Fernando Rivera y Moncada

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Fernando Rivera y Moncada (* 1711 or 1725 in Compostela , Nayarit , Mexico ; † July 18, 1781 on the lower reaches of the Colorado River ) was a Spanish colonial governor of Upper California .

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With regard to the year of his birth, there are two different sources of information. The online Encyclopedia.com gives the year 1711 as the year of birth of Fernando Rivera. Other sources assume a time around 1725. He was the ninth of eleven children of Don Cristóbal de Rivera, who was a well-known figure in Compostela (Mexico) and held several public offices. Since 1742 Rivera was a member of the Spanish military in Mexico. He began his military career as a simple soldier. Surprisingly, in 1751 he was promoted to captain and in command of the local headquarters in Loreto , Baja California . In the following years he undertook several expeditions north from there. At that time he was also accompanied by Jesuits who founded new missionary stations. After this order was banned in the region by the Spanish king, the Franciscans and then the Dominicans took over these stations from 1767 . At the same time, a civil administration was established in Baja California. As a result, there were tensions between supporters of the Jesuits and the new spiritual order, into which Fernando Rivera was drawn. The Franciscans were led by Junípero Serra .

In 1769 Fernando Rivera was posted to support an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà to Upper California. He led a unit that mainly consisted of soldiers from his command from Loreto. Then he retired into private life for some time. Between 1774 and 1777 he was the successor to Pedro Fages colonial governor of Upper California. In this capacity he had to deal with an Indian revolt. He also had problems with the Franciscans, who even excommunicated him temporarily. After the end of his governorship, he continued his military career. He was again commander in Loreto. He was tasked with securing the transport routes to Upper California. In this context he was in the summer of 1781 with a unit on the lower reaches of the Colorado River, where he was supposed to protect settlers on the way to the Los Angeles area . He and several of his companions were killed in battle by Apaches on July 18, 1781.

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