Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull
Encyclopedia
Don
Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull, jure uxoris
Duke of Palata, Prince of Massalubrense (sometimes Melchor de Navarra y Rocaful) (1626, Aragón
—April 13, 1691, Portobelo, Panamá
) was a Spanish politician. From November 20, 1681 to August 15, 1689 he was Viceroy
of Perú
.
and Salamanca
. He was a knight of the Order of Alcántara
. He was also an advisor to the Crown of Aragón
, a member of the council of state and of war in Naples
, and president of the council of Aragón. He was part of the junta that advised King Charles II
during the first year of his reign. In 1681 he was named Viceroy and captain general
of Perú, extending at that time from Panamá
to Chile
.
on January 28, 1681. He arrived in Lima
on November 20 of that year and received the government of the colony from Archbishop Melchor Liñán y Cisneros
. He immediately set to work to put the government in order.
During his administration, he issued a decree to protect the Indigenous against oppressive church taxes (February 20, 1684). He conducted a census of the Indigenous, and required them to reside in their customary locations. He also reorganized the University of San Marcos in Lima. In 1683 he reestablished the Lima mint, which had been closed since 1572. Its reopening had been opposed by mining interests in Potosí
and by the mint in Seville
, which wanted to continue striking coins from silver sent from Perú.http://www.tesorillo.com/articulos/libro/226.htm
The English corsair Edward Davis and other pirates appeared off the Pacific coast in 1684, beginning hostilities that lasted four years and requiring the viceroy to take costly defensive measures. In 1686 he ordered the construction of city walls in Lima and Trujillo
) to defend against pirates. The planning of the wall in Lima was under the direction of Cosmógrafo Real Juan Ramón Koening (Jean Raymond Coninck). Also in 1686 Spanish forces repelled an attack by Davis.
destroyed the city of Lima, killing 600 people there and 700 in Callao
. Before the earthquake, Lima had been a city of straight streets, brick and adobe houses with wooden balconies, and seventy churches and bell towers. The earthquake destroyed much of this, including nearly all the churches and the city walls that were under construction. Wheat production in the area around Lima was interrupted. The viceroy and his wife took extraordinary measures to aid the victims, expending much money from their own pockets. The city was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again by the earthquake of 1746.
As in the earthquake of 1655, the painting of the crucified Brown Christ on an adobe wall in the Angolan quarter of Lima survived, confirming to the faithful its miraculous nature.
, then extended towards the south. After making a curve, the wall advanced to the north, finishing in the district of Maravillas, where it returned to the river. Protection of the northern side of Lima was entrusted to the volume of the Rímac River.
The oval wall protecting Trujillo, also of adobe, was built between 1685 and 1687. Trujillo became the third walled city of America, after Cartagena de Indias and Callao
.http://www.beepworld.de/members27/puschner/plazas-museos.htm
Viceroy Navarra prohibited the eating of Solanum muricatum, a food plant cultivated in Peru from before the time of the Spanish arrival. It was known as pepino (cucumber) by the Spanish, although it was not a cucumber. This vegetable was thought to cause death if taken with liquor. The viceroy referred to it as mataserrano (highlander killer).http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0646e/T0646E0i.htm
to Paita
. In his place was sent Melchor Portocarrero, 3rd Count of Monclova. The latter entered Lima and received the government on August 15, 1689. Viceroy Navarra sent a detailed report to Spain about his administration, dated November 18, 1689.http://mssa.library.yale.edu/madid/showzoom.php?id=mss&msrg=1775&msrgext=0&pg=1&imgNum=5628 He stayed in Lima until 1691, pending an investigation of his administration. He then sailed for Spain to occupy the presidency of the Council of Aragon, but both he and his wife, Francisca Toralto de Aragón (Toraldo d'Aragona), 2nd Ducchess de la Palata, in her own right, 2nd Principessa di Massalubrense, died on the journey and are buried in Portobello.
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:...
Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull, jure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
Duke of Palata, Prince of Massalubrense (sometimes Melchor de Navarra y Rocaful) (1626, Aragón
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
—April 13, 1691, Portobelo, Panamá
Portobelo, Panama
Portobelo is a port city in Colón Province, Panama. It is located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama and has a deep natural harbor. Today, Portobelo is a sleepy city with a population of fewer than 3,000...
) was a Spanish politician. From November 20, 1681 to August 15, 1689 he was 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 Perú
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....
.
