Joaquín del Real Alencaster (born around 1761) was a Spanish soldier who served as the governor of

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

between 1804 and 1807. During his administration, he limited the products that New Mexicans could trade, leading to a revolt against his measures.

Biography

Early years

Real Alencaster was born in

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, Spain, but was raised in

Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...

, where he lived from the age of one. The son of Antonio del Real and María Antonia Alencaster, he also had a brother, Antonio. He joined the Spanish army as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

on 5 January 1773, obtaining the Sub-lieutenant rank on 5 January 1780. Seven years later, on 16 September 1787, he reached the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. Later, on 5 October 1790, he was appointed "ayudante mayor" and, on 23 April 1794, got the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. On 4 September he was promoted to Teniente Coronel (lieutenant colonel). He was member of the Regimiento de Zaragoza and the "Segunda Batallón de Infantería Ligera de Voluntarios de Aragón" (Light Infantry Battalion of Volunteers of Aragon). In addition, he also formed part of the team of expedition to

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on 8 July 1775 and participated in the siege of

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

between 8 June and 30 July 1791, among others. In

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

, Alencaster was a member of the garrison stationed at the

Presidio A presidio (''jail, fortification'') was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire mainly between the 16th and 18th centuries in areas under their control or influence. The term is derived from the Latin word ''praesidium'' meaning ''pr ...

of Santa Fe.New Mexico history: Joaquín del Real Alencaster
. Posted by Rick Hendricks. Retrieved January 27, 2014, to 13: 10 pm.

Government of New Mexico

Alencaster was named governor of Santa Fe de New Mexico in 1804 and embarked with his brother from Cádiz to

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

on 2 June 1804. Once there, Alencaster traveled to New Mexico and began his administration in the province in 1805. During his term as governor, he donated money to restore the church of Santa Fé, and the citizens of New Mexico soon followed his example. The donations financed the construction of a new floor and several new doors (one central and two lateral). In addition, Alencaster regulated ecclesiastical life: all the priests in charge of various missions had to give mass in the two churches of the province. This was because New Mexico had seen the number of priests operating there reduced, as it was missing five of them. and Mass was not being given everywhere. Because he needed to study the relationships of couples who wanted to marry, Alencaster requested the Bishop the obtaining of "dispensations to prohibited relationships". On the other hand, Alencaster raised taxes and suppressed the smuggling of contraband. The most important fact happened during his administration was a crisis of civil disobedience which he managed to defuse. Traders and explorers coming from the United States (Eastern states of modern United States) were seen in Santa Fe at the same time the

Nuevomexicanos The Hispanos of New Mexico, also known as New Mexican Hispanics or Nuevomexicanos, are Hispanic residents originating in the historical region of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, today the US state of New Mexico (''Nuevo México''), southern Color ...

and the

Plains Indians Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nations peoples who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of North ...

, especially the

Comanche people The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

, were trading. Alencaster established measures to try to curb this trade.Kessell, John L. (1987)
Kiva, Cross & Crown: The Pecos Indians and New Mexico, 1540-1840
The University of New Mexico Press. Page 434. He only allowed the commercialization of a series of products by the Nuevomexicanos at the

Chihuahua City The city of Chihuahua or Chihuahua City ( ; Lipan language, Lipan: ) is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. , the city of Chihuahua had a population of 925,762 inhabitants. while the metropolitan area had a popu ...

fair, which was celebrated each year. In addition, Alencaster cancelled the sale of grain from Río Arriba (although the cereal constituted basic food supply for the presidio of Santa Fe), as well as sheep to the

Navajo people The Navajo or Diné are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Navajo language, Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Din ...

. However, Miguel de Sandoval opposed the measures of Alencater and promoted the maintenance of traditional trade with the Comanches. The support to the Sandoval ideas by the inhabitants of the province caused a revolt against the Alencaster measurements. In midsummer of 1806, Real Alencaster organized an expedition to look for the

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

explorers and capture them. About five hundred soldiers under

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Facundo Melgares were sent to the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. After six months of travel, Melgares reached the Missouri River, but never found Lewis and Clark. He was replaced as governor of New Mexico by Alberto Maynez in 1807.New Mexico Commission of Public Records – New Mexico Governors Under the Administration of the Spanish Crown

References

External links

Real Alencaster, Joaquin del to Abarca, Roque. Draft of a letter reporting his installment as governor of New Mexico and hopes to maintain good relations with Abarca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alencaster, Joaquin del Real Colonial governors of Santa Fe de Nuevo México