Alonso de Maldonado Diez de Ledesma (1480 Salamanca, Spain), was a Spanish lawyer and a member of the second
Real Audiencia of Mexico
The Real Audiencia of Mexico or Royal Audiencia of Mexico ( es, Real Audiencia de México) was the highest tribunal (high court) of the Spanish crown in the Kingdom of New Spain. The Audiencia was created by royal decree on December 13, 1527, and ...
, which governed
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
from January 10, 1531 to April 16, 1535. He was also president of the first
Real Audiencia of Guatemala
The Real Audiencia of Santiago de Guatemala ( es, Audiencia y Cancillería Real de Santiago de Guatemala), simply known as the Audiencia of Guatemala or the Audiencia of Los Confines, was a ''Real Audiencia'' (appellate court) in the Imperial Spa ...
, and in that capacity interim governor of Guatemala from 1536 to September 15, 1539. He was governor of Guatemala a second time, from 1542 to 1548.
Early life
Alonso de Maldonado Diez de Ledesma was the son of Francisco Arias Maldonado and Guiomar Diez de Ledesma. Alonso married as his first wife, Juana de Ortega. Four children were born from this marriage, Luisa, Guiomar, Marina and Juana. His second marriage was to Elena de Torres y Medinilla who was the daughter of Luis de Torres and Barbola de Medinilla. There were two children born of this marriage, and Diego Maldonado de Torres.
The Second Audiencia of Mexico
After the criminal disaster of the first Real Audiencia of Mexico, Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
carefully chose five upstanding men to replace them, as the second Audiencia. The second Audiencia was named in a royal decree dated January 12, 1530. It was made up of Bishop
Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal
Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal (, Villaescusa de Haro, Cuenca, Spain – January 22, 1547, Valladolid, Spain) was bishop of Santo Domingo ''(in Latin)'' and president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo from 1528 to 1531. He was al ...
as president, and
Juan de Salmerón
Juan de Salmerón was a Spanish colonial official New Spain, and an ''oidor'' (judge) of the second Real Audiencia of Mexico, which governed the colony from January 10, 1531 until April 16, 1534. On the latter date, the government was turned over ...
,
Francisco Ceinos
Francisco Ceinos (also spelled ''Francisco Ceynos'') was one of five ''oidores'' (judges) of the second Real Audiencia of Mexico. This group governed the colonies of New Spain from January 10, 1515 to April 16, 1535. Ceinos was also president o ...
, Maldonado and
Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga (1470/78 – 14 March 1565) was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico, and one of the judges (''oidores'') in the second Real Audiencia of Mexico – the high court that governed New Spain – from January 10, 1531, to April 16, ...
as ''oidores'' (judges). All of these men were honest, honorable and capable. All were licentiates.
The second Audiencia improved the road from
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
to Mexico City, and along the way founded the city of
Puebla de los Angeles
Puebla de Zaragoza (; nah, Cuetlaxcoapan), formally Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, formerly Puebla de los Ángeles during colonial times, or known in English simply as Puebla, is the seat of Puebla Municipality. It is the capital and largest city ...
as a resting-place for travelers (April 16, 1531). It imported horses and cattle from Spain, took steps to import a printing press, founded the
Imperial College of Santiago Tlatelolco for higher learning for young indigenous men, renewed exploration, and continued work on the cathedral of Mexico City. Enslavement of Indians was prohibited in 1532. The second Audiencia brought suit against the ''oidores'' of the first Audiencia
Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (Spanish) or (Catalan) is a masculine given name of Latin origin (, , , and so on). Its Portuguese form is . Its patronymic is (). Already in the Middle Ages the name was being confused with the similar but distinct name Munio.
The meaning of ...
,
Juan Ortiz de Matienzo
Juan Ortiz de Matienzo was a Spanish colonial judge and an original member of the first Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo, in 1512. From December 9, 1528 until January 9, 1531, he was a member of the first Real Audiencia of Mexico, which took over ...
and
Diego Delgadillo
Diego Delgadillo (b. Granada, Spain, d. 1533, Granada) was a judge of the first Real Audiencia of Mexico, which took control of the governance of New Spain from the conquistadors from December 9, 1528 to January 9, 1531.
Delgadillo was a native ...
. Beltrán de Guzmán was absent from the capital, but the other two corrupt officials were sent back to Spain as prisoners.
First term as governor of Guatemala
In 1535,
Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado (; c. 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala.Lovell, Lutz and Swezey 1984, p. 461. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of the Yucatá ...
, previous governor of Guatemala, returned in defeat from
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
. Not only was his expedition a failure, but upon his return he was faced with a trial over his reckless adventure without royal approval, and for taking Guatemalan Indians with him, many of whom died on the expedition. On October 27, 1535 the Audiencia of Mexico, which had loose jurisdiction over Guatemala, dismissed him from the governorship of the province and sent Alonso de Maldonado as provisional governor and ''
juez de residencia
A ''juicio de residencia'' (literally, ''judgment of residence'') was a judicial procedure of Castilian law and the Laws of the Indies. It consisted of this: at the termination of a public functionary's term, his performance in office was subject ...
