Anybody know anything about the last name "Rodarte"?

Question:

Anybody know anything about the last name "Rodarte"?

This was my great grandmothers last name. All I know is that it's portuguese. I want to know the meaning. I also want to know why that last name is found in northern Mexico. If you happen to know anything else about it please share it.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Probably New Mexican 1600s-1700s from the early explorers, some of whom may have had Portoguese roots. You'd find them in northern NM and around Taos County. A lot of folks don't know that the northern NM Spanish language is not mexican Spanish at all, it's a much older form that was isolated a long time.

As to northern Mexico, the people had always migrated and it's not all that far. Near a mine maybe?

The NM ones I think went from Zacatecas to Santa Fe 1694 or 95. Over time, others to AZ & CA no doubt by 20th century. I suggest the Rodarte surname message boards at rootsweb and ancestry.com, and a look into Mexico colonial history of the surname especially at Zacatecas state.