Luis Ponce de León (c. 1461 - July 20, 1526) was a Spanish judge and briefly the governor of

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 ...

, from July 4, 1526, to July 16, 1526.

Biography

Luis Ponce de León was an educated man and a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of Cordoba. He was a friend and aide of the of Toledo, Martín de Córdoba, conde de Alcaudete. Ponce's appointment came in 1525 after news about serious difficulties in New Spain began reaching the court of

Charles I of Spain Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...

and the Council of the Indies. In 1524

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

had learned of the rebellion of

Cristóbal de Olid Cristóbal de Olid (; 1487–1524) was a Spanish adventurer, conquistador and rebel who played a part in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and present-day Honduras. Born in Baeza, Olid grew up in the household of the governor of Cuba, Diego V ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

and abandoned his governorship of New Spain to treasury officials to head to Honduras. During his absence the governorship was chaotically shared among rival pro-Cortés and anti-Cortés factions in the treasury. Eventually rumors arrived in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and in Spain that Cortés had died along the way to Honduras. King Charles I ordered a (a commission of inquiry) to investigate Cortés and ascertain the true situation in the colony, and the state of the interim government. To carry out these orders, Charles named Luis Ponce de León as judge of the and governor of New Spain, at an annual salary of 3,000 ducats of gold. Ponce de León sailed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda on February 2, 1526. In May, Cortés returned to Mexico City and resumed his governorship. Ponce was detained in

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 ...

until May 31, 1526, for repairs to his ship, arriving in Mexico City in June, He presented himself to the (city government) on July 5, 1526. He carried with him the decree from Toledo dated November 4, 1525 granting him the powers, and Cortés stepped aside to honor the royal decree. Ponce de León left all the officials of the in their positions. He was about 65 years old and ill with fever contracted on his arrival in

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 ...

. The fever had continued through the 12-day journey to the capital and did not let up even after his arrival there. After taking office, he retired from public occupations and soon died. Before his death he turned over his functions to Marcos de Aguilar, his assistant who had accompanied him to the colony. Aguilar also had a royal appointment. He took over the government on July 16, 1526. Four days later Ponce de León died. He was interred in the first parish church in Mexico City, facing the Plaza Mayor. Aguilar, also aged, died just over seven months later. Cortés was suspected of poisoning the two royal officials.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponce De Leon, Luis Spanish knights 1526 deaths 16th-century Mexican people Year of birth unknown