'' ("judge of grievances") to look into his conduct. Alvarado had many enemies in Guatemala, and there were many grievances against him. To avoid a trial, he fled to Honduras to fight rebellious Indians, and later to Spain.
Maldonado brought with him a reputation for honesty and justice, for the Indigenous as well as the Spaniards, and he preserved this reputation during his government of Guatemala.
In 1537 Maldonado granted Fray
Bartolomé de las Casas
Bartolomé de las Casas, OP ( ; ; 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a 16th-century Spanish landowner, friar, priest, and bishop, famed as a historian and social reformer. He arrived in Hispaniola as a layman then became a Dominican friar ...
jurisdiction over the territory of Tezulutlán, or ''Land of War'', in Guatemala. Maldonado agreed to the exclusion of other Spaniards from the region for five years. Las Casas was a Dominican, and the Dominicans peacefully converted the Indigenous population. The area was renamed ''
Vera Paz'', or ''True Peace''.
In 1539 Alvarado returned from Spain, bringing with him royal privileges and concessions granting immunity from the threatened trial and replacing Maldonado as governor. Alvarado was named governor of Guatemala for seven years, and also governor of neighboring
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
, a position he had not held previously. His contacts in the Spanish Court, coupled with his diplomatic skill, had returned control of the government to him. After spending five months in Honduras, he entered
Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros (; '' en, James, son of Zebedee, Saint James of the Knights''), often shortened to Santiago, is the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic and the fourth-largest city in the Caribbean by population. It is the cap ...
(Antigua Guatemala) on September 15, 1539, replacing Maldonado. Maldonado was forced to return to Mexico.
While in Spain, Alvarado had married
Beatriz de la Cueva
Beatriz de la Cueva de Alvarado ( 1498 – 11 September 1541), nicknamed "La Sinventura" ("The Unfortunate") was a Spanish noblewoman from Úbeda in Andalucia who became the governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala for a few days in September 1 ...
sister of his previous wife and, like her, a niece of
Francisco de los Cobos
Francisco de los Cobos y Molina (c. 1477 – 10 May 1547) was the secretary of State and '' Comendador'' for the kingdom of Castile under the rule of the Emperor Charles I of Spain.
Biographical data
He was born in Úbeda ca. 1477 and died on ...
, secretary to the Emperor. Also arriving with Alvarado was a group of single women seeking husbands among the colonists and conquistadors of Santiago.
Second term as governor of Guatemala
Pedro de Alvarado died in 1541, and his widow Beatriz was elected governor of Guatemala. However she soon died as well, and in 1542 her brother
Francisco de la Cueva and Bishop
Francisco Marroquín
Francisco Marroquín (1499 – April 18, 1563) was the first bishop of Guatemala, ''(in Latin)'' translator of Central American languages and provisional Governor of Guatemala.
Biography
Marroquín was born near Santander, Spain. He studied philo ...
(1499–1563) were elected co-governors. Bartolomé de las Casas had recommended that Maldonado be appointed president of the new Audiencia of the Confines (Guatemala), and New Spain Viceroy
Antonio de Mendoza
Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco (, ; 1495 – 21 July 1552) was a Spanish colonial administrator who was the first Viceroy of New Spain, serving from 14 November 1535 to 25 November 1550, and the third Viceroy of Peru, from 23 September 1551, ...
made him governor of Guatemala and Honduras later in 1542. A group of conquistadors in Honduras insisted that it be governed separately, but they were forced to accept Maldonado.
In 1542 the
New Laws
The New Laws (Spanish: ''Leyes Nuevas''), also known as the New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians (Spanish: ''Leyes y ordenanzas nuevamente hechas por su Majestad para la gobernación de las Indias y buen t ...
of Emperor Charles V were to enter into force in the Spanish dominions in the New World. These were intended to alleviate the plight of the indigenous, but there was strong opposition to them among the Spanish holders of
encomiendas
The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...
. Maldonado did not enforce them in Guatemala. The New Laws were inspired largely by Las Casas, and because of Maldonado's noncooperation, Las Casas secured his replacement as governor by in 1548.
In 1547 he traveled to
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
to recruit soldiers for the army.
See also
*
List of Viceroys of New Spain
The following is a list of Viceroys of New Spain.
In addition to viceroys, the following lists the highest Spanish governors of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, before the appointment of the first viceroy or when the office of viceroy was vacant. Mo ...
References
Further reading
* – "As ''juez de residencia'' of Pedro de Alvarado."
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maldonado, Alonso de
Governors of Guatemala
Governors of Honduras
People of New Spain
Year of death missing
16th-century Spanish people
1480 births