Antonio de Mendoza
Viceroy of Peru | |
---|---|
In office 23 September 1551 – 21 July 1552 | |
Monarch | Charles I of Spain |
Preceded by | Pedro de la Gasca |
Succeeded by | Melchor Bravo de Saravia |
Personal details | |
Pronunciation | /mɛnˈdoʊzə/, Spanish: [anˈtonjo ðe menˈdosa] |
Born | Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco c. 1495 Alcalá la Real, Jaén, Spain |
Died | 21 July 1552 Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru | (aged 56–57)
Antonio de Mendoza (1495 – 21 July 1552) was a Spanish colonial administrator who was the first
Mendoza was born at Alcalá la Real (Jaén, Spain), the son of the 2nd Count of Tendilla, Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones, and Francisca Pacheco. He was married to María Ana de Trujillo de Mendoza.
Viceroy of New Spain
Mendoza became
Although the Spanish had occupied and expanded explorations, conquest, and settlement in the Caribbean, it was not until the conquest of central Mexico that the crown appointed a viceroy (vice king), who would be the king's living image in Mexico and envisioned to effectively assert royal authority in the Kingdom of New Spain. To further cement his authority and establish a solid society he established marital alliances with powerful settlers committed to the development of New Spain, such as Marina de la Caballería.[3] Mendoza's status as a noble and his family's loyalty to the Spanish crown made him a suitable candidate for appointment.[4]
Don Antonio and Bishop
When the Spanish crown issued the New Laws that put restrictions on the grants of elite conquerors awarded grants of labor encomenderos, the viceroy prudently refrained from implementing the most draconian aspects of the edicts, which no longer permitted an encomendero family holding the grant in perpetuity. In Peru, the implementation of the New Laws resulted in outright rebellion and the assassination of the viceroy.[5] In reaction to the crisis caused by the New Laws, Mendoza introduced the policy of obedezco pero no cumplo ("I obey but do not comply"), which means "I respect the authority of the crown, but in my judgment I do not implement particular legislation." He tried to not implement the New Laws, and therefore stabilized the region.[6]
In 1542 an
As viceroy, Mendoza commissioned the expedition of
During his term of office, Mendoza is credited with consolidating the sovereignty of the Crown throughout the Spanish conquests in New Spain and limiting the power and ambition of the first conquistadors. Many of the political and economic policies he established endured throughout the entire colonial period. He promoted the construction of hospitals and schools and encouraged improvements in agriculture, ranching and mining. His administration did much to bring stability and peace to New Spain.
He was succeeded as viceroy of New Spain by Don
Viceroy of Peru
On 4 July 1549 in
Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County, California was named in his honor in 1565. From the cape, Mendocino County, the town of Mendocino, and Mendocino National Forest were named in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Notes
- ^ Ida Altman, The War for Mexico's West. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 2010, p. 21-22.
- ^ Ida Altman, et al. The Early History of Greater Mexico. Pearson 2003, 69.
- ^ Alejandro Cañeque, The King's Living Image: The Culture and Politics of Viceregal Power in Colonial Mexico, New York: Routledge 2004.
- ^ Altman et al, Early History of Greater Mexico, p. 69.
- ^ James Lockhart and Stuart B. Schwartz, Early Latin America. New York: Cambridge University Press 1983, pp. 94-95.
- ^ John H. Parry and Robert G. Keith, eds. New Iberian World: A Documentary History of the Discovery and Settlement of Latin American to the Early 17th Century. vol. 1. The Conquerors and the Conquered, pp. 348-359
- ^ Juan Comas, "Historical Reality and the Detractors of Father las Casas". In Juan Friede and Benjamin Keen (eds.), Bartolomé de las Casas in History: Toward an Understanding of the Man and his Work. Collection spéciale: CER. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, p. 493.
- ^ "Codice Mendoza".
References
- (in Spanish) "Mendoza, Antonio de", Enciclopedia de México, v. 9. Mexico City, 1988.
- (in Spanish) "Mendoza, Antonio de", Encyclopædia Britannica, v. 6. Chicago, 1983.
- (in Spanish) García Puron, Manuel, México y sus gobernantes, v. 1. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984.
- (in Spanish) Orozco Linares, Fernando, Gobernantes de México. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, ISBN 968-38-0260-5.
Further reading
- Aiton, Arthur Scott (1927). Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of New Spain. Internet Archive. Duke University Press.
External links
- Media related to Antonio de Mendoza at Wikimedia Commons
- "The First and the best: Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza"