Introduction
You, Don Juan de Oñate y Salazar, are leading an expedition
that will take you over 600 miles north into lands that you call Nuevo
México. Your plan is to establish a new kingdom on the upper
Rio Grande, where your soldiers will be given great haciendas near
the silver mines that are to be discovered.
When everyone is on the march, your company stretches over two miles
in length. It includes 80 wagons and ox carts, 2 coaches, from 5,000
to 7,000 head of livestock, and probably 500 people: about 175 soldiers
and an unreported number women, children, and other relatives, attended
by herders, drivers, packers, personal servants, and slaves. On a
good day of travel, you may cover as many as 12 miles. Other days,
you may go so slowly that the end of your train stops where the leader
(you) spent the previous night.
Before you start the journey, however, your plans must be approved
by the King, a contract must be signed, and your company must pass
a rigorous inspection. Then you will receive papers of certification.
Although you sign the contract on September 21, 1595, you do not receive
final permission until January 26, 1598. You have to face many challenges,
endure many delays, and overcome many obstacles before you set out.
Furthermore, you will face challenges and strive to surmount obstacles
throughout your journey. After all, that is what conquistadors do.
Playing the Game
On this journey, you will be asked a series of questions with a choice
of answers. To advance north on the proud stallion that you ride,
you must make the right choice. If you answer incorrectly, you have
to pay the consequences. (Every penalty is something unfortunate that
happened on the expedition.)
You may play this game alone, but it is more fun to play with others,
as two or three individuals or teams. Each individual or team takes
turns selecting their answers. If you are playing in teams, you should
read the question aloud and talk about all the possible answers before
making your choice. It is permissible for all players to choose the
same answer.
When the first question is answered by all players, everybody goes
on to the next question. After the last player answers each question,
all players watch as their gamepieces move upward on the map to the
location indicated in the answer. You may be lucky enough to skip
ahead of other players in the scoring. After all, this is a game of
chance. But rest assured that you will arrive at San Juan de los Caballeros.
A correct answer is worth 3 points, while an incorrect answer will
of course get you 0 points. There is also a Bonus Round at the end of the
game where each question is worth 5 points for a correct answer.
Good luck and good traveling.
The content of this game is based on The Last Conquistador: Juan
de Oñate and the Settling of the Far Southwest, by Marc Simmons
(Norman: Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1991).