With a flourish of trumpets, Don Juan de O?ate claimed possession of New Mexico on the banks of el Ro del Norte in 1598. The land of pueblos surely would yield riches for the Spanish crown and prove O?ate worthy of the title adelantado for two lives to come. But some colonists with dreams of their own soon grew restless in the desolate region. O?ate, feeling isolated and mistrusted by the authorities in Mexico City, resigned his position and left New Mexico in 1610 both slandered and shamed. Raw facts of history are molded into a moving tale in this novel about the founding of Spanish New Mexico. Also the story of a tender relationship between father and son. O?ate finds lonely redemption through the gentle nature of his boy, Cristbal. Miguel Encinias presents O?ate as a complex man torn by his own desires, visions of glory, and strict social codes.