ibarra, Francisco de

Ibarra, Francisco de

(fränthēs`kō thā ēbä`rä), 1539?–1575, Spanish conquistador in Mexico. In 1554, after founding FresnilloFresnillo
, city (1990 pop. 75,118), Zacatecas state, N central Mexico. The city, a rail and highway junction, is the center of a rich mining area known especially for silver. It has a mining school.
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, he headed an expedition to the N of Zacatecas. For the next 20 years he explored, founded settlements, and exploited mines in the vast region comprising present-day Durango, Chihuahua, and part of Sinaloa, which he called the Kingdom of Nueva Vizcaya. In 1562, after his most successful campaign, Ibarra was named governor, a post he retained until his death.

Bibliography

See study by J. L. Mecham (1927, repr. 1968).