The

Governorate A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...

of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), 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. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

(1549−1776) ( es, Gobernación del Río de la Plata, links=no, ) was one of the

governorates of the Spanish Empire After the territorial division of South America between Spain and Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) the colonial administration of the continent was divided into Governorates. Caribbean and Tierra Firme * Governorate of Santo Doming ...

. It was created in 1549 by Spain in the area around the

. It was at first simply a renaming of the

New Andalusia Governorate The Governorate of New Andalusia was a Spanish Governorate of the Crown of Castile in South America which existed between 1534–1617. History The governorate was created as one of King Charles V's grants of 1534, establishing the ''adelantado ...

and included all of the land between 470 and 670 leagues south of the mouth of the Río Santiago along the Pacific coast. After 1617,

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

was separated under a separate administration (

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) 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 ...

had been the capital of the governorate since

Juan de Ayolas Juan de Ayolas (died c. 1537) was a conquistador born in Briviesca who explored the watershed of the Río de la Plata for the Spanish Crown. He accompanied Pedro de Mendoza on his 1534 expedition to colonize the region between the Río de la Pl ...

.) After the founding of 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 ...

in 1542, the governorate was since its birth under its authority until the formation of the independent

Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata A viceroyalty was an entity headed by a viceroy. It dates back to the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century. France *Viceroyalty of New France Portuguese Empire In the scope of the Portuguese Empire, the term " Viceroyalty ...

in 1776. Similarly, it was under the jurisdiction of the

Royal Audience of Charcas The Real Audiencia of Charcas ( es, Audiencia y Cancillería Real de La Plata de los Charcas) was a Spanish '' audiencia'' with its seat in what is today Bolivia. It was established in 1559 in Ciudad de la Plata de Nuevo Toledo (later Charcas, tod ...

until the formation of the independent Royal Audience of Buenos Aires from 1661 to 1671 and after 1783.

Governors of New Andalusia

*''

Adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning "advanced") was a title held by Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spain, Spanish ''conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th and 17 ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

, and Chief Justicee

Pedro de Mendoza Pedro de Mendoza () (c. 1499 – June 23, 1537) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', soldier and explorer, and the first ''adelantado'' of New Andalusia. Setting sail Pedro de Mendoza was born in Guadix, Grenada, part of a large noble family that ...

(1534–1537). First founding of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

; Ft. Corpus Christi founded by

. Retires and dies mad en route home. *Governor

(1537–1539). In Paraguay.

founded by Juan de Salazar de Espinoza. Killed by natives. * Lt. Governor Francisco Ruíz Galán (1537–1541). At Buenos Aires, prior to its abandonment. *Governor

Domingo Martínez de Irala Domingo Martínez de Irala (; c. 1509 Bergara, Gipuzkoa – c. 1556 Asunción, Paraguay) was a Spanish Basque people, Basque conquistador. He headed for America in 1535 enrolled in the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and participated in the foundi ...

(1539–1541). Elected by the colonists. *''Adelantado'' Governor Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (1541–1544). Victorious campaign against Guarani in 1542. Arrested and returned to Spain for trial.

Governors of the Río de la Plata

*Governor

(1544–1556). Encouraged his men to marry and keep concubines from local women. Two ''adelantados'' are unable to arrive from Spain and de Irala confirmed in his post by the king 1552. Died peacefully. *Governor

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

(1556–1558). Ciudad Real de Guayrá founded by

Ruy Díaz de Malgarejo Ruy may refer to: Arts and Entertainment *Ruy, the Little Cid, Spanish animated television series *Ruy Blas, a character in the eponymous tragic drama by Victor Hugo People *another form of Rui, a Portuguese male given name *another form of the S ...

in 1557. Died peacefully. *Governor

Francisco Ortiz de Vergara Francisco Ortiz de Vergara (Seville, 1524 – Ciudad Zaratina, 2 December 1574) was a Spanish conquistador and colonizer. He succeeded Gonzalo de Mendoza as governor of Rio de la Plata. He was elected, rather than appointed by the king or hi ...

(1558–1569). Elected by the colonists. Foundations fail at San Francisco, Sancti Spiritus, and

Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), 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), P ...

