Rodrigo Pacheco, 3rd Marquis of Cerralvo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
Rodrigo Pacheco y Osorio de Toledo, 3rd Marquess of Cerralvo ( es, Rodrigo Pacheco y Osorio, tercer Marqués de Cerralvo) (c. 1565,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
– June, 1652,
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 ...
) was a Spanish nobleman,
inquisitor An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literal ...
of
Valladolid Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
, and
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 French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
of
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 ...
. He held the latter position from November 3, 1624 to September 16, 1635.


Early career and appointment as viceroy of New Spain

Rodrigo Pacheco y Osorio was born in Spain in the 1560s. He was a relative of Juan Antonio Pacheco, viceroy of
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
. After distinguishing himself in military service, he was named inquisitor of Valladolid. When the rioting and disorders involving the previous viceroy,
Diego Carrillo de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Gelves Don (honorific), Don Diego Carrillo de Mendoza y Pimentel, 1st Marquess of Gélves ( es, Diego Pimentel y Toledo, primer marqués de Gélves y conde consorte de Priego, capitán-general de la caballería de Milán, Asistente de Sevilla, caballe ...
, and the archbishop of Mexico,
Juan Pérez de la Serna Juan Pérez de la Serna (1570 – August 8, 1631), was a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Zamora (1627–1631) and as the seventh Archbishop of Mexico (1613–1627). ''(in Latin)''Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...
, he chose Pacheco y Osorio to investigate the causes and take charge of the government. Pacheco received specific, detailed instructions, among them to uncover the true causes of the disorders and punish those in the wrong. He was given extraordinary powers to accomplish these ends.


Foreign threats

He arrived in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
on November 3, 1624, and took up the reins of government. However, his specific instructions were put aside so that he could deal with more urgent matters. Spain was now at war with France and the Dutch Republic, and a Dutch fleet was menacing the Pacific port of
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...
. Pacheco immediately busied himself with the defense of Acapulco. On December 15, 1628 Dutch Admiral Piet Hein captured a Spanish fleet in the straits between Florida and the Bahamas. This fleet was transporting 12 million pesos (mostly gold) and much merchandise from New Spain to the mother country. Later in his administration, Dutch corsairs occupied the city of
Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...
(April 17, 1633), but were driven out by 200 militiamen under the command of Captain Francisco Maldonado. However they returned August 12, under Jean de Fors, and sacked the city. To protect against Indian incursions from the north, Pacheco established the presidio of Cerralvo in the New Kingdom of León y Castilla (present day
Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
).


The drainage projects

The other major problem facing the new viceroy was drainage, a perennial problem for Mexico City resulting in major flooding from the early sixteenth century through to the late nineteenth century. After major flooding in 1607, there was a large-scale project to drain water from the city via a combination of an open drainage ditch and tunnels. The project was known as the ''Desagüe'' and was a hugely expensive undertaking in terms of finances and diversion of Indian labor. Concerned that the construction on dikes and the drainage system had been suspended, Pacheco y Osorio restarted some construction in 1626. He restored and reinforced the walls surrounding the city and began some other minor projects to complete the earlier plans of the engineer Adrian Boot. The following year, the Río Cuautitlán broke through the dike that separated it from Lake Zumpango. The waters rose half a meter, flooding the city. The city government asked the viceroy to order the construction of more drainage projects. Time passed in consultations, and the water receded. In 1629 the city suffered its worse flooding in recorded history. The Río Aculhuacán broke through its dikes, flooding the entire city from 1 to 2 meters deep. Transportation was by canoe, and many families left the city permanently. The rains continued, and the flood waters did not recede. Probably 30,000 persons died, and it was feared that the capital might disappear completely. Parts of the city remained flooded for four years. On May 19, 1630, the viceroy ordered the capital moved to
Tacubaya Tacubaya is a working-class area of west-central Mexico City, in the borough of Miguel Hidalgo, consisting of the '' colonia'' Tacubaya proper and adjacent areas in other colonias, with San Miguel Chapultepec sección II, Observatorio, Daniel Ga ...
, nearby but on higher ground, pending an open discussion in the guilds of the city. The guilds were opposed, resolving instead to restart the engineering works. By the end of the year, the engineer
Enrico Martínez Enrico Martínez, Henri Martín or Heinrich Martin, (Born in Hamburg, date unknown; d. in Mexico in 1632) was cosmographer to the King of Spain, interpreter for the Spanish Inquisition, publisher, and hydraulic engineer. According to some he was o ...
had restarted the work. By 1632 the Huehuetoca canal had finally been completed and the Calzada de San Cristóbal, atop a wall surrounding the city that served as a dike, had been renovated.Louisa Schell Hoberman, "Bureaucracy and Disaster: Mexico City and the Flood of 1629," ''Journal of Latin American Studies'', 6(2), November 1974, pp. 211-230.


Return to Spain

The viceroy was not an honest administrator of public funds. Because he directed many public works, much money passed through his hands, and was diminished somewhat in the transaction. He returned to Spain in September, 1635 an immensely rich man. Philip IV heaped honors on him, making him councillor of state, lord of the bedchamber and majordomo of the palace. Later he was Spanish ambassador to Vienna. He died in Madrid in June, 1652.


References

* "Pacheco y Osorio, Rodrigo," ''Enciclopedia de México'', v. 10. Mexico City, 1988. * García Puron, Manuel, ''México y sus gobernantes'', v. 1. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984. * Orozco Linares, Fernando, ''Gobernantes de México''. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Pacheco y Osorio, Rodrigo 1560s births 1652 deaths Spanish colonial governors and administrators Marquesses of Spain Viceroys of New Spain