Juan Cerón 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 ...

and the second and fourth governor (1509–1513) of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

when the island was still called San Juan. He was born in Écija,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Biography

Cerón's legacy in the history of the island is tainted by the rivalries between Nicolas de Ovando and

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

' son, Diego Colón. When Colón retook possession of his father's title of "Admiral of the Seas" and the governorship of

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...

in 1509, he dispatched Cerón to Puerto Rico with the title of ''

Alcalde ''Alcalde'' (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and Administration (government), administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor (position), corregidor, the presiding officer o ...

Mayor'' to replace Ovando's favorite, Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León had just begun the conquest of Puerto Rico the previous year, and his replacement produced much dissension among the few settlers. Ovando advocated for Ponce de León in Madrid, and the Crown conferred on him the title of Captain General and Governor of San Juan Bautista. In 1511, however, under pressure by Colón, Cerón was posted as governor and Ponce de León left for his first adventure in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Cerón's governorship did not end well; complaints about his handling of the Repartimiento of Indians prompted the Crown to remove him and reinstall Ponce de León as governor in 1513.

References

Royal governors of Puerto Rico Spanish conquistadors Spanish Empire 16th-century Spanish people {{PuertoRico-bio-stub