| Luis De Velasco (hijo) |
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Information AboutLuis De Velasco (hijo) |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LUIS DE VELASCO, MARQUéS DE SALINAS | |
| 1530s births | |
| velasco, luis de, marqués de salinas | |
| 1617 deaths | |
| colonial mexico | |
| spanish viceroys | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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EARLY LIFE Born in Spain, Luis de Velasco accompanied his father to New Spain and passed his youth in Mexico City. After the death of his father, he continued to live in Mexico and served as alderman in the capital. However, he became disgusted with Viceroy Álvaro Manrique De Zúñiga and returned to Spain. He presented himself at the court of Philip II , and the king named him ambassador to Florence. FIRST ADMINISTRATION IN NEW SPAIN On July 19 , 1589 , Velasco received the appointment as the new viceroy of New Spain, replacing Manrique. Because the news that had reached Spain indicated that the colony was in turmoil, he was advised not to disembark at Veracruz , the usual port of entry. Instead he arrived at Tamiahua, in the province of Pánuco. On his arrival he realized that tranquility had been restored. He then sailed on to Veracruz, where he disembarked in the middle of December , 1589 . From Veracruz he traveled to Mexico City, taking possession of the government on January 27 , 1590 . There he was received as a native son, with great happiness by all classes. In 1591 he obtained the pacification of the Chichimeca tribes that had been in constant revolt and outside of Spanish control. The chiefs had asked the Spanish to supply food. Velasco accepted, and a peace treaty was signed. To introduce the Chichimecas to the customs of the colony, 400 Tlaxcalteca families were sent to live with them. The Franciscans also founded four colonies among the Chichimecas, with their center at Zacatecas . In return, Velasco reduced the taxes that had been levied on the Indians and charged the Real Hacienda to supply lawyers to represent the tribes and ease their entry into the society of the colony. He promoted industry in New Spain, particularly spinning and weaving. He inaugurated the Paseo de la Alameda in Mexico City, and improved the fortifications of San Juan De Ulúa in Veracruz. VICEROY OF PERU In 1595, Velasco was named viceroy of Peru. He embarked from Acapulco in November of that year. However, after eight years in Peru he found himself tired and sick, and asked to be relieved of the government so that he could return to New Spain. Upon his return, he devoted himself to his encomiendas Azcapotzalco and Teulitlán. SECOND ADMINISTRATION IN NEW SPAIN On February 25 , 1607 , Velasco hijo was again named viceroy of New Spain, this time by the new king, class="copylinks">Philip III . He Took Possession Of The Governmenton July 2. Immediately He Took Up A Project To Dig The Huehuetoca Canal, For Flood Control. Heretofore During The Rainy Season, Year After Year, Mexico City Had Been Flooded. The Canal Project Was Under The Direction Of [[Enrico Martínez , an engineer, and Juan Sánchez , a mathematician of the Society Of Jesus . Work on the canal commenced on November 28 , 1607 . In February 1609 a royal edict arrived in Mexico prohibiting once again the enslavement of the Indians. Velasco hijo rigorously enforced this decree against the encomenderos and the mineowners. Like his father, this viceroy was known as a defender of the Indians. Also in 1609 rumors of an impending rebellion of Negroes circulated. Velasco took preventative measures, including sending an armed force under Captain Pedro González De Herrera to Puebla. Herrera was to combat the escaped slaves and rebels on the Rio Blanco, who preyed on travelers between Veracruz and Mexico City. The leader of the blacks, Antonio Yanga , sent a letter to Captain Herrera. The letter outlined the mistreatment of the blacks that had led them to flee captivity. Velasco took cognizance of the letter, and arranged for the escaped slaves to found their own village, San Lorenzo De Los Negroes , near Córdova . In 1611 Velasco sent Sebastián Vizcaíno to Japan to establish relations. Vizcaíno saild from Acapulco in the ''San Bernardo'' on March 22 , 1611 , arriving in Urangawa on June 16 of that year. From there we traveled to Edo to meet the second shogun Hidetada , and thence to Smpa to meet with ex-Shogan Ieyasu . Vizcaíno sailed from Japan October 28 , 1613 arriving back at Acapulco on January 25 , 1614 . He brought with him Tsunenaga Rokuemon Hasekura , designated as the Japanese ambassador to Spain. COUNCIL OF THE INDIES In 1610 King Philip III made him Marqués de Salinas as a reward for his services, and on December 27 , 1610 named him president of the Council Of The Indies . In 1611 Velasco departed New Spain to take up this position in the mother country. He served as president of the Council from December 1 , 1610 until retiring old and infirm on August 7 , 1617 . He died one month later in Seville. REFERENCES
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