Andres Hurtado de Mendoza, segundo marques de Canete (ca. 1500, Canete, Spain—March 30, 1561, Lima, Peru) was a Spanish military officer and, from June 29, 1556 to his death on March 30, 1561, the fifth viceroy of Peru.
Origins and military career
Andres Hurtado de Mendoza was born into a high-ranking Spanish noble family. He was a descendant of Juan Hurtado de Mendoza, Senor de Mendivil. Hurtado was guarda mayor (governor) of Cuenca, Spain, and royal chief huntsman of Castile, succeeding his father in both those positions. He was also a military officer, serving with distinction in actions in Granada, France and Flanders. He accompanied the Emperor, Charles V, to Germany and Flanders.
After being named viceroy of Peru in 1556, he arrived at Panama, at that time part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Here he delayed his journey to deal with a rebellion of fugitive Negro slaves. He put Pedro de Ursua in charge of the suppression of the rebels.
As viceroy of Peru
He arrived in Lima on June 29, 1556, finding a colony still recovering from the rebellions of Sebastian del Castillo, Godinez, and Giron. The Audiencia had been ruling for nearly four years, with its president, Melchor Bravo de Saravia, serving as interim viceroy. The judges of the Audiencia had disputes among themselves, and they were arrogant towards the new viceroy. Hurtado immediately petitioned the king for the removal of the most offensive. Elsewhere in the colony, the pardoned insurgents were restive, and loyal royalists were agitating for greater rewards. There were still some centers of Inca resistance. In the face of this turbulence, Hurtado adopted despotic measures, executing many of the former rebels and banishing many of the discontented government supporters.
Among his other security measures were the creation of a permanent guard in Lima, and the construction of additional galleys to guard the coast.
He founded the College of San Juan de la Penitencia in Lima for poor Mestizo girls, and another college at Trujillo. He also endowed the recently founded University of Lima. He founded the Hospital of San Andres, also at Lima, and had the mummies of the Incas Viracocha, Yupanqui, and Huayna Capac moved there. In 1558 he founded the city of Cuenca, near the former Inca royal residence of Tomebampa (Ecuador). In Chile he founded the cities of Mendoza and Osorno (1559), and the Audiencia of Chuquisaca.
Also in 1558, the viceroy sent out several exploring expeditions, intended also as punitive forces against bands of adventurers. He entrusted the pacification of the Amazon to his faithful supporter Pedro de Ursua, and the conquest of the Chiriguanos and the plains of Condorillo to Andres Manso.
He named his son Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza, 22 years old at the time, governor of Chile. In 1557 the Portuguese Enrique Garces discovered the mineral mercury in Huencavelica, necessary for the extraction of silver.
Relations with the Indigenous
Still in 1558 he reestablished the local jurisdiction of native chiefs. On January 5, 1560 he met with the last grandson of Huayna Capac, Sayri Tupac Inca in Lima. Sayri Tupac renounced his claim to the Inca Empire and accepted baptism, as Diego. In return he received the title of Prince of Yucay, with a rich revenue.
Hurtado prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages to the Indigenous.
His recall
Meanwhile, complaints about Hurtado's arbitrary and cruel governance, especially from those he had exiled, caused King Philip II to remove him from office. (Other complaints against Hurtado were the lack of control of the economy, and the garroting of Captain Robles in his own bed.) In his place, the king appointed Diego Lopez de Zuniga y Velasco. Lopez arrived at Paita in January 1561. His communications with Hurtado before reaching Lima were disrespectful. Hurtado fell sick and died before Lopez arrived the capital. He was interred in the Cathedral of Cuenca, in Spain.
External links
Other pages about Colonial Peru
-Alonzo de Alvarado -Ana Francisca de Borja y Doria -Ana de Castro -Andres Hurtado de Mendoza -Antonio de Mendoza -Antonio de Morga -Balconies of Lima -Baltasar de la Cueva Enriquez -Battle of Sangarara -Bernardo de Iturriaza -Blasco Nunez Vela -Cabildo (council) -Carmine Nicolao Caracciolo -Cathedral of Lima -Comentarios Reales de los Incas -Convento de San Francisco -Cristobal Ramirez de Cartagena -Cristobal Vaca de Castro -Diego Ladron de Guevara -Diego Lopez de Zuniga y Velasco -Diego Morcillo Rubio de Aunon -Diego Nunez de Avendano -Diego Quispe Tito -Diego de Almagro -Diego de Benavides y de la Cueva -Fernando Torres de Portugal y Mesia -Francisco Ruiz Lozano -Francisco de Borja y Aragon -Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa -Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza, Marquis of Canete -Government Palace (Peru) -Hans Heinrich Bruning Brookstedt -Hernando de Luque -Historic Centre of Lima -Jose Antonio de Areche -Jose Antonio de Mendoza -Jose de Armendariz -Juan Jimenez de Montalvo -Juan Pizarro II -Lima City Walls -Luis Jeronimo Fernandez de Cabrera -Manuel de Oms y de Santa Pau -Mateo de la Mata Ponce de Leon -Melchor Bravo de Saravia -Melchor Linan y Cisneros -Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull -Miguel Nunez de Sanabria -Osambela House -Pedro Alvarez de Toledo y Leiva -Pedro Antonio Fernandez de Castro -Pedro Bohorquez -Pedro de la Gasca -San Telmo (ship) -Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire -Torre Tagle Palace -Tupac Amaru II -Turibius of Mongrovejo -Viceroyalty of Peru
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Andres_Hurtado_de_Mendoza