Early career
Navarra y Rocafull studied in the Universities of OviedoUniversity of Oviedo
The University of Oviedo is a public university in Asturias . It's the only university in the region. It has three campus and research centres, located in Oviedo, Gijón and Mieres.-History:...
and Salamanca
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
. He was a knight of the Order of Alcántara
Order 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 also an advisor to the Crown of Aragón
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, a member of the council of state and of war in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, and president of the council of Aragón. He was part of the junta that advised King Charles II
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
during the first year of his reign. In 1681 he was named Viceroy and captain general
Captain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
of Perú, extending at that time from Panamá
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...
to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
As viceroy of Peru
After his appointment as viceroy, he sailed from CádizCádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
on January 28, 1681. He arrived in 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...
on November 20 of that year and received the government of the colony from Archbishop Melchor Liñán y Cisneros
Melchor Liñán y Cisneros
Melchor Liñán y Cisneros was a Spanish prelate, colonial official, and viceroy Peru, from July 7, 1678 to November 20, 1681)....
. He immediately set to work to put the government in order.
During his administration, he issued a decree to protect the Indigenous against oppressive church taxes (February 20, 1684). He conducted a census of the Indigenous, and required them to reside in their customary locations. He also reorganized the University of San Marcos in Lima. In 1683 he reestablished the Lima mint, which had been closed since 1572. Its reopening had been opposed by mining interests in Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
and by the mint in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, which wanted to continue striking coins from silver sent from Perú.http://www.tesorillo.com/articulos/libro/226.htm
The English corsair Edward Davis and other pirates appeared off the Pacific coast in 1684, beginning hostilities that lasted four years and requiring the viceroy to take costly defensive measures. In 1686 he ordered the construction of city walls in Lima and Trujillo
Trujillo, Peru
Trujillo, in northwestern Peru, is the capital of the La Libertad Region, and the third largest city in Peru. The urban area has 811,979 inhabitants and is an economic hub in northern Peru...
) to defend against pirates. The planning of the wall in Lima was under the direction of Cosmógrafo Real Juan Ramón Koening (Jean Raymond Coninck). Also in 1686 Spanish forces repelled an attack by Davis.
The earthquake of 1687
On October 20, 1687, an earthquake1687 Peru earthquake
The 1687 Peru earthquake occurred at 11:30 UTC on October 20. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.4–8.7 and caused severe damage to Lima, Callao and Ica. It triggered a tsunami and overall about 5,000 people died.-Tectonic setting:...
destroyed the city of Lima, killing 600 people there and 700 in Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
. Before the earthquake, Lima had been a city of straight streets, brick and adobe houses with wooden balconies, and seventy churches and bell towers. The earthquake destroyed much of this, including nearly all the churches and the city walls that were under construction. Wheat production in the area around Lima was interrupted. The viceroy and his wife took extraordinary measures to aid the victims, expending much money from their own pockets. The city was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again by the earthquake of 1746.
As in the earthquake of 1655, the painting of the crucified Brown Christ on an adobe wall in the Angolan quarter of Lima survived, confirming to the faithful its miraculous nature.
Walled cities
Work began again on the wall in Lima. It was finished in 1687. It was 11,700 meters long and had a 5-meter wide esplanade along the top. There were 34 defensive bastions and five gates leading into the city. Its height was 4.5 meters, including 1.4 meters of parapets. From that time, Lima was surrounded by a strong semicircular wall. It began in the sector of Monserrate, located on the left bank of the Rímac RiverRímac River
The Rímac River is located in western Peru and is the most important source of potable water for the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area.The river is part of the Pacific watershed and has a length of 160 km...
, then extended towards the south. After making a curve, the wall advanced to the north, finishing in the district of Maravillas, where it returned to the river. Protection of the northern side of Lima was entrusted to the volume of the Rímac River.
The oval wall protecting Trujillo, also of adobe, was built between 1685 and 1687. Trujillo became the third walled city of America, after Cartagena de Indias and Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
.http://www.beepworld.de/members27/puschner/plazas-museos.htm
Viceroy Navarra prohibited the eating of Solanum muricatum, a food plant cultivated in Peru from before the time of the Spanish arrival. It was known as pepino (cucumber) by the Spanish, although it was not a cucumber. This vegetable was thought to cause death if taken with liquor. The viceroy referred to it as mataserrano (highlander killer).http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0646e/T0646E0i.htm
End of his administration
Navarra's appointed successor, the Count of Cañete, died on the voyage from AcapulcoAcapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
to Paita
Paita
Paita is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Paita Province which is in the Piura Region. It is a leading seaport in that region...
. In his place was sent Melchor Portocarrero, 3rd Count of Monclova. The latter entered Lima and received the government on August 15, 1689. Viceroy Navarra sent a detailed report to Spain about his administration, dated November 18, 1689.http://mssa.library.yale.edu/madid/showzoom.php?id=mss&msrg=1775&msrgext=0&pg=1&imgNum=5628 He stayed in Lima until 1691, pending an investigation of his administration. He then sailed for Spain to occupy the presidency of the Council of Aragon, but both he and his wife, Francisca Toralto de Aragón (Toraldo d'Aragona), 2nd Ducchess de la Palata, in her own right, 2nd Principessa di Massalubrense, died on the journey and are buried in Portobello.