Antonio Valverde y Cosío
Antonio Valverde y Cosío | |
---|---|
Félix Martínez | |
Succeeded by | Juan Páez Hurtado |
40th Spanish Governor of New Mexico (Interim) | |
In office 1718–1721 | |
Preceded by | Juan Páez Hurtado |
Succeeded by | Juan Estrada de Austria |
Personal details | |
Born | 1670 Villapresente, El Paso, Texas |
Profession | Political and military |
Antonio Valverde y Cosío (1670–February 1737) was the architect behind the disastrous Villasur expedition wherein the famous Spanish colonial scout José Naranjo perished.
He was a prominent entrepreneur and Spanish soldier who served as acting governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1716 and as interim governor of this territory from 1718 to 1721. His politics were based, in large part, on stopping the French invasion of New Mexico.
Biography
Early life
Antonio Valverde y Cosío was born around 1670 in Villapresente, Cantabria, Spain.[1] He was attracted to New Spain by various business interests that his family had in the region. He began working in Sombrerete (in modern Mexico) because minerals had been discovered there in 1646. Over time, he and his associates created an important business in the area. The success of their partnership grew over the next 24 years. In 1693, Diego de Vargas, governor of New Mexico, recruited settlers and soldiers from Sombrerete, and Valverde decided to join them. Eventually, he became Vargas' secretary.
From June 1694 to July 1697, Valverde served as a soldier in New Mexico, fighting to impose Spanish authority in New Mexico and restore the region's Hispanic population. Over the next two years (1694–96), he and Vargas participated in the war against the
He participated in many battles in 1696, including an assault on the
In July 1697, Pedro Rodríguez Cubero replaced Vargas as governor and presented complaints against Vargas and Valverde. Vargas was imprisoned for several years, but Valverde was unaffected because he was in Spain at the time.
Valverde and Juan Bautista de Saldúa shared the captaincy of the presidio of El Paso, a position Valverde held for the remainder of his life.[1] In 1699,[2] he was appointed alcalde of El Paso.[2]
He had an estate, including a large farm, in San Antonio de Padua. In addition, he controlled much of the economy of El Paso, along with trade and business in many other parts of New Mexico. In 1705, he became a
Governorship
Valverde was appointed acting governor of
The
In September 1719 Valverde led a troop to Jicarilla and El Cuartelejo. The troop was make up of 100 Spanish soldiers and some 500 Amerindian
On January 10, 1720, Viceroy Zúñiga ordered Valverde to establish a fortification in El Cuartelejo in order to prevent French expansion in the area. However, Valverde suggested to the viceroy that the Jicarilla land, just 40 miles from Santa Fe and with cultivated fields, would be a better choice. He noted that the Apaches of El Cuartelejo, allies of the Spanish, were much more distant from Santa Fe and had no supplies, so they could not adequately defend themselves from enemy attacks; Valverde argued that the Spanish should help defend them.
Valverde finished his term in New Mexico in 1721, when the viceroy of New Spain appointed Juan Estrada de Austria as the new governor of the province.[3]
Last years
Valverde was accused of facilitating the murder of explorers through the Villasur expedition. He was eventually prosecuted and fined 200
Personal life
Valverde married Maria de Esparza, he had several children: Antonia and Juana.[6] He was also the uncle of Juan Domingo Bustamante, who would become governor of Spanish New Mexico. He was one of the wealthiest men in New Mexico, with a hacienda that included large wheat fields, a flour mill, a vineyard, and a farm with sheep, cattle, horses, mules, hogs, and goats. He also had nine black and mulatto slaves and more than 30 farm laborers.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j New Mexico Office of the State Historian: Antonio de Valverde Cosio. Posted by Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c Naylor, Thomas H.; Hadley, Diana; Mardith K. Schuetz-Miller (editors; 1997). The Presidio And Militia On The Northern Frontier of New Spain, Volume 2; part 2. The Central Corridor and the Texas Corridor, 1570-1700. The University of Arizona Press. Page 242.
- ^ a b c Martínez Laínez, Fernando and Canales Torres, Carlos (Fourth edition: September 2009). Banderas lejanas: La exploración, conquista y defensa por parte de España del Territorio de los actuales Estados Unidos (In Spanish: Far flags. The exploration, conquest and defense by Spain of the Territory of the present United States). Edaf. Page 228-229.
- ^ Abbot, Carlos (2013). Colorado: A History of the Centennial State, Fifth Edition. University Press of Colorado.
- ISBN 978-1-84908-597-7.
- ^ Valverde y Cosío. Genealogies. consulted in may 07, 2011, to 13:09 pm.