CristÃ³bal de la Cerda y Sotomayor

Cristóbal de la Cerda y Sotomayor (* around 1585 in Mexico City, Mexico, † after 1638 ) was a Spanish jurist who temporarily 1620/1621 served as governor of Chile.

Origin and career in Europe

Cerda came to New Spain, today's Mexico, to the world. His family was one of the first conquistadors in the New World. Cristóbal de la Cerda, however, came at a young age back to Europe and studied in Seville and at the renowned University of Salamanca Law. After study end he remained for ten years at the University and served three times as its rector.

On the Real Audiencia of Seville, he worked as Treasurer and Commissioner General of the Moors expelled from Andalusia. Council of the Indies had proposed him several times for offices overseas and in 1604 the office of Oidor in Santo Domingo he was offered, he then exchanged with the same position at the Real Audiencia of Chile.

Cerdas trip to Chile was accompanied by severe obstacles: on the passage to America Cerda fell into the hands of English privateers, and was only against the payment of a ransom of 24,000 ducats, which his wife, Sebastiana de Avendaño muster, released. In South America, he became very ill in Lima, and it was questionable whether he would ever come alive to Santiago de Chile. His illness lasted for a year, and he became deaf to it.

Tenure in Chile

He reached Santiago on March 27, 1619 and found the local administration and justice to the Real Audiencia of Chile due to the death of all Oidores stationary. With the help of another officer who had come with him, he took the office operating again. When the governor Lope de Ulloa y Lemos died in Concepcion, in December 1620, he appointed Cerda as interim successor.

During his short tenure, the Mapuche levied in chief Lientur against the Spanish occupiers. Another milestone was the abolition of servicios personales, the forced labor, which had to do the Native Americans. The viceroy had approved the conversion of this work duty, which often led to exploitation and abuse in a cash payment. In contrast to his predecessor to Cerda made to the speedy implementation of this Decree.

As Gouverneut he remained in office until November 1621 appointed by the Viceroy successor Pedro de Ulloa Osores arrived from Peru in Chile. Thereafter, he served again as Oidor.

After the end of his term Cristóbal de la Cerda traveled back to Lima, where he wrote a detailed report on his tenure at the Spanish court in December 1638.

Sources and links

José Toribio Medina: Diccionario Biográfico Colonial de Chile ( Spanish). Imprenta Elziviriana, Santiago, Chile 1906, pp. 197-203 (accessed on 15 June 2010).
Diego Barros Arana: Historia General de Chile ( Spanish), 4 Editorial Universitaria, Santiago de Chile, 2001, pp. 112-125 (accessed 10 July 2010).

Reign of Charles V: Diego de Almagro | Pedro de Valdivia | Francisco de Villagra | Rodrigo de Quiroga | (Francisco de Aguirre )

Reign of Ferdinand VI. Domingo Ortiz de Rozas | Manuel d' Amat i de Junyent

Reign of Ferdinand VII: Juan Rodríguez Ballesteros | Francisco Antonio García Carrasco | Mateo de Toro Zambrano y Ureta | Mariano Osorio | Casimiro Marcó del Pont

Governor (Chile)
Spaniard
Lawyer ( Spain)
Born in 1585
Died in the 17th century
Man

Royal Governor of Chile Royal Audiencia of Santiago Francisco de Aguirre (conquistador) Fernando Talaverano Gallegos Francisco de Meneses Brito Philip V of Spain Manuel Silvestre de Salamanca Cano Juan de Balmaseda y Censano Beltrán Francisco Javier de Morales y Castejón de Arroyo Charles IV of Spain Mateo de Toro Zambrano, 1st Count of La Conquista

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