Pedro de Castro, 1st Duke of la Conquista

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He was named viceroy of New Spain by Philip V in 1740 to replace Juan Antonio de Vizarrón y Eguiarreta. The Dutch merchant ship transporting him to New Spain was taken by an English frigate near Puerto Rico, but he was able to launch a boat and, together with some other passengers, avoid being captured. He did, however, lose all of his luggage, including his credentials and the royal orders and instructions, therefore, arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico, without papers. He then made his way to Veracruz, where he arrived on 30 June 1740. From Veracruz he wrote to the archbishop of Mexico, who recognized him as the new viceroy. He made his formal entry into Mexico City on 17 August 1740.

To compensate him for his losses to the English, the Crown increased his salary to the amount then received by the

During his period as viceroy, he worked to improve the mines at Zacatecas by improving the drainage system, supporting the missions in the Philippines, clearing obstructions from the port of Veracruz and deepening the harbor, and paying the costs of the one thousand soldiers sent by Spain to Cuba to protect against the English.

The new viceroy found the colony poorly defended and beset by the French from the north and the English on the Caribbean coasts. He reinforced the garrison of St. Augustine, Florida (recently attacked by the English) by 300 soldiers and provisions.

The English, under Admiral

• José de Escandón
• Lorenzo Boturini Bernaducci

Notes

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