Garcia Álvarez de Figueroa
Garcia Álvarez de Figueroa | |
|---|---|
| 3rd Governor of the Province of Margarita | |
| In office 1626–1630 | |
| Preceded by | Andrés Rodríguez de Villegas |
| Succeeded by | Juan de Eulate |
Garcia Álvarez de Figueroa was a Spanish soldier who was Governor of the Margarita Province, based on Margarita Island off the coast of what today is Venezuela, from 1626 to 1630.
Early life
In December 1619, Álvarez de Figueroa was with a fleet of six galleons that set out from Cadiz with instructions to pass through the Strait of Magellan without stopping in Brazil. Under the command of Lorenzo de Zuazola, the fleet's ultimate destination was the Philippines. However, they never made it as the fleet ran into a violent storm and was forced to run back to land, with most of the ships run aground on Cape Trafalgar and many of the 1,700 men drowned. Only the galleon that held Admiral Garcia Alvarez de Figueroa and the cosmographer Diego Ramirez de Arellano stayed afloat.[1][2]
Governor of Margarita
Álvarez de Figueroa was appointed Admiral of the fleet of New Spain (Mexico) between 1622 and 1623.[2]
Admiral Álvarez de Figueroa was appointed Governor and Captain General of the Island of Margarita on 30 April 1625. Margarita Province was a province of the Spanish Empire based on Margarita Island in what is now Venezuela.[3]
He took over from Andrés Rodríguez de Villegas on 1 June 1626.[4] He was accompanied by his son Gerónimo.[5]
Governor Álvarez de Figueroa spent four years as Governor of Margarita Province was known for his interest in letters, for his contempt of the local Waikerí people, and for his enjoyment of the trade in pearls from Cubagua and the Macanao Peninsula.[6]
He was succeeded by Juan de Eulate, a former Governor of New Mexico who was appointed Governor of Margarita Province on 10 April 1630.[7]
References
Citations
- ^ Pirateria en el Mediterraneo.
- ^ a b Dictionary of the History of Venezuela.
- ^ 30 de Abril.
- ^ Andrés Rodríguez de Villegas.
- ^ López 1999, p. 111.
- ^ 1 de Junio de 1626.
- ^ López 1999, p. 116.
Sources
- "1 de Junio de 1626". Fodeapemine. Government of Venezuela. Archived from the original on 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
- "30 de Abril". En Oriente. 7 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
- "Andrés Rodríguez de Villegas". venezuelatuya.com. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
- López, José Eliseo (1999). La Emigración Desde la España Penínsular a Venezuela en Los Siglos XVI, XVII y XVIII. CDCH UCV. p. 116. ISBN 978-980-6061-35-4. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
- "Pirateria en el Mediterraneo" (PDF), Historia De La Armada Espanola Desde La Union De Los Reinos De Castilla Y De Aragon, Instituto de Historia y Cultura Naval, p. 304, retrieved 2012-08-30
- Alvarez de Figueroa, Garcia, Dictionaty of the History of Venezuela, retrieved 2025-07-15