Martin del Barco Centenera
Encyclopedia
Martín del Barco Centenera (1535 – c. 1602) was a Spanish cleric, explorer and author.
A street in the city of Buenos Aires
, Argentina, is named after him.
, in the Diocese of Plasencia
in Extremadura
region (Spain); died c. 1602. He became a secular priest and in 1572 accompanied, as chaplain
, the expedition of Juan Ortiz de Zárate
to the Rio de La Plata
in South America
. For twenty-four years he followed the vicissitudes of Spanish exploration in the Argentine
with undaunted courage.
Centenera was made archdeacon
of the church of Paraguay
. In 1582 he went to Lima
and acted as secretary to the third council
held in that city.
He returned to Europe, where he finished his poetical work, known as "La Argentina", which he dedicated to the Viceroy
of Portugal (for the Habsburg king Philip III of Spain
). It appeared in 1602. Soon after, del Barco died.
But its historical value is considerable. He describes nearly a quarter of a century of Spanish efforts in Argentina and adjacent countries, of which he was mostly an eyewitness, and thus fills a considerable blank in our knowledge of the history of that period, otherwise but little known.
He also alludes to the English piracies committed by Francis Drake
and Thomas Cavendish
, and to events of importance in Peru during the administration of the Viceroy Toledo. Several of the violent earthquakes of the time are also mentioned and described, though not always with correctness in regard to dates.
A street in the city of 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...
, Argentina, is named after him.
Life
Born 1535 at LogrosánLogrosán
Logrosán is a municipality of province of Cáceres in Extremadura, Spain. Head of administrative area, commercial subarea of Don Benito-Villanueva. Town of certain entity in the first half of the 20th century with stately houses that speak to us about a past of major explendor...
, in the Diocese of Plasencia
Plasencia
Plasencia is a walled market city in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Western Spain. , it had a population of 41,447.Situated on the bank of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter that is a consequence of the city's strategic location along the Silver Route, or Ruta de la Plata...
in Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
region (Spain); died c. 1602. He became a secular priest and in 1572 accompanied, as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
, the expedition of Juan Ortiz de Zárate
Juan Ortiz de Zárate
Juan Ortiz de Zárate Juan Ortiz de Zárate Juan Ortiz de Zárate (c. 1521 Orduña, Biscay (Spain) – 1575 Asunción, (Paraguay). was a Spanish Basque explorer and conquistador. He journeyed to the Americas as a teenager, where he took part in the conquest of Peru under Diego de Almagro....
to the Rio de La Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. For twenty-four years he followed the vicissitudes of Spanish exploration in the Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
with undaunted courage.
Centenera was made archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of the church of 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...
. In 1582 he went to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
and acted as secretary to the third council
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
held in that city.
He returned to Europe, where he finished his poetical work, known as "La Argentina", which he dedicated to the Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of Portugal (for the Habsburg king Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
). It appeared in 1602. Soon after, del Barco died.
Work
The poetic merit of the "Argentina" is slender, like that of all the epics composed about this time on American subjects. It is a work of ponderous rhyme.But its historical value is considerable. He describes nearly a quarter of a century of Spanish efforts in Argentina and adjacent countries, of which he was mostly an eyewitness, and thus fills a considerable blank in our knowledge of the history of that period, otherwise but little known.
He also alludes to the English piracies committed by Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
and Thomas Cavendish
Thomas Cavendish
Sir Thomas Cavendish was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and return by circumnavigating the globe...
, and to events of importance in Peru during the administration of the Viceroy Toledo. Several of the violent earthquakes of the time are also mentioned and described, though not always with correctness in regard to dates.