Francisco López de Osornio Merlo (1681 – 1756) was a Spanish military leader and landowner, who served during the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed from ...

as Captain of the provincial militias of Buenos Aires.

Biography

He was born on September 7, 1681 in Buenos Aires, the son of Francisco López Osornio and Tomasa Merlo, belonging to an illustrious family of Spanish and Creole origin. He was married on September 11, 1701 in Metropolitan Cathedral to María Gamiz de las Cuevas, daughter of Pedro Gamiz de las Cuevas and Tomasa Álvarez de Lasarte, a distinguished Spanish family from

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. His son

Clemente López de Osornio Clemente López de Osornio (1720–1783) was a Spanish military leader. He served during the Viceroyalty of Peru as Captain of the :es:Blandengues de Buenos Aires, Regiment of Blandengues of Buenos Aires. Biography He was baptized on November 25, ...

, a landowner belonging to the Spanish Army, died assassinated during an indigenous incursion to the Province of Buenos Aires. He had an active participation in the military expeditions aimed at controlling the indigenous advance towards the Province of Buenos Aires. He held the honorific post of Alférez Real of the city, being the one in charge to carry the Estandarte Real in the day of

Saint Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...

. In 1726 he had served as commander of the

Fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of Barragán, place where had ordered the construction of the first

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merlo, Francisco Lopez de Osornio 1681 births 1750s deaths People from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Spanish descent Spanish colonial governors and administrators