Domingo Martínez de Irala (1509 – 3 October 1556) was a Spanish-Basque

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 ...

. He headed for America in 1535 enrolled in the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and participated in the founding of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. He explored the Paraná and

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (''Ysyry Paraguái'' in Guarani language, Guarani, ''Rio Paraguai'' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, ''Río Paraguay'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bol ...

s along with Juan de Ayolas and was commanding the rear-guard when Ayolas' advance party was wiped out by the Payagua Indians. Unique in

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' Spanish Empire, imperial era between 15th and 19th centur ...

, the colony had been granted by

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * 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 Others * Charles V, Duke ...

the right to elect its own commander under such circumstances;Rivarola, Juan Bautista (1952) ''La Ciudad de Asunción y la Cédula Real del 12 Setiembre de 1537: Una Lucha por la Libertad'' (''The City of Asunción and the Royal Decree of 12 September 1537: A Fight for Freedom'') A. G., Impr. Militar, Asunción, Paraguay, , in Spanish and in August 1538, de Irala was elected by the conquistadors as Captain General of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. In 1539, Irala began to move the inhabitants of

Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...

, and the city was abandoned by 1541. He outlasted

's appointee,

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (; 1488/90/92"Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Núñez (1492?-1559?)." American Eras. Vol. 1: Early American Civilizations and Exploration to 1600. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 50-51. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 10 December ...

, whom he had recalled to Spain for trial as a

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

. Although Juan de Sanabria and his son Diego were appointed governor in 1547 and 1549, they never fulfilled their commissions, and de Irala was confirmed by the king as governor in 1552. He ruled forcefully until his death around 1556. During his rule, he had churches and public buildings erected, towns established, and the native population subjugated and distributed among the colonists in

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...

s. He was succeeded by

Gonzalo de Mendoza Gonzalo de Mendoza (around 1510 in Baeza, Spain – 1558 in Asunción, Paraguay) was a Spanish conquistador and colonizer. Biography A native of Andalusia in Spain, he joined his brother Pedro at his new colony of New Andalusia in 1536. ...

. Irala had 70 Guaraní concubines, and his surname fills several pages in the Asunción telephone directory.

Notes

Sources

* Maura, Juan Francisco (2008
''Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: El gran burlador de América''
Publicaciones de Parnaseo, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain, in Spanish

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez De Irala, Domingo Spanish conquistadors Explorers of Argentina 1500s births 1550s deaths Basque conquistadors People from Bergara 16th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 16th-century Spanish explorers Governors of the Río de la Plata

See also

Notes

Sources