Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo

Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo

Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo (* 1719 in Mérida , † 1799 in Madrid ) was a Spanish politician and viceroy of the Río de la Plata during the Spanish colonial rule in Argentina.

Life

Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo was born in Mérida as the son of a Spanish politician. He studied in Spain and received military training. He was then a soldier in several campaigns, including in Italy and France . In Argentina he was initially governor of Buenos Aires and as such was subordinate to the viceroys of Peru and Río de la Plata. His main goal as governor was to drive the Portuguese out of what is now Uruguay , but he was unsuccessful.

On June 12, 1778 Vértiz y Salcedo was appointed Viceroy of Río de la Plata. As this he had a wide range of tasks: the development of a local economy, the colonization of uninhabited or indigenous areas, the establishment of local governments ("intendants") in the entire viceroyalty and the preparation of a "Real Audiencia de Buenos Aires". He also tried to unite artisans in guilds, imitating the European system. Under his reign, the first census was carried out, which showed 37,000 inhabitants. He founded the first theater in Buenos Aires, the "La Ranchería". Vértiz y Salcedo also played an important role in the suppression of the uprising in Peru, led by Tupac Amaru II .

On March 7, 1784, he resigned as viceroy and moved to Spain, where he died in 1799. His successor as viceroy of the Río de la Plata was Nicolás del Campo .

predecessor	Office	successor
Pedro de Ceballos	Viceroy of the Río de la Plata 1778–1784	Nicolás del Campo