Hernando Arias de Saavedra

Hernando Arias de Saavedra (born September 10, 1561 in Asunción , † 1634 in Santa Fe ), usually abbreviated as Hernandarias , was a politician and officer in South America during the Spanish colonial period. He was a criollo (Creole), as the Spaniards who were born in Latin America were called. As the first criollo , he was promoted to governor of a region.

Life

Hernandarias was born in Asunción in what is now Paraguay as the son of Martin Suárez. This was an officer under Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and grandson of the Adelantada Mencia Calderón . Hernandarias opted for a military career early on and took part in numerous expeditions of discovery and conquest in Paraguayan and Argentina. Because of his merits, he was appointed governor of Asunción in 1592, which he remained for three terms. At the same time, his half-brother Hernando de Trejo became Bishop of Asunción.

In 1602, Hernandarias was appointed governor of Buenos Aires ; he initially filled the post until 1609. During this time, numerous measures were taken to stimulate the growth of the then small port city: He created the first elementary schools, had ovens for the production of bricks and roof tiles built to replace the adobe bricks and to rebuild a small fortress, the pirates should deter. He also ordered the construction of a tower to defend the port, which was located at the mouth of the Riachuelo in what is now the Vuelta de Rocha , after two anchored ships were robbed by English pirates on March 18, 1607. He also tried to stop the smuggling caused by the ban on trade in agricultural products and black slaves.

During his tenure as governor of Buenos Aires, Hernandarias undertook various voyages of discovery, including to Uruguay and Brazil , to fight against Portuguese bandits, the bandeirantes , and to explore the navigability of the rivers. On a trip to Patagonia , he looked for the legendary "City of the Caesars". In 1604 he was captured by local Mapuches almost a thousand kilometers south of Buenos Aires , but he was able to escape.

In the encomienda system of 1536, the colonists were assigned Indians who were supposed to collect the tribute due to the crown. In return, the colonists should see to the conversion of the Indians. Although the encomienda was soon abolished, a system of state-controlled Indian forced labor had emerged. In 1603, Hernandarias changed the laws so that the labor obligations of the Indians were abolished, and continued the recognition of this reform by Philip III. by. In 1611, on an inspection trip , Francisco de Alfaro declared all Indians who had been converted by Jesuits to be free from work obligations and issued his famous ordenanzas (orders).

In 1608, Hernandarias supported the establishment of Jesuit and Franciscan states ( reducciones ) in the region of Guayrá (now in Paraguay). In 1615 he was reappointed governor. At his suggestion, the Río de la Plata governorate was divided into Paraguay (with Asunción, Santiago de Jerez , Villa Rica and Ciudad Real) and Buenos Aires. The decree was issued in 1617 but was not put into practice until 1620. Hernandarias spent his old age in Santa Fe, where he died in 1634.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hernandarias: Conquistador, gobernante y hombre de Dios. (No longer available online.) Fundación Argentina del Mañana , archived from the original on February 17, 2007 ; Retrieved February 25, 2007 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.