. Arrested and returned to Spain for trial. *Lt. Governor Felipe de Cáceres (1569–1572). Appointed by Royal Audience. Arrested and returned to Spain for trial. *''Adelantado'' Governor

Juan Ortiz de Zárate Juan Ortiz de Zárate (c. 1521 Orduña, Biscay ( Spain) – 1575 Asunción, ( Paraguay). was a Spanish Basque explorer and conquistador. He journeyed to the Americas as a teenager, where he took part in the conquest of Peru under Diego de Alm ...

(1572–1576). Sailed to Spain to confirm his election. Foundation of Tucuman. *Lt. Governor Diego Ortiz de Zárate (1576–1578). Juan Ortiz leaves administration to his daughter Juana, but others ''de facto'' governors. *Lt. Governor

Juan de Garay Juan de Garay (1528–1583) was a Spanish conquistador. Garay's birthplace is disputed. Some say it was in the city of Junta de Villalba de Losa in Castile, while others argue he was born in the area of Orduña (Basque Country). There's ...

(1578–1583).

refounded 1580. *Lt. Governor Alonso de Vera y Aragón (1583–1587). And ''de facto'' governor at Asunción until 1592. *''Adelantado'' Governor

Juan Torres de Vera y Aragón ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

(1587–1592).

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Royal Audience, married to Juana Ortiz de Zárate. Last appointed ''adelantado''.

Governors of the Río de la Plata and Paraguay

*Governor

Hernando Arias de Saavedra Hernando Arias de Saavedra (September 10, 1561 – 1634), commonly known as Hernandarias, was a soldier and politician of criollo ancestry. He was the first person born in the Americas to become a governor of a European colony in the New World, ...

("Hernandarias") (1592–1594). *Governor Fernando de Zárate (1594–1595). *Governor Juan Ramírez de Velasco (1596–1597). *Governor

(1597–1599). Second time. *Governor Diego Rodríguez de Valdés y de la Banda (1599–1600). *Governor Francés de Beaumont (1600–1602). Appointment formalized 1601. *Governor

(1602–1609). Third time. First

Jesuit Reduction Reductions ( es, reducciones, also called ; , pl. ) were settlements created by Spanish rulers and Roman Catholic missionaries in Spanish America and the Spanish East Indies (the Philippines). In Portuguese-speaking Latin America, such red ...

established. Slave trade restricted. *Governor Diego Martín de Negrón (1609–1613). *Governor Mateo Leal de Ayala (1613–1615). *Governor

(1615–1617). Fourth time.

Guayrá Guayrá (initially called Gobernación del Guayrá) was a historical region of the Spanish Empire, located in the Governorate of Paraguay, within the colonial Viceroyalty of Peru. The region is located in present-day Paraguay and Paraná. There ...

(

) separated into a separate governorate in 1617.

Governors of Río de la Plata

*Governor

(1617–1618). *Governor Diego de Góngora (1618–1623). Found guilty ''post mortem'' of corruption, allowing trade in slaves and contraband to flourish. *Governor Alonso Pérez de Salazar (1623–1624). *Governor Francisco de Céspedes (1624–1631). Continued efforts to pacify the Charrua. *Governor Pedro Esteban Dávila (1631–1637).

Concepción del Bermejo Concepción del Bermejo is a village and municipality in Chaco Province in northern Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Arge ...

destroyed by natives. *Governor Mendo de la Cueva y Benavidez (1637–1640). Defense of

improved. Expedition against the

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

s. Fort Santa Teresa erected. *Governor Ventura Mojica (or Mujica) (1640–1641). *Governor

Andrés de Sandoval Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres *Andres (song), "Andres" (song), a 1994 song b ...

(1641). *Governor

Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera (Sevilla, Spain, 1528 – Lima, 17 August 1574) was a Spanish conquistador, early colonial governor over much of what today is northwestern Argentina, and founder of the city of Córdoba. Life and times Cabrera was b ...

(1641–1645). Ban of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

attempted in governorate. *Governor Jacinto Lariz (1645–1653). Arrested. *Governor Pedro Baigorrí Ruiz (1653–1660). Three French ships successfully repelled from Buenos Aires.

s repelled from Santa Fe. *Governor

Alonso Mercado y Villacorta Alonso de Mercado y Villacorta, Marquis of Villacorta was a Spanish civil servant, acting in the Río de la Plata area of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Born in Catalonia, he was Governor of Tucumán from 1655 to 1660. He was conned by Pedro Bohórquez ...

