Nuño de Guzmán (wearing the brown coat in the ancient codice seen here) founded the first settlement of Guadalajara but is widely regarded as one of the most brutal Spanish conquistadors.
As governor of New Galicia (which included parts of present-day Jalisco, Nayarit, and Sinaloa), he led violent campaigns against Indigenous groups such as the Purépecha and Cazcanes. Unlike Hernán Cortés, who sought alliances with these tribes, Guzmán ruled through sheer brutality. Today, Guadalajara honors Beatriz Hernández, whose courage was instrumental in establishing the city’s fourth and final settlement—its current location—on February 14, 1542.