In 1610, Villagrá published his first literary work, "Historia de la Nueva México," an epic poem that details the events of the Oñate Expedition in New Mexico, beginning with its march from Mexico City in 1596 and concluding with the Spaniard's attack on the Acoma Pueblo in 1599. Addressed to King Philip III of Spain, the poem is an apologetical piece of literature, entailing all the meritorious works performed by the Spaniards throughout the expedition; this aspect has made categorizing the poem as a historical document somewhat difficult because of its partiality. The poem is believed to be America's first epic poem and is one of the earliest pieces of colonial literature ever produced, even preceding Joh Smith's General History of Virginia of 1624.