(1660–1663). Request to be able to send two trade ships annually denied.

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

ships permitted to dock in Buenos Aires. *Governor Juan Martínez de Salazar (1663–1674). Continued requests for free commerce. The Royal Audience of Buenos Aires briefly independent of the court at Charcas. *Governor Andrés de Robles (1674–1678). *Governor

José de Garro Marcos José de Garro Senei de Artola, nicknamed "El Santo" ("The Saint"), (1623–1702) was a Spanish military man who served in many positions in the colonial administration of the Spanish Empire. He served as governor of Tucumán from 1675–167 ...

(1678–1682). Portuguese expelled from Colonia de Sacramento in 1680. *Governor

José Antonio de Herrera y Sotomayor José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1682–1691). Tucuman relocated. *Governor Agustín de Robles (1691–1698). *Governor Manuel de Prado y Maldonado (1698–1704). Visit from

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

in Buenos Aires. *Governor Alonso Juan de Valdés e Inclán (1704–1708). Colonia de Sacramento retaken. *Governor

Manuel de Velasco y Tejada Manuel de Velasco y Tejada commanded the Spanish fleet during the Battle of Vigo Bay (1702), which occurred during the War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 170 ...

(1708–1712). Purchased office for 3000

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the Dollar sign, same sign, "$", as many currencies na ...

s. Arrested. *Governor Juan José de Muliloa (1712). *Governor

Alonso de Arce y Soria Alonso de Arce y Soria (1654 - 1714) was a Spanish army's officer and politician, who served during the Viceroyalty of Peru as governor of Buenos Aires. Biography He was born in Cañete, Cuenca, Spain, the son of José de Arce and María Lópe ...

(1712–1714). Buys the position for 18,000 pesos. Dies five months later. *Governor José Bermúdez de Castro (1714–1715). *Governor Baltasar García Ros (1715–1717). Colonia del Sacramento returned to the Portuguese. Campaigns against the Charrua,

Yaro Yaro is a town in the Bagassi Department of Balé Province in southern Burkina Faso, in west Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, B ...

, and Bohanes. *Governor

Bruno Mauricio de Zabala Bruno Mauricio de Zabala y Gortázar (1682–1736) was a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata from 1717 to 1734 and founded the city of Montevideo, capital of present-day Uru ...

(1717–1734). Portuguese removed from

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. *Governor Miguel de Salcedo y Sierraalta (1734–1742). Expulsion of foreigners from Buenos Aires ordered. Failed attempt to retake Colonia del Sacramento. *Governor Domingo Ortíz de Rozas (1742–1745). Refortified Montevideo. *Governor

José de Andonaegui José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...

(1745–1756). First mail delivery opened with

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

. *Governor

Pedro Antonio de Cevallos Pedro Antonio de Cevallos Cortés y Calderón, also spelled Ceballos (29 June 1715 – 26 December 1778), was a Spanish military Governor of Buenos Aires between 1757 and 1766, and the first Viceroy of the Río de la Plata in 1776. Biography ...

(or Ceballos) (1756–1766). Colonia del Sacramento retaken. *Governor Francisco de Paula Bucarelli y Ursúa (1766–1770). English expelled from the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

. Mail inaugurated between

A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...

and the Río de la Plata. *Governor

Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo (1719 in Mérida, Yucatán – 1799 in Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish colonial politician born in New Spain, and Viceroy of the Río de la Plata. Biography Son of a prominent peninsular politician, he studied i ...

(1770–1776). After which, the governorate is replaced by the

Viceroyalty A viceroyalty was an entity headed by a viceroy. It dates back to the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century. France *Viceroyalty of New France Portuguese Empire In the scope of the Portuguese Empire, the term "Viceroyalty o ...

and Intendancy of Buenos Aires in the

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

reforms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Governorate of the Rio de la Plata

Rio de la Plata Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

* Spanish colonization of the Americas . Former political divisions related to Argentina 1549 establishments in the Viceroyalty of Peru 1776 disestablishments in the Viceroyalty of Peru 1776 disestablishments in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata States and territories established in 1549 States and territories disestablished in 1776 16th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 17th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 18th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 18th century in Argentina

Governors of New Andalusia

Governors of the Río de la Plata

Governors of the Río de la Plata and Paraguay

Governors of Río de la Plata

See also

References