Joaquín Tellechea was an

hacendado An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

and Spanish Army sergeant major who served as the 17th mayor of

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

, in 1821. Tellechea was a sergeant major and also owned a 90-

cuerda The term "cuerda" (Spanish for ''rope'') refers to a unit of measurement in some Spanish-speaking regions, including Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Cuba, Spain, and Paraguay. In Puerto Rico, the term cuerda (and "Spanish acre"hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

in the Los Caños sector in Ponce.

Introduction to politics

Tellechea was church clerk (''Secretario parroquial'') at the time the first constitutional mayor and

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

were instituted in Ponce in 1812 as a result of the

Spanish Constitution of 1812 The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy ( es, link=no, Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz ( es, link=no, Constitución de Cádiz) and as ''La Pepa'', was the first Constituti ...

. He recorded the

minutes Minutes, also known as minutes of meeting (abbreviation MoM), protocols or, informally, notes, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting and may include a list of attendees, a state ...

of the first

meeting while a council clerk was voted on and put in place. By the end of that same council meeting, held on 18 October 1812, Tellechea was himself elected council clerk. He was confirmed at the next meeting, held on 26 October 1812, and by the following meeting (2 November 1812) he was already signing the official record of the meetings for historical preservation and archiving.

Mayoral term

Tellechea is remembered because, in late 1820, he altered the elections results for the mayoral post in his favor so that he, and not the other candidate for the post — Jose Casimiro Ortiz de la Renta—would appear elected for the job. As a result, he was suspended from serving; he was not allowed to stay on even as a regular member of the municipal council. Instead, Salvador Blanch won the municipal mayor seat. Tellechea subsequently fled (''"se marcho a Tierra Firme"'') and was never heard of again. On 16 December 1821, Blanch was finally elected mayor but, it turns out, he was not able to accept the position because of conflicts with his work as harbourmaster.Ilia del Toro Robledo. ''Actas del Cabildo de Ponce: 1812-1823.'' Gobierno Municipal Autónomo de Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1993. p.220 (Comisión Puertorriqueña para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario del Descubrimiento de America y Puerto Rico en Conmemoración del Encuentro de Dos Mundos.)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tellechea, Joaquin 1760s births 1840s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico

Introduction to politics

Mayoral term

See also

Notes

References