Juan Pérez de Zurita (1516 – c. 1595) was a Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

, the son of Alonso Díaz de Zurita, native of Cañete de las Torres and Inés Fernández de Córdova. In 1536 he began his military career. In 1548 he was in

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

and in 1550 he embarked to the

Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found i ...

with his brother Alonso de Zurita. In 1553 went on to the kingdom of Peru. At the beginning of 1557, by order of the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

Hurtado de Mendoza he was sent with an expedition of 700 soldiers under the command of his son García Hurtado de Mendoza, to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. From there by order of the new Governor Mendoza, he was sent with a command of 70 men with the position of Lieutenant Governor and Greater Justice for the province of Tucuman, Juries and Diaguitas. He crossed the

Andes Mountains The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

and arrived at

Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a sur ...

in May 1558.

Biography

Zurita relieved Juan Gregorio Bazán the chief of the few soldiers or colonists who remained in the province, that was torn by discord and afflicted by crime continuing a precarious existence after the departure of the previous governor. With a new immigration from Chile and Peru, Zurita at the head of the government was able to bring the settlers a larger measure of prosperity than they had previously enjoyed and treated all parties with equal justice. In honour of the union of Philip II and Queen Mary, Zurita changed the name of the province to ''Nueva Inglaterra'' (New England). He also founded three towns:

Londres Londres may refer to: Locations * London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wi ...

, Canete, and Cordova. Zurita continued the task of subjugating the

Diaguita The Diaguita people are a group of South American Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people native to the Chilean Norte Chico, Chile, Norte Chico and the Argentine Northwest. Western or Chilean Diaguitas lived mainly in the Transvers ...

and

Calchaquí The Calchaquí or Kalchakí were a tribe of South American Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indians of the Diaguita group, now extinct, who formerly occupied northern Argentina. Stone and other remains prove them to have reached a high degree ...

Indians with some success. When

Diego López de Zúñiga y Velasco Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese equivalent is Diogo. The etymology of Diego is disputed, with two major origin hypotheses: ''Tiago'' and ''Didacus''. The name also has several patronymic derivations, listed below. ...

, arrived in Peru as the new Viceroy in 1560, he was determined to make the province of Tucuman independent, except as subordinated to the viceroy of Peru. This proposed change provoked a revolt on the part of those who wished to maintain the connection with Chile. Londres inhabitants led this movement, reinforced by the garrison of the town, who went over to them. The uprising was suppressed, but opposition aroused by Zurita finally persuaded the Governor of Chile that it was desirable to transfer the affairs of the province of Tucuman to other hands. Gregorio Castañeda was, therefore, sent to supersede Zurita. Zurita was transferred, against his will, back to Chile, but rendered service to the governors Don

Pedro de Villagra Pedro de Villagra y Martínez (1513 in Mombeltrán, Ávila Province – September 11, 1577 in Lima, Peru, Lima) was a Spanish soldier who participated in the conquest of Chile, being appointed its Royal Governor of Chile, Royal Governor between 15 ...

and don

Rodrigo de Quiroga Rodrigo de Quiroga López de Ulloa (c. 1512 – February 20, 1580) was a Spanish conquistador of Galician origin. He was twice the Royal Governor of Chile. Early life He was the son of Hernado Camba de Quiroga and of María López de Ulloa. In ...

in the

Arauco War The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía region of Chile. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities a ...

. At first he underestimated the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging e ...

and his column of reinforcements from

Angol Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the ...

for Concepcion was ambushed by

Millalelmo Millalelmo or ''Millarelmo'' (died 1570) was a Mapuche military leader in the second great Mapuche rebellion that began in 1561 during the Arauco War. Probably the toqui of the Arauco region, he commanded the Mapuche army of that area at the sieg ...

and 3000 Mapuche at the

Andalién River The Andalién River is a river in the province of Concepción, in the Bío Bío Region of Chile. It drains the western side of Chile's Cordillera de la Costa and has a total length of . It is one of the two rivers that bracket the city of Conce ...

in 1564. He managed to escape annihilation and get back to

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. Following the Mapuche's failed Siege of Concepcion he joined Governor Villagra in the Second Battle of Reinohuelén and Battle of Tulmillán ending the revolt of the Mapuche north of the Bío Bío River.

Family

In 1571, the Viceroy of Peru, Don

Francisco de Toledo Francisco Álvarez de Toledo ( Oropesa, 10 July 1515 – Escalona, 21 April 1582), also known as ''The Viceroyal Solon'', was an aristocrat and soldier of the Kingdom of Spain and the fifth Viceroy of Peru. Often regarded as the "best of ...

, gave permission for him to found two settlements in the government of

Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; ), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department. Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), Pirai River in the eastern Tropical ...

. He was married with Jerónima de Mena y Saldaña. He died in

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

in the year 1595.

Sources

* Bernard Moses
THE SPANISH DEPENDENCIES IN SOUTH AMERICA, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF THEIR CIVILISATION, VOL. II, HARPER BROTHERS, NEW YORK AND LONDON Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. at the Ballantyne Press, 1914

External links

Picture of Juan Pérez de Zurita {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez De Zurita, Juan Spanish conquistadors 16th-century Chilean people Explorers of Argentina People of the Arauco War 16th-century Spanish people Spanish city founders 1516 births 1595 deaths