Juan Francisco de Güemes, 1st Count of Revillagigedo
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2020) ) |
Agustín de Ahumada | |
---|---|
Governor of Cuba | |
In office 18 March 1734 – 22 April 1746 | |
Monarch | Philip V |
Preceded by | Dionisio Martínez de la Vega |
Succeeded by | Juan Antonio Tineo y Fuertes |
Personal details | |
Born | Reinosa, Cantabria | 16 May 1681
Died | 27 November 1766 Madrid, Spain | (aged 85)
Spouse | Antonia Ceferina Pacheco de Padilla y Aguayo |
Children | Juan Vicente de Güemes |
Juan Francisco de Güemes y Horcasitas (Spanish: Juan Francisco de Güemes y Horcasitas, primer conde de Revillagigedo) (16 May 1681, Reinosa, Cantabria – 27 November 1766, Madrid) was a Spanish general, governor of Havana, captain general of Cuba, and viceroy of New Spain (from 9 July 1746 to 9 November 1755).
Early career
Juan Francisco de Güemes y Horcasitas was the first
As viceroy of New Spain
In New Spain, he presided at the funeral honors of the old king,
On 8 July 1750 the ruins of Palenque were discovered. On 8 May 1753 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was born in Guanajuato.
In 1750 famine struck Guanajuato and
Reforms
He reformed the administration of the treasury of the colony in 1746. Because a large portion of the circulating coinage had been sent to Spain, he ordered the minting of 150,000 pesos for circulation in Florida (1746). He reauthorized playing cards, banned by his predecessor, in order to increase revenue from their taxation.
Because smuggling was still rampant, he ordered close inspection of all ships arriving in port. This measure was ineffective, however. The smugglers used small boats and made landings on deserted beaches, transferring their illegal goods to confederates in the colony. Because of complaints from Spanish merchants, chiefly in America, Spain broke relations with the Hanseatic League. The viceroy prohibited Hanseatic ships from anchoring in Veracruz. When this legal source of a large quantity of merchandise was blocked, smuggling rose. It was said that even the vicereine dressed in contraband cloth from England or from Flanders.
Güemes y Horcasitas earned a reputation for governing efficiently and honorably. He took steps to ensure that government employees met the obligations of their offices. He increased the revenues of the government, even though revenue from the mines decreased due to the scarcity of mercury (for extracting silver). He increased the size of the fleet protecting shipping between Veracruz and Havana.
With the expansion of commerce and the decrease in piracy after the end of the war with England, mercury from Spanish mines began flowing into New Spain in sufficient quantities to raise the production of silver back to pre-shortage levels.
He reorganized the management of official documents and required that civil and religious affairs be handled independently. These reforms are considered the foundation of what became the General Archives of Mexico.
He was accused of having accumulated an enormous personal fortune while in office, but when he left, he left a large surplus in the treasury, and a wealth of stores and provisions.
Foreign affairs
Spain was at war with England again (the War of the Austrian Succession), and news was received in Mexico City that a fleet of 17 ships of the line and transports had been assembled at Portsmouth under Admiral Richard Lestock, for an invasion of Spanish possessions in America. The information did not include where the English intended to make a landing, so the viceroy worked to prepare all the provinces under his jurisdiction to repulse an attack.
A preliminary peace was signed on 30 April 1748. Spain was required to pay its debts to England, and England to return the Spanish possessions it had captured. New Spain's military expenses suddenly decreased, and the bonus was used for such projects as the colonization of Nuevo Santander.
While maintaining good relations with France, he vigilantly prevented French encroachments on the territory of New Spain. The garrisons in Texas were strengthened. In 1755 he founded a presidio at Horcasitas (Sonora) for the purpose of controlling the Apaches.
Return to Spain
After turning over the government to his successor,
References
- (in Spanish) "Güemes y Horcasitas, Juan Francisco de," Enciclopedia de México, v. 6. Mexico City, 1988.
- (in Spanish) García Puron, Manuel, México y sus gobernantes, v. 1. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984.
- (in Spanish) Orozco L., Fernando, Fechas Históricas de México. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1988, ISBN 968-38-0046-7.
- (in Spanish) Orozco Linares, Fernando, Gobernantes de México. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, ISBN 968-38-0260-5.