José Sarmiento y Valladares, conde de Moctezuma y de Tula
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José Sarmiento de Valladares y Arines, 1st Duke of Atrisco, Grandee of Spain, jure uxoris
Count of Moctezuma
(May, 1643, Galicia, Spain
—September 10, 1708, Madrid
) was viceroy of New Spain from December 18, 1696 to November 3, 1701.
He was married to María Jerónima Moctezuma y Jofre de Loaiza, third Countess de Moctezuma, a descendant of the last Aztec
emperor. It was through her that he received his title. She bore him two daughters but then died. Thereafter he married a granddaughter of the Marquis de Villamanrique. His second wife accompanied him to New Spain.
On his arrival in New Spain, he met with his viceregal predecessor, Bishop Juan Ortega y Montañés
at Otumba, on the road from Veracruz
to Mexico City
. He entered the capital incognito on the afternoon of December 18, 1696 and was sworn in at 7 o'clock that evening, before the Audiencia. On his formal entrance into Mexico City on February 2, 1697 his horse fell, to the great amusement of the crowd.
He did what he could to help the population through the famine of 1697. He ordered that supplies of maize and wheat be kept in the public granaries to protect against future famines, and he ordered the storing of quantities of other provisions as well. He ordered that the Philippines ship mercury to New Spain, for use in the silver mines. Many mines had been closed for lack of mercury to extract the silver. He legalized the consumption of the mildly alcoholic drink pulque
by the natives.
He worked to restore the viceregal palace, partially destroyed in the riots and fire of 1692. He was able to occupy it on May 25, 1697. One of his daughters, Fausta Dominga, died shortly thereafter, of smallpox.
On February 9, 1697 the expedition of Jesuit Fathers Eusebio Kino
and Juan María Salvatierra set out for the Californias.
In October 1697 there was an eruption of the volcano Popocatépetl
, which caused great alarm in Mexico City but no real damage.
In 1700 he established the night watch in Mexico City to combat crime. The city was divided into eight wards, and a constable was placed in charge of the night watch in each ward. Offenders were to be whipped publicly on the first offense and branded on the back on the second. For a third offense the penalty was the loss of an ear. By order of March 6, 1700, assailants on the Camino Real were to suffer death. Sarmiento y Valladares also ordered that criminals and delinquents be transported to Puerto Rico.
On August 22, 1700 the illustrious Mexican man of science and of letters, Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
, died in Mexico City.
A ship arrived in Veracruz on March 6, 1701 carrying the news of the death of King Charles II of Spain
on November 1, 1700. Charles II left no heir. The War of the Spanish Succession
, between Spain and France on the one hand and Austria, England and Holland on the other, began, to determine his successor. Sarmiento y Valladares was publicly known as a supporter of the Habsburg claims to the Spanish throne, but the Bourbons were in control there. The viceroy was removed from office and ordered to return to Spain. Bishop Juan Ortega y Montañés was once again named interim viceroy.
Nevertheless, upon his return to Spain Sarmiento y Valladares received a pension and many honors, among them the titles of duke of Atlixco and grande of Spain. He received the latter title on November 25, 1704. He died in Madrid in 1708.
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....
Count of Moctezuma
Duke of Moctezuma de Tultengo
Duke of Moctezuma de Tultengo is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility held by a line of descendants of Emperor Moctezuma II, the ninth Tlatoani, or ruler, of Tenochtitlan. Since 1766 the title has been attached to a Grandeza de España, or a place in the Spanish peerage — the highest honor...
(May, 1643, Galicia, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
—September 10, 1708, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) was viceroy of New Spain from December 18, 1696 to November 3, 1701.
He was married to María Jerónima Moctezuma y Jofre de Loaiza, third Countess de Moctezuma, a descendant of the last Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
emperor. It was through her that he received his title. She bore him two daughters but then died. Thereafter he married a granddaughter of the Marquis de Villamanrique. His second wife accompanied him to New Spain.
On his arrival in New Spain, he met with his viceregal predecessor, Bishop Juan Ortega y Montañés
Juan Ortega y Montañés
Don Juan Ortega y Montañés was a Roman Catholic bishop and colonial administrator in Guatemala and New Spain. He was successively bishop of Durango , of Guatemala and of Michoacán , and then archbishop of Mexico...
at Otumba, on the road from 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...
to 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...
. He entered the capital incognito on the afternoon of December 18, 1696 and was sworn in at 7 o'clock that evening, before the Audiencia. On his formal entrance into Mexico City on February 2, 1697 his horse fell, to the great amusement of the crowd.
He did what he could to help the population through the famine of 1697. He ordered that supplies of maize and wheat be kept in the public granaries to protect against future famines, and he ordered the storing of quantities of other provisions as well. He ordered that the Philippines ship mercury to New Spain, for use in the silver mines. Many mines had been closed for lack of mercury to extract the silver. He legalized the consumption of the mildly alcoholic drink pulque
Pulque
Pulque, or octli, is a milk-colored, somewhat viscous alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant, and is a traditional native beverage of Mexico. The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to...
by the natives.
He worked to restore the viceregal palace, partially destroyed in the riots and fire of 1692. He was able to occupy it on May 25, 1697. One of his daughters, Fausta Dominga, died shortly thereafter, of smallpox.
On February 9, 1697 the expedition of Jesuit Fathers Eusebio Kino
Eusebio Kino
Eusebio Francisco Kino S.J. was an Italian Roman Catholic priest who became famous in what is now northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States in the region then known as the Pimaria Alta...
and Juan María Salvatierra set out for the Californias.
In October 1697 there was an eruption of the volcano Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl also known as "Popochowa" by the local population is an active volcano and, at , the second highest peak in Mexico after the Pico de Orizaba...
, which caused great alarm in Mexico City but no real damage.
In 1700 he established the night watch in Mexico City to combat crime. The city was divided into eight wards, and a constable was placed in charge of the night watch in each ward. Offenders were to be whipped publicly on the first offense and branded on the back on the second. For a third offense the penalty was the loss of an ear. By order of March 6, 1700, assailants on the Camino Real were to suffer death. Sarmiento y Valladares also ordered that criminals and delinquents be transported to Puerto Rico.
On August 22, 1700 the illustrious Mexican man of science and of letters, Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora was one of the first great intellectuals born in the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. A polymath and writer, he held many colonial government and academic positions.-Early career:...
, died in Mexico City.
A ship arrived in Veracruz on March 6, 1701 carrying the news of the death of King Charles II of Spain
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...
on November 1, 1700. Charles II left no heir. The War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, between Spain and France on the one hand and Austria, England and Holland on the other, began, to determine his successor. Sarmiento y Valladares was publicly known as a supporter of the Habsburg claims to the Spanish throne, but the Bourbons were in control there. The viceroy was removed from office and ordered to return to Spain. Bishop Juan Ortega y Montañés was once again named interim viceroy.
Nevertheless, upon his return to Spain Sarmiento y Valladares received a pension and many honors, among them the titles of duke of Atlixco and grande of Spain. He received the latter title on November 25, 1704. He died in Madrid in 1708.