Velasco y Castilla, Luis de

Luis de Velasco Jr. was born in Spain and accompanied his father to New Spain in his youth, where his father was appointed vice-king. The youth of Luis de Velasco was held in Mexico City, after the death of his father, he stayed to live in New Spain and entered the service of a member of the municipal council. However, soon his relationship with the Viceroy Alvaro Manrique de Zuniga deteriorated and he was forced to go back to Spain. There he made an appointment with King Philip II , who appointed him ambassador to Florence .

On July 19, 1589, Velasco was appointed to the post of Viceroy of New Spain. At this time, Spain received news that the colony was troubled, and was advised not to go directly to the main port of Veracruz , but to go first to the city of Tamahua. However, having reached the colony, he found the situation in it in complete tranquility and went to Veracruz, where he landed in mid-December of that year.

From Veracruz, he went to Mexico City , taking office on January 27, 1590 . His coming to power was accepted with approval by all the classes of Mexico City.

In 1591, he reconciled the Chichimec Indians, who had not submitted to the Spaniards before and caused them many problems. The Native American leaders asked the Spaniards to supply them with food, Velasco agreed to their terms and a peace treaty was signed with them. About 400 Spanish families were sent to the places of residence of the Indians, among them 4 Franciscan missions with the center in Zacatecas were founded. Velasco eased the tax burden on the Indians, and also took measures to assimilate and facilitate the integration of Indians into the society of the colony.

Under his rule, measures were taken to develop industry in the region. To protect against pirates, he fortified the fortress of San Juan de Ulua in Veracruz.

In 1595, Velasco was appointed to the post of viceroy of Peru , in November of that year he sailed from the port of Acapulco to Lima. After spending eight years in Peru, he said he was sick and tired and asked for permission to drive back to New Spain.

On February 25, 1607, the Spanish king Philip III of Velasco was again appointed vice-king of New Spain. On July 2 of the same year, he took power and began to build a canal to eliminate the main problem of Mexico City at that time - floods. During the rainy season, Mexico City was subjected to varying degrees of flooding from year to year. The project was prepared by engineer Enrique Martinez and a Jesuit mathematician Juan Sanchez. The construction of the canal began on November 28, 1607 .

In February 1607, a royal decree arrived from Spain prohibiting the excessive exploitation of the Indians and aimed at protecting them. Velasco strictly ordered the enomienderos and tax collectors to comply with this decree. Like his father, the viceroy was known as a consistent protector of the Indians in the colony.

In 1609, rumors spread around the colony about a possible uprising of blacks - slaves . Velasco took preventive measures to prevent an uprising, he sent an armed detachment to fight the fugitive slaves and rebels who carried out attacks on the road between Veracruz and Mexico City. The rebel leader, Gaspar Young, sent through the commander of the Spanish squad a letter to the Viceroy, which contained information about the mistreatment of blacks by their masters. Velasco accepted the letter for consideration, but by then the bloody suppression of the uprising, which had led to significant casualties on both sides, had already taken place. After the uprising, Velasco decided to settle the fugitive slaves in Cordoba .

While in office as Viceroy, Velasco was involved in the establishment of diplomatic and trade relations with Japan . In 1610, the Japanese embassy led by Tonaka Shozuki along with missionary Luis Sotelo arrived in New Spain on the Japanese warship San Bueno Ventura . Arriving Japanese were allowed to send a well-known explorer Sebastian Viskaino to Japan as an ambassador. Viskaino 's mission also included the discovery of the legendary "gold and silver islands", which were supposed to be east of Japan. The Golden and Silver Islands, like many other legends, excited the minds of the Spaniards at that time. Luis de Velasco decided to confiscate the Japanese ship, fearing that the Japanese would master the science of long voyages.

Viskaino sailed from Acapulco on March 22, 1611 , on June 16 of the same year they arrived in Uraga . From there, Viskaino went to Edo (modern Tokyo ), where he met with the second shogun Tokugawa Hydetada , after which he went to Sumpa, where he met with the former shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu . Viskaino, having lost his ship, returned from Japan aboard the Japanese galleon, which arrived at Acapulco on January 25, 1614 . Returning, he accompanied the Japanese embassy, ​​led by Hasekur Tsunenaga , sent to Spain along with another 140 Japanese.

In 1610, in honor of the merits of Luis de Velasco , King Philip III bestowed upon him the title of Marquis de las Salinas, and on December 27 of that year appointed him chairman of the Indian Council, a kind of colonial minister. In 1611, Velasco departed for Spain to take up his new position. As chairman of the Indian Council, he remained until August 7, 1617 . He died exactly one month after his resignation in Seville .

• "Japon," Enciclopedia de México , v. 8. Mexico City, 1988. (Spanish)
• "Velasco, Luis de," Enciclopedia de México , v. 14. Mexico City, 1988. (Spanish)
• 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)

• Young Rise