Gastón Carrillo de Peralta y Bosquete, 3rd Marquis of Falces (Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

: Don

Don (honorific)

Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...

 Gastón Carrillo de Peralta, III marqués de Falces) (1510–1587) was a Spanish nobleman who was viceroy of New Spain

New Spain

New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...

 from October 16, 1566 to March 10, 1568.

Biography

He was born in Pau, Navarre

Navarre

Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...

 (now in France).

Gastón de Peralta took over the government of New Spain in 1566 from Francisco Ceinos

Francisco Ceinos

Francisco Ceinos was one of five oidores of the second Audiencia of New Spain. This group governed the colony from January 10, 1531 to April 16, 1535. Ceinos was also in the Audiencias that served as interim governments of New Spain from 1564 to 1566 and from approximately July 1568 to November...

 and the Audiencia of Mexico, which had been governing on an interim basis since the death of the previous viceroy, Luis de Velasco

Luis de Velasco

Luís de Velasco was the second viceroy of New Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the mid-sixteenth century....

.

After the death of Velasco, a conspiracy to obtain independence from Spain was discovered. Some personalities of high position, including some close relatives of Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...

 — Martín

Martín Cortés

Martín Cortés may refer to:* Martín Cortés de Albacar, Spanish cosmographer* Martín Cortés * Martín Cortés, 2nd Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca...

, Don Martín Cortés y de Zuñiga, and Luis (his sons, and half-brothers of each other) — were involved in this plot, which was made known to Peralta while he was still in Veracruz

Veracruz

Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...

, that is before he had entered Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

 to take up his office officially. A local judge of the Real Audiencia of México had sentenced the conspirators to death, but Peralta personally reviewed the cases of each of the prisoners and suspended the death penalty for Luis and Martín Cortés. They were sent back to Spain to be dealt with by the Council of the Indies.

Peralta arrived in Mexico City in a tense atmosphere. One of his first acts was to remove the artillery and soldiers that had been posted at the viceroy's palace and in the principle streets of the city. His leniency toward the conspirators alarmed the Audiencia, which accused him of sympathizing with the rebels and protecting them. Testimony was given that the new viceroy had a list of 30,000 rebel fighters ready to rise against the Crown. These accusations were communicated to Spanish king Philip II

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

 in a letter. Alarmed, King Philip dispatched two visitadores, Luis Carrillo

Luis Carrillo

Luis Carrillo was, from November 1567 to about July 1568, royal commissioner with Alonso Muñoz for the inspection of the viceregal government of New Spain for King Philip II.-The Conspiracy of 1565:...

 and Lic. Alonso Muñoz

Alonso Muñoz

Alonso Muñoz was a high-ranking administrator in Spain and, from November 1567 to about July 1568, royal commissioner with Luis Carrillo for the inspection of the government of New Spain for King Philip II.-Origins and early career:A descendant of successful ranchers involved in the production...

, to New Spain to investigate the charges. They ordered Peralta back to Spain to explain his conduct.

In his brief term of office, Peralta founded a hospital for the aged, invalids, convalescents and the insane.

Back in Spain, he was tried and acquitted. Subsequently he was made constable of Navarre. He died in Valladolid in 1587.