Francisco Cuervo y Valdés | |
|---|---|
 Francisco Cuervo y Valdés | |
| 18thGovernor of Nuevo León | |
| In office 1687–1688 | |
| Preceded by | Antonio de Echevérez y Subiza |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Fernández de la Ventosa |
| 3rdGovernor of Texas and 5thof Coahuila | |
| In office 1698 – 1702 (Texas) / 1703 (coahuila) | |
| Preceded by | Gregorio de Salinas Varona |
| Succeeded by | Mathias de Aguirre |
| 34thSpanish Governor of New Mexico | |
| In office June 1705 – August 1707 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Páez Hurtado |
| Succeeded by | Jose Chacón Medina Salazar y Villaseñor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1651-06-16)16 June 1651 |
| Died | 1714 (aged 62–63) |
| Profession | Politician |
| Signature |  |
Francisco Cuervo y Valdés (16 June 1651 – 1714) was aSpanishpolitician who governedNuevo León (1687-1688),Nueva Extremadura (1698–1703),New Philippines (1698–1702), andSanta Fe de Nuevo México (1704–1707).
Cuervo y Valdés was born on June 16, 1651, inSanta María de Grado (inAsturias,Spain). His family was ofnoble background.[1] Cuervo y Valdes was aKnight of Santiago and aTreasury official inGuadalajara.[2] In 1678, he emigrated to New Spain, in what is now Mexico.[1]
Upon arrival to New Spain, he served as an infantry captain and later he was appointed lieutenant governor ofSonora. In 1698, Cuervo y Valdés served as lieutenant governor ofNuevo Leon andCoahuila (in what is now modern Mexico).[1] From 1698 to 1702, he served as the thirdgovernor ofSpanish Texas.[3]
Under his administration, a series of missions were founded: San Antonio Galindo Moctezuma (founded by Cuervo y Valdés and Friar Francisco Portoles on October 26, 1698),Mission San Felipe Valladares (November, 1698), the mission of Valle de San Bartolome de Jesus later renamed "Santísimo Nombre de Jesus de los Peyotes" (founded by Sergeant Mayor Diego Ramón on December 18, 1698), the mission of San Juan Bautista and the Valle of Santo Domingo (1699), the Mission of San Francisco de Solano (byAntonio de Olivares in 1700), Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and Santo Cristo (1701), and the mission of San Bernardo (1703).[4][2]
In 1704, Cuervo y Valdés was appointed actinggovernor ofNew Mexico by theViceroy ofNew Spain,Francisco Fernández de la Cueva Enríquez, Duke of Alburquerque. Thus, Cuervo y Valdés had to leave the government of Coahuila, taking office on March 10, 1705.
Upon arrival in the province, Cuervo y Valdés found that social and political conditions were quite poor. This being a result of the continuing war between theApaches and theNavajos against the Spanish settlers andPueblos, who were allied with the Spanish.[2] Cuervo y Valdés led troops against the Apaches, but the number of soldiers was too small to effectively defend the territory. This led him to send a letter to the Viceroy of New Spain requesting reinforcements but the viceroy did not attend the request. Shortly after, he asked the Puebloans for assistance, who agreed to join his troops.[1] With the soldiers in need of supplies, Cuervo y Valdés again requested assistance from the viceroy in securing weapons, ammunition, and clothing. However, only a small amount of weapons and ammunition was sent to New Mexico.[2]
On April 23, 1706, Cuervo y Valdés foundedLa Villa Real de San Francisco de Alburquerque[5] (nowAlbuquerque), naming the town in honour of the Viceroy of New Spain, Francisco Fernández de la Cueva Enríquez, Duke of Alburquerque. Cuervo y Valdés ordered that a Spanish garrison be stationed in the town. At the time, Albuquerque was inhabited by thirty to thirty-five families who had settled along the banks of the Rio Grande.[2][5]
Cuervo y Valdés refounded several other towns in New Mexico, including Santa Maria de Galisteo (formerly known asSanta Cruz), which was populated by about eighteen families fromTanos. He left office in 1707.[2]
Cuervo y Valdés eventually returned toMexico City and died in 1714.
Valdés married María Francisca and they had two children: Francisco Antonio Cuervo and Ana María Cuervo.[2]
