Agustín de Jáuregui

Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa (17 May 1708/1711 – 29 April 1784) was a Spanish politician and soldier who served as governor of Chile (1772–80) and viceroy of Peru (1780–84).

Early life

Jáuregui was born in Lecároz, the son of Matías de Jáuregui and of his wife, Juana María de Aldecoa.^[1]

At the age of 25 he entered the

Before his appointment as governor of Chile, he also served in Honduras, Puerto Rico and Cuba. In 1772, while resident in Spain, he was named governor by authority of King Charles III. In October of that year he embarked for Peru with his son Tomás. His wife, a native of Havana whom he had married there, remained in Spain.

As governor of Chile

Jáuregui was governor of Chile from 6 March 1772 to 1780, during which time he promulgated a number of

In June 1772 he introduced a severe ordinance intended to preserve public order. Individuals could not bear arms in public; theft of animals was to be punished by whipping; shopkeepers who did not close at the proper hour were subject to fines. With the agreement of Bishop Alday, he restricted the right of asylum in churches to only two, Santa Ana and San Isidro.

He introduced reforms of the tax-collection system in 1772. For many taxes he ended the farming system (collection by third parties, for a percentage of the revenue), and required that taxes be paid directly to the Crown. This included the customs. The reforms were opposed by the merchants, but Jáuregui put them into effect anyway.

He held a series of formal meeting with

Jáuregui presided over the beginning of construction of the cathedral of

In 1776 the Captaincy General of Chile suffered the loss of the province of Cuyo, including the cities of Mendoza, San Juan, and San Luis, due to the creation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

In 1777 Jáuregui established a

By royal order, free trade among various ports in Spain and America was adopted in 1778. Included were Valparaíso and Concepción in Chile. The order also authorized the route around Cape Horn. This was an important benefit for the colony.

Also in 1778 the Colegio de San Carlos was founded in Santiago. This replaced the Convictorio de San Francisco Javier, which had been administered by the Jesuits up until their expulsion.

In May 1778 the Mapocho River flooded.

As viceroy of Peru

In 1780, Jáuregui was named viceroy of Peru. The reception in honor of his arrival (July 20) included a speech of welcome by the Peruvian intellectual

Almost before the celebrations in

Jáuregui succeeded in defeating Túpac Amaru in 1781, and within a month he had been arrested and tried. On 18 May 1781 Túpac Amaru, his wife, and other leaders were executed. Túpac Amaru himself was torn into pieces by four horses, and the pieces were publicly displayed in various Indian towns as a warning to future rebels. Other rebels were brutally tortured and killed between 1781 and 1783. It is not known whether any descendants of the Inca emperors survived the repression.

However, discontent persisted amongst the native peoples because of abuse of the repartimiento and mita systems of labor tribute, which Jáuregui notified the court of. Jáuregui also busied himself in improving the defenses, the militia, and the postal service of the viceroyalty. He left his post on 6 April 1784, and a few days later died in an accident in Lima.

Additional information

Notes

Sources

External links

• (in Spanish) A short biography
• (in Spanish) Some information about his administration
• (in Spanish) The rebellion of Túpac Amaru