José de Antequera y Castro
Encyclopedia
José de Antequera y Castro (Panama, 1689—July 5, Peru, 1731) was a Panamanian lawyer and judge in Peru
(then including Panama
, Bolivia
and Paraguay
), and the leader of an insurrection in Paraguay against the viceroy and the king.
. He was public prosecutor before the Audiencia of Charcas
(Alto Peru, now Bolivia) in charge of protecting the Indians.
, Paraguay in 1721 as an inspector and member of the Audiencia there. His instructions were to investigate charges made by the cabildo (city council) of Asunción against the governor of Paraguay, Diego de los Reyes Balmaceda. If the governor's guilt was established, Antequera was to remove him from office, occupy the office himself, and reestablish justice in the province. If, on the other hand, the governor was acquitted, Antequera was to wait until the expiration of his legal term in office, and then take over the government.
Reyes Balmaceda was removed as governor, and Antequera earned the sympathy of the Spanish settlers in Paraguay. After the removal of Reyes, the Criollos
named Antequera to take his place. Antequera became acting governor in August 1721. Reyes Balmaceda was restored in February 1722, but before the year was out, Antequera was again governor. He retained the position until March 5, 1725.
The Jesuits, however, were supporters of the dismissed governor. They had been working actively to shelter the Indians from the forced-labor demands of the colonists, and were therefore resented by the colonists. Reyes Balmaceda had supported the Jesuits, and it was that connection that led to the colonists' call for his removal. After Antequera consolidated his power, he expelled the Jesuits.
He then defeated a royalist force from Buenos Aires
under García Ros. Reyes Balmaceda had fled to Corrientes
, and in a surprise raid there, Antequera took him prisoner. There were suspicions he intended to proclaim himself king, independent of Spain.
, now the viceroy in Lima, ordered Buenos Aires governor Bruno Mauricio de Zabala
to suppress the rebellion and send Antequera to Lima for trial. Zabala led an army which included 6,000 Indians from the Jesuit missions against Antequera. On instructions from King Philip V
, Armendáriz ordered the Jesuits readmitted. (After some delay, they reoccupied their college in Asunción on March 18, 1728).
In the face of the army raised against them, Antequera's followers deserted him. In March 1725 he was forced to flee to a Franciscan convent in Cordóba, and from there he later fled to Charcas. He was arrested at Chuquisaca
in Charcas, and taken to Lima. He received the liberty of the city for four years while his case was being heard. On September 4, 1728, Antequera sent a report to the Audiencia of Charcas, defending his actions in Paraguay. Finally, in 1731, orders came from Madrid to execute him.
In 1778, King Charles III
of Spain annulled the verdict against Antequera, declaring him a good and loyal minister.
, one of the first revolts of American colonists against European colonial rule.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
(then including Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
), and the leader of an insurrection in Paraguay against the viceroy and the king.
Early career
Antequera y Castro was born in Panama. He was an oidor (judge) in the Audiencia of Panama before traveling to Spain. He became a knight of the Order of AlcántaraOrder of Alcántara
The Order of Alcántara , also called the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a military order of León, founded in 1166 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177.-Alcántara:...
. He was public prosecutor before the Audiencia of Charcas
Charcas
Charcas may refer to:* Charcas Province, a province in Potosí Department, Bolivia* Real Audiencia of Charcas, one of six political units of the Viceroyalty of Peru* Charcas, a historical name of Sucre, capital of Bolivia...
(Alto Peru, now Bolivia) in charge of protecting the Indians.
In Paraguay
He was sent from Charcas to AsunciónAsunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay in 1721 as an inspector and member of the Audiencia there. His instructions were to investigate charges made by the cabildo (city council) of Asunción against the governor of Paraguay, Diego de los Reyes Balmaceda. If the governor's guilt was established, Antequera was to remove him from office, occupy the office himself, and reestablish justice in the province. If, on the other hand, the governor was acquitted, Antequera was to wait until the expiration of his legal term in office, and then take over the government.
