Mendoza i Moon, Juan de

In his youth, Juan de Mendoza served as captain in the army of the Duke of Alba during a Portuguese company. For his services, he was introduced to the Order of Santiago . He was later appointed Governor of Seville . May 19, 1603 he was appointed to the post of Viceroy of New Spain.

Joined de Juan Mendoza on October 26, 1603, he arrived in the colony with his wife Anna. His first case as Viceroy was to investigate the activities of the previous Viceroy Gaspard de Zoonig, he was later accused of excessive spending and excesses of power.

In August 1604, a severe flood occurred in Mexico City , which caused a lot of destruction. Juan de Mendoza proposed moving the capital to the neighboring hills of Takubaya, but this was found to be too expensive. It was decided to build a large drainage canal, but it also required a lot of effort and money, and took a lot of time, about 15,000 Indians were involved in the construction work. After the flood, the destroyed dam was restored and new streets were laid, but part of the city remained under water for about a year.

A stone aqueduct was built under the reign of Mendoza, bringing water from the sources of Chapultepek to the city center. Also, several canals and cobblestone bridges were laid with him.

Juan de Mendoza removed some restrictions regarding the freedom of movement of the indigenous population of the colony.

On November 20, 1606, Juan de Mendoza was appointed to the post of viceroy of Peru, he was ordered to stay in New Spain until the arrival of a successor. The new Viceroy arrived in July of the following year, and Mendoza sailed from Acapulco to Lima .

Juan de Mendoza assumed the post of Viceroy of Peru on December 21, 1607 . One of his first acts as vice-king was the strengthening of the fleet in the colony. In his reign, the first census of Lima was held, and the first stone bridge over the Rimak River was also built in the capital. He became known in the colony due to the fact that he defended the indigenous population, and also reported to the king that religious organizations in the colony, in particular the Jesuits , were overly rich.

Under Juan Mendoza, a large mercury mine at that time was opened in Huancavelík .

Lima Census

In 1614, the Marquis de Montesclaros conducted a census of Lima , according to which 25154 people lived in the city, including 5257 Spaniards and Creoles, 4359 Spaniards, 4529 blacks, Black women 5857, 744 black women and mulattos, Indians - 1116, Indian women - 867, mestizos and metiski - 192, monks, nuns and their servants - 2227.

In 1615, his powers ended and Juan de Mendoza went to Spain, where he was well received by the king and subsequently appointed to the post of state and military adviser. He later became the head of the Hacienda (Treasury), and then the head of Aragon . In 1621, King Philip IV granted him the title of Grand of Spain.

Juan de Mendoza died in Madrid in 1628 at the age of 57.

• García Puron, Manuel, México y sus gobernantes , v. 1. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984. (Spanish)
• Orozco L., Fernando, Fechas Históricas de México . Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1988, ISBN 968-38-0046-7 . (Spanish)
• Orozco Linares, Fernando, Gobernantes de México . Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, ISBN 968-38-0260-5 . (Spanish)