Juan Ruiz de Apodaca, 1st Count of Venadito

Juan José Ruiz de Apodaca y Eliza Gastón de Iriarte López de Letona y Lasqueti, 1st Count of Venadito ( _es. Juan Ruiz de Apodaca, primer conde de Venadito) (February 3, 1754, Cádiz, Spain—January 11, 1835, Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish naval officer and viceroy of New Spain from September 20, 1816 to July 5, 1821, during Mexico's war of independence.

Military career

Ruiz de Apodaca was born in Cádiz into a family of well-to-do merchants. He entered the navy in 1767 and took part in the campaign against Algerian pirates. In 1770 he was promoted to the rank of ensign. He was in Peru from 1770 to 1778 and England in 1779.

From 1781 to 1790 he was a captain, in charge of ships of the line, and afterward he was in charge of the reconstruction of the harbor at Tarragona. In October 1802 he was named commandant of the arsenal at Cádiz. Now in command of a squadron, he made major improvements at Cádiz. When the French invaded Spain, he took command of the small remnants of the Spanish navy, which had been largely destroyed in the battle of Trafalgar. He was subsequently ambassador plenipotentiary in Britain and captain general of Florida and Cuba (1812-15). His reputation was that of a man of tact and good judgment. For his services he was awarded the military crosses of San Fernando and San Hermenegildo.

As viceroy of New Spain

Although he was named viceroy of New Spain at the beginning of 1816, it was not until September 20 that he actually took over the office from Félix María Calleja del Rey. This was a moment of great turbulence in the war of independence.

The new viceroy offered amnesty to the rebels. Thousands of insurgents accepted, and only Vicente Guerrero in the south and Guadalupe Victoria and Nicolás Bravo in Veracruz remained in active rebellion. The viceroy also ordered that in no circumstances were rebel prisoners to be summarily shot.

He banned the flying of kites (as a safety measure, because they were generally flown from rooftops). He closely reviewed the public accounts, finding that his predecessor had kept them accurately and carefully. He paid off the public debt, stopped relying on loans to fund the government, and relied instead only on the customs duties, taxes and other fees due the government. He revived the commercial and mining sectors of the economy, insofar as that was possible.

On April 17, 1817, liberal Spanish caudillo Francisco Javier Mina and 308 volunteers arrived at Soto la Marina, New Spain from London and New Orleans. Mina issued a manifesto saying he was not fighting against Spain, but rather against the tyranny of King Ferdinand VII. On May 24 his troops began a march into the interior to join with rebels under Pedro Moreno at Fuerte del Sombrero, northeast of Guanajuato. The viceroy sent a strong column against Mina and his allies, under the command of Field Marshal Pascual Liñán. After active fighting, Liñán killed Marina and took Mina prisoner at the Rancho del Venadito, near Silao (October 27). Mina was executed by firing squad (November 11). As the result of this action, the viceroy received the title of "conde de Venadito", which provoked much ridicule.

Once again it looked as though the insurrection might be over.

The viceroy received instructions to redouble the vigilance on the coasts. Not only were the Englishmen Cochrane and Wilson preparing an expedition against New Spain, but Mexican insurgents in New York and Matagorda had bought a gunboat, with which they were menacing the coastal trade in the Gulf of Mexico. They captured an armed trading ship from Veracruz and executed the captain.

The United States, France and Britain, after the Napoleonic Wars, were all interested in supporting rebels in the Spanish possessions. The American William Robinson occupied Altamira and Tampico, hoping to give new impetus to the revolution. Robinson was taken prisoner by the royalists in Tampico and sent to Cádiz. He escaped at Gibraltar, with the assistance of the British. Spain and the United States signed the Adams-Onís Treaty February 22, 1819. The treaty established boundaries between the United States and New Spain. The U.S. obtained Florida and renounced its claim to Texas. Spain renounced its claim to the Oregon Country.

The previous viceroy, Calleja, had established a fort in the old tobacco warehouse in Mexico City, named "La Ciudadela". Ruiz de Apodaca converted it into a storehouse for arms and munitions, but these were slowly being pilfered. He ordered Brigadier Francisco Novella to take charge of La Ciudadela and stop the thievery. Novella considered that task beneath his dignity, and was able to enlist the support of the Audiencia. The incident made Novella an enemy of Ruiz de Apodaca, and it was Novella who deposed and replaced him in 1821.

The Plan de Iturbide

On January 1, 1820, Colonel Rafael de Riego rose in rebellion in Andalusia, Spain, demanding the restoration of the Constitution of 1812. The despot Ferdinand VII, who had abolished that constitution on May 14, 1814, was afraid to refuse. Ferdinand himself swore to the constitution on March 9, 1820 and ordered that it be sworn to again in all of Spain and the Spanish possessions.

When the order arrived in New Spain, Viceroy Ruiz de Apodaca delayed its publication pending the outcome of secret negotiations being carried out in the church of La Profesa. On March 7, 1821, the negotiators agreed on a declaration of independence for New Spain, accompanied by an offer to Ferdinand to rule as an absolute monarch, without a constitution.

For this plan to succeed, the support of the military was necessary. To that end, the viceroy chose General Agustín de Iturbide to represent the cabal, at the same time freeing him from a court case involving accusations of misbehavior at El Bajío. The plan, ironically as it turned out, became known as the "Plan de Iturbide". Iturbide had been given command of royalist troops in the south of the country on November 9, 1820.

The viceroy swore to the constitution of 1812 on May 31, 1820.

The Plan de Iguala

In pursuance of his own ambitions, Iturbide corresponded with and then met with the insurgent general he was sent to fight, Vicente Guerrero (February 10, 1821). The two of them agreed to declare the independence of Mexico. This agreement was announced March 2, 1821, in the town of Iguala in the present state of Guerrero.

This agreement became known as the "Plan de Iguala". It invited Viceroy Ruiz de Apodaca to become leader of the independence movement. The viceroy rejected the offer, and declared Iturbide a traitor and outside the law. He sent troops against him, but everywhere the troops rebelled and went over to Iturbide. Lieutenant Colonel Antonio López de Santa Anna endorsed the Plan de Iguala in Japala on May 29, 1821.

The overthrow of Ruiz de Apodaca

The royalists, led by Brigadier Buceli, declared Ruiz de Apodaca inept and deposed him on July 5, 1821. Ruiz was sent to Spain to face charges, but he was absolved and returned to duty. He was captain general of the Spanish navy at the time of his death in 1835.

Apodaca in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, is named for him.

General Francisco Novella was made interim viceroy until the arrival of Ruiz de Apodaca's replacement, Juan O'Donojú, a short time later. The 300-year rule of Mexico by Spain was nearly at an end.

References

*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.