Reyes Balmaceda was removed as governor, and Antequera earned the sympathy of the Spanish settlers in Paraguay. After the removal of Reyes, the Criollos
Criollo (people)
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
named Antequera to take his place. Antequera became acting governor in August 1721. Reyes Balmaceda was restored in February 1722, but before the year was out, Antequera was again governor. He retained the position until March 5, 1725.
The Jesuits, however, were supporters of the dismissed governor. They had been working actively to shelter the Indians from the forced-labor demands of the colonists, and were therefore resented by the colonists. Reyes Balmaceda had supported the Jesuits, and it was that connection that led to the colonists' call for his removal. After Antequera consolidated his power, he expelled the Jesuits.
He then defeated a royalist force from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
under García Ros. Reyes Balmaceda had fled to Corrientes
Corrientes
Corrientes is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12...
, and in a surprise raid there, Antequera took him prisoner. There were suspicions he intended to proclaim himself king, independent of Spain.
Defeat and capture
In 1724, José de ArmendárizJosé de Armendáriz
José de Armendáriz y Perurena, 1st Marquis of Castelfuerte was a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator. From May 14, 1724 to February 4, 1736 he was viceroy of Peru.-Early career:He entered the military and fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, on the side of Philip V of Spain...
, now the viceroy in Lima, ordered Buenos Aires governor Bruno Mauricio de Zabala
Bruno Mauricio de Zabala
Bruno Mauricio de Zabala was a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator. He was born in the slum of Zabala in the province of Biscay...
to suppress the rebellion and send Antequera to Lima for trial. Zabala led an army which included 6,000 Indians from the Jesuit missions against Antequera. On instructions from King Philip V
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, Armendáriz ordered the Jesuits readmitted. (After some delay, they reoccupied their college in Asunción on March 18, 1728).
In the face of the army raised against them, Antequera's followers deserted him. In March 1725 he was forced to flee to a Franciscan convent in Cordóba, and from there he later fled to Charcas. He was arrested at Chuquisaca
Chuquisaca Department
Chuquisaca is a department of Bolivia located in the center south. It borders on the departments of Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosí, and Santa Cruz. The departmental capital is Sucre, which is also the constitutional capital of Bolivia.-Geography:...
in Charcas, and taken to Lima. He received the liberty of the city for four years while his case was being heard. On September 4, 1728, Antequera sent a report to the Audiencia of Charcas, defending his actions in Paraguay. Finally, in 1731, orders came from Madrid to execute him.
Execution
When he was brought to the Plaza de Armas, where he was to be beheaded, the crowd assembled there demanded his pardon and threw stones at his escort. Viceroy Armendáriz, who was in attendance, rode among the crowd to try to quiet them, but he too was pelted with stones. Fearing that Antequera would escape, Armendáriz ordered the soldiers to shoot him, which they did. They then turned their guns on the crowd. Several priests were killed. Antequera's corpse was then taken from his place of death to the scaffold and beheaded. The head was displayed publicly.In 1778, King Charles III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
of Spain annulled the verdict against Antequera, declaring him a good and loyal minister.
Aftermath
Another revolt broke out in Paraguay in 1730, under Doctor Fernando Mompó de Zayas. (Mompó and Antequera had met in prison in Lima.) Mompó asserted the sovereignty of the people over the king and attracted many formerly powerless poor colonists to the cause. These interrelated rebellions are known as the Revolt of the ComunerosRevolt of the Comuneros (Paraguay)
The Revolt of the Comuneros is a series of uprisings by settlers in Paraguay against the Spanish authorities lasting from 1721 to 1732. Underlying causes were economic, but there were also issues of freedom and self-government...
, one of the first revolts of American colonists against European colonial rule.
External links
- A Vanished Arcadia by R. B. Cunninghame Graham Antequera and Reyes Balmaceda (Archived 2009-10-31) His 1728 report to the Audiencia of Charcas
- Dates of his administration
- The situation in Paraguay
- His execution