Governorate of Paraguay

The Governorate of Paraguay (Spanish: Gobernación del Paraguay), originally called the Governorate of Guayrá, was a governorate of the Spanish Empire and part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Its seat was the city of Asunción; its territory roughly encompassed the modern day country of Paraguay.

Governorate of Paraguay
Gobernación del Paraguay
1617–1782
Flag of Paraguay
StatusGovernorate of the Viceroyalty of Peru

Part of the Spanish Empire
CapitalAsunción
Common languagesSpanish, Guaraní
Religion
Roman Catholic
Historical eraSpanish Empire
• Created from the split of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata and of Paraguay
December 16 1617
1782
ISO 3166 codePY
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Governorate of the Río de la Plata
Intendency of Paraguay

The Governorate was created on December 16, 1617, by the royal decree of King Philip III as a split of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata and of Paraguay into its respective halves. The Governorate lasted until 1782, after which the massive Viceroyalty of Peru was split, and Paraguay became an intendency (intendencia) of the new Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

List of governors of Paraguay

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Governors and interim governors of Paraguay[1]
Name Start of rule End of rule King of Spain
Hernando Arias de Saavedra 1615 1617 Philip III
Pedro Hurtado de Mendoza [es] 1618 1621
Manuel de Frías [es] 21 October 1621 1627 Philip IV
Luis de Céspedes García Xería [es] 1630 1633
Martín de Ledesma Valderrama [es] 1633 1636
Pedro Lugo de Navarra [es] 1636 1641
Juan de Velasco Villasanti 1641 27 June 1641
Gregorio de Hinestrosa 27 June 1641 2 February 1647
Diego de Escobar y Osorio 2 February 1647 26 February 1649
Bernardino de Cárdenas 4 March 1649 1 October 1649
Sebastián de León y Zárate [es] 1 October 1649 10 October 1650
Andrés Garabito de León [es] 10 October 1650 26 July 1653
Cristóbal de Garay y Saavedra [es] 26 July 1653 21 September 1656
Juan Antonio Blázquez de Valverde [es] 21 September 1656 24 September 1659
Alonso Sarmiento de Sotomayor y Figueroa [es] 24 September 1659 25 August 1662
Juan Diez de Andino [es] 25 August 1662 13 April 1671
Charles II
Francisco Rege Corvalán [es] 13 April 1671 1676
Diego Ibáñez de Farías [es] 1676 1681
Juan Diez de Andino [es] 7 October 1681 August 1684
Antonio de Vera Mujica [es] 18 October 1684 30 October 1684
Alonso Fernández Montiel 30 October 1684 30 October 1685
Francisco de Monfort [es] 30 October 1685 2 August 1691
Sebastián Félix de Mendiola [es] 22 October 1692 4 December 1696
Juan Rodríguez Cota [es] 4 December 1696 27 June 1702
Philip V
Antonio de Escobar y Gutiérrez [es] 27 June 1702 1705
José Ávalos de Mendoza [es] 1705 26 September 1705
Sebastián Félix de Mendiola [es] 26 September 1705 9 February 1706
Baltazar García Ros 9 February 1706 10 October 1707
Manuel de Robles Lorenzana [es] 10 October 1707 5 June 1713
Juan Gregorio Bazán de Pedraza [es] 5 June 1713 23 January 1717
Andrés Ortiz de Ocampo [es] 23 January 1717 5 February 1717
Diego de los Reyes Balmaseda 5 February 1717 20 August 1721
José de Antequera y Castro 14 September 1721 5 March 1725
Ramón de las Llanas 5 March 1725 29 April 1725
Bruno Mauricio de Zabala 29 April 1725 4 May 1725
Martín de Barúa 4 May 1725 28 December 1730
Ignacio de Soroeta 28 December 1730 25 January 1731
Vacant (Revolt of the Comuneros).[2]

The comuneros established a Junta Gubernativa presided over by:

  • José Luis Bareiro (1731)
  • Miguel de Garay (1731–1732)
  • Antonio Ruiz de Arellano (1732–1733)
25 January 1731 27 July 1733
Agustín de Ruyloba 27 July 1733 14 September 1733
Juan de Arregui y Gutiérrez 27 September 1733 9 December 1733
Cristóbal Domínguez de Ovelar [es] 9 December 1733 1735
Bruno Mauricio de Zabala 30 March 1735 1735
José Martín de Echauri [es] 1735 7 November 1740
Rafael de la Moneda [es] 7 November 1740 August 1747
Ferdinand VI
Marcos José Larrazábal [es] August 1747 10 November 1749
Jaime Sanjust [es] 10 November 1749 2 April 1761
Charles III
José Martínez Fontes [es] 2 April 1761 23 July 1764
Fulgencio Yegros y Ledesma [es] 23 July 1764 29 September 1766
Carlos Morphi 29 September 1766 23 August 1772
Agustín Fernando de Pinedo [es] 23 August 1772 1 February 1778
Pedro Melo de Portugal 1 February 1778 21 August 1787

References

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  1. ^ Colección de obras y documentos relativos a la historia antigua y moderna de las provincias del Río de la Plata. 1836, Pedro de Angelis.
  2. ^ López, Adalberto (2007) [first published 1976]. The Colonial History of Paraguay: The Revolt of the Comuneros, 1721-1735. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7658-0745-8.