 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Spanish. (October 2022)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Juan de Garay" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Juan de Garay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of theRío de la Plata andParaguay (1578-1583) Lieutenant Governor of Asunción (1577-1578) Lieutenant Governor ofSanta Fe (1574-1576). | |
| Monarch | Philip II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1528 (1528) |
| Died | 1583 (aged 54–55) |
| Spouse(s) | Isabel de Becerra Juana de Espindola y Palomino |
| Children | Juan de Garay y Becerra |
| Occupation | Politician |
Juan de Garay (1528–1583) was aSpanish conquistador.Garay's birthplace is disputed. Some say it was in the city ofJunta de Villalba de Losa inCastile, while others argue he was born in the area ofOrduña (Basque Country). There's no birth certification whatsoever, though Juan De Garay regarded himself as somebody from Biscay (a region from the Basque Country). He served under theCrown of Castille, in theViceroyalty of Peru. He was governor ofAsunción (present dayParaguay) and founded a number of cities in present-dayArgentina, many near theParaná River area, including the second foundation ofBuenos Aires, in 1580.
In 1543 he sailed toPeru with his unclePedro de Zárate in ViceroyBlasco Núñez Vela's first expedition. In 1561 he took part in the foundation ofSanta Cruz de la Sierra. In 1568 he moved toAsunción where he attained political stature. The governor of Asunción sent him in April 1573, with a company of eighty men, on an expedition to theParaná River, during which he founded the city ofSanta Fe de la Vera Cruz. In 1576 he was appointed governor of Asunción. As governor, his primary objective was to foster peace and harmony by introducing justice and civilization among the indigenous populations. In pursuit of these aims, he took the initiative to establish Indian villages and implemented local governance systems.
In 1580, having attained the rank of Capitan General of the Viceroyalty, he re-founded the city on the banks of theRío de la Plata, which was first established byPedro de Mendoza in 1536 under the name ofNuestra Señora del Buen Ayre, but was later destroyed by the natives. Garay foundedBuenos Aires a second time on 11 June 1580. He landed on the riverbank in the location ofPlaza de Mayo, calling the cityCiudad de la Trinidad and its portSanta Maria de Buenos Ayres.[1] Buenos Aires would become the main city in the Paraná basin and its most important port.
Later, he went on an expedition in search for the legendary City of the Caesars (1581-1582).
Juan de Garay died near theRío de la Plata while travelling from Buenos Aires toSanta Fe on 20 March 1583; his group of 40 men, a Franciscan priest and a few women, entered an unknown lagoon and decided to spend the night on the banks of theCarcarañá River, near the ancientSancti Spíritus Fort. The group was ambushed byQuerandíes natives who killed Garay, the priest, a woman, and twelve of the soldiers.
Garay had a daughter, Jerónima de Contreras, who marriedHernando Arias de Saavedra, thegovernor of Rio de la Plata.[2]
In the oldest part of the town of Garay in Biscay is located a palace-baserri named Garatikua and built by Juan de Garay. In the 19th century, it was called "Garay-Goitia".
According to García Carraffa, the Garay'scoat of arms (gules with rampant lion in gold with a silver banner) indicates an origin from the noble Garay Family of Tudela (Navarra), already mentioned in the thirteenth century. Juan de Garay as a Biscayan had the title of knight, a title the "Fueros" granted to all the Vizcayans. The family had a certain economic and cultural level, it should be kept in mind that his uncle was appointed Judge and "Alcalde Mayor" of Segovia and his cousin attended the University of Salamanca.
Juan joined the family of his uncle that was made by Pedro Ortiz de Zárate, his wife Catalina Uribe and Salazar and his cousins: Pedro Ortiz de Zárate, Ana Salazar and the youngest of the brothers Francisco Uribe. The three children bear different surnames, only the firstborn retains that of the father, while the others adopt the mother's surname (which was very common at the time). He also had a family relationship with Juan Ortiz de Zárate, third "Adelantado" (advanced) of the Rio de la Plata.
