Tomás Antonio de la Cerda y Aragón, conde de Paredes

Don Tomás Antonio de la Cerda y Aragón, conde de Paredes y marqués de la Laguna (December 24, 1638, Cogolludo, Spain—April 22, 1692, Madrid) was viceroy of New Spain from November 30, 1680 to November 30, 1686.

Born into an illustrious Spanish family with longstanding military and political connections, Cerda y Aragón was named viceroy of New Spain to replace Archbishop Payo Enríquez de Rivera. He made his formal entry into Mexico City on November 30, 1680 and took charge of the government.

During his term of office, 25,000 previously subjugated Indians in 24 pueblos of New Mexico rose against the Spanish (1680). They killed all the Europeans they encountered, among them colonists, soldiers and missionaries. Twenty-one Franciscan missionaries were killed August 10, 1680. The Indians mounted a surprise attack on Santa Fe, capital of the province. When this failed, they besieged the town for ten days. The Spanish who were able to escape made their way to Paso del Norte (now Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua), where they took refuge.

The viceroy repopulated the town of Santa Fe with 300 Spanish and Mestizo families, giving it the title of city. In 1681 he sent a force of cavalry to Nueva Vizcaya, New Spain to pursue the rebel Indians, but they refused to give battle. He also enlarged the garrisons of the region.

In 1681 Cerda y Aragón sent another expedition to California, this one under the command of Captain Isidro Otondo. The expedition was charged with conquering the Indians and colonizing the territory. They explored the coast of Baja California as far as La Paz, and then returned to port in Navidad, Jalisco. In this expedition were three Jesuit missionaries, among them Father Eusebio Kino, later famous as a missionary, explorer and colonizer of Baja California, Sonora and Arizona. Kino had just arrived in New Spain, on May 3, 1681. The Jesuits were looking for a place to establish a mission to the Indians. Like the previous expeditions, this one was unsuccessful. It lasted three years and cost 225,000 pesos.

In 1683 the pirate Lorencillo (Lorenzo Jácome) with 800 men attacked Veracruz. Insufficiently garrisoned, the port fell. The inhabitants were shut up in the churches while the pirates sacked the city. They held it from May 17 to May 23, 1683. When Spanish forces arrived at Veracruz to do battle, the pirates quickly took to the sea. They left with enormous quantities of merchandise and 1,500 hostages. The booty was subsequently estimated at 7 million pesos. After leaving Veracruz, the pirates went on to attack Campeche and Yucatán.

On May 22, 1683, Antonio Benavides, marques de San Vicente disembarked at Veracruz. Better known subsequently as the impostor El Tapado, he claimed to be visitador general and governor of New Spain, appointed by Queen Regent Maria Anna of Austria. He was arrested at Cuetlaxcoapa (Puebla), accused of being on of Lorencillo's pirates. From there he was taken to Mexico City in chains. On July 12, 1684 he was conducted to the scaffold, but when he appeared there was an eclipse of the sun. Although the people viewed this as Heaven's displeasure at the execution of an innocent, he was hung anyway.

The viceroy and his wife, María Luisa Manrique de Lara y Gonzaga, had a friendly relationship with the great Mexican poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.

Cerda y Aragón's term was extended three years. On November 16, 1686 he turned over authority to his successor, Melchor Portocarrero y Lasso de la Vega, 3rd conde de Monclova. In 1689 in Spain he became a member of the Council of the Indies and a grandee of Spain. Later he was majordomo to the queen. He died April 22, 1692 in Madrid.

References

*es icon "Cerda y Aragón, Tomás Antonio de la," "Enciclopedia de México", v. 3. Mexico City, 1996, ISBN 1-56409-016-7.
*es icon García Puron, Manuel, "México y sus gobernantes", v. 1. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984.
*es icon Orozco L., Fernando, "Fechas Históricas de México". Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1988, ISBN 968-38-0046-7.
*es icon Orozco Linares, Fernando, "Gobernantes de México". Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, ISBN 968-38-0260-5.