- Alonso de Estrada
Alonso de Estrada (b. ca. 1480,
Ciudad Real ,Spain , d. 1533-37,Mexico City ) was a colonial official inNew Spain during the period ofHernán Cortés 's government, and before the appointment of the first viceroy. He was a member of the triumvirates that governed the colony for several short periods between 1524 and 1528, in the absence of Cortés.Origins and early career
Estrada actually was the illegitimate son of King
Ferdinand II of Aragon . [Frank Longoria, "Was Alonso de Estrada a bastard son of king Ferdinand of Castile?" [http://www.geocities.com/longoria_37/aBastard.htm] ] He was raised at court. He fought in the wars in Flanders, and afterwards, as an admiral, in the campaigns in Málaga and Sicily. Returning to Madrid, he fought in theCastilian War of the Communities , opposing the rebels against Emperor Charles V. For this, Charles rewarded him with the position of corregidor ofCáceres , and later named him treasurer of New Spain.Royal treasurer of New Spain
He came to New Spain in 1523, appointed treasurer of the colony by the
Council of the Indies , on the authority of Charles V. His mission was to participate in the government of Cortés and to protect the interests of the Crown.Marcos de Aguilar and Luis Ponce de Léon were also sent by the Crown to act as judges in the "juicio de residencia " of Cortés, but Ponce de León died of indigestion contracted at his welcoming banquet.Estrada was forceful and violent. Rumors of his royal parentage accompanied him to New Spain.
First period in government
In 1524 Governor and Captain General Cortés left Mexico City for
Honduras . He left the government in charge of Estrada,Rodrigo de Albornoz and Lic.Alonso de Zuazo . Zuazo (or "Suazo") held the additional office of "Justicia Mayor". The transfer of power occurredOctober 12 ,1524 . This triumvirate shared power with the "ayuntamiento" (city government). The ayuntamiento was composed of partisans of Cortés; Estrada and Albornoz were (or soon would be) his enemies. At one point Estrada issued orders to prevent the reentry of Cortés into Mexico City.The three men governed for about two and one half months, until
December 29 ,1524 . On that date, with the agreement of the ayuntamiento, two of them were replaced byGonzalo de Salazar andPedro Almíndez Chirino . Alonso de Zuazo remained. This was on Cortés's instructions, brought back fromCoatzacoalcos by Salazar and Almíndez, in order to end disagreements between Albornoz and Estrada. The change was thought to have been brought about by the intrigues of Salazar.econd period in government
Estrada returned to the government from
February 17 ,1525 toApril 20 ,1525 . It now contained five members — Salazar, Almíndez, Estrada, Albornoz and Zuazo. On the latter date, Salazar and Almíndez proclaimed that no one was to recognize the authority of Estrada and Albornoz, on pain of 100 lashes and confiscation of property. This proclamation was signed by Zuazo, Cervantes, de la Torre, Sotomayor,Rodrigo de Paz (a member of the ayuntamiento), and the clerk Pérez. Estrada and Albornoz left Mexico City forMedellín , but before they had traveled eight leagues, Almíndez sent armed men after them and took them prisoner.Third period in government
In early 1526 a messenger (Martín de Orantes or Dorantes) from Cortés arrived in Mexico City. His instructions were to replace Gonzalo de Salazar and Pedro Almíndez Chirino in the governing triumvirate with
Francisco de las Casas andPedro de Alvarado . In the absence or incapacity of Las Casas and Alvarado, Estrada and Albornoz were named as replacements. Orantes entered the city in secret and made contact with members of the opposition.At daybreak on
January 28 ,1526 Orantes and other opponents of Salazar and Almíndez left the convent where they were staying, marched along the streets shouting "Viva Cortés", arrested Salazar, and succeeded in getting the ayuntamiento to execute the orders of Cortés. Estrada and Albornoz rejoined the government, because Las Casas and Alvarado were absent. Almíndez was arrested later in Tlaxcala, and brought back to Mexico City. Estrada and Albornoz governed fromJanuary 29 ,1526 toJune 24 ,1526 , or just short of six months. Cortés returned and took up the government again (very briefly) onJune 25 ,1526 .Fourth period in government
Estrada governed a fourth time from
March 2 ,1527 toDecember 8 ,1528 , withGonzalo de Sandoval andLuis de la Torre , for about 21 months. (Sandoval was part of the government only untilAugust 22 ,1527 ). On August 22, a royal decree was received in Mexico City, ratifying the transfer of powers granted by Luis Ponce de León to Marcos de Aguilar, but Aguilar had died on March 1. Aguilar had named Estrada governor, and this decree solidified his position. Since Cortés was suspected of poisoning Ponce de León and Aguilar, he was not in a position to challenge Estrada.Death
Estrada died in Mexico City in the period 1533 to 1537. An act of the Mexico City government dated
September 22 ,1533 refers to him as alive, and a letter from the viceroy to the king datedDecember 10 ,1537 mentions him as deceased.Footnotes
ee also
*
List of Viceroys of New Spain References
*es icon García Puron, Manuel, "México y sus Gobernantes". Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984.
*es icon Linares, Fernando Orozco, "Gobernantes de México". Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, ISBN 968-38-0260-5.External links
* [http://www.neta.com/~1stbooks/estrada.htm A biography] at Hispanic America USA
* [http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/7016/Estrada.html Some information on his descendants]
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