Domingo Cabello y Robles (1725–?) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

who served as the

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

(1764–1776),

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

(1778 and 1786) and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

(1789–1790). His legislation in Texas was widely criticized.

Early years

Domingo Cabello y Robles was born in

León, Spain León (; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the province of León, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a population of 124,303 (2019), ...

, around 1725. As a youth, he joined the Royal

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

of Leon, where he became an officer. In 1741, he joined an infantry regiment, serving as

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. In 1742, he traveled to

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

, and the

flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...

was attacked by a warship of English origin. He returned to Spain in 1749. However, shortly after, the King appointed him Mayor and sent him back to Cuba, where he served as commander of "a fixed regiment of four battalions", which belonged to the garrison of Cuba and to the presidios of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. In 1762, he managed to defeat the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, who tried to invade

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. This appointment became official on December 12, 1764, with his governorship ending on July 20, 1776.

Governor of Texas

On October 29, 1778 Cabello was appointed interim governor of

. Initially, he helped the

Lipan Apache people Lipan Apache are a band of Apache, a Southern Athabaskan Indigenous people, who have lived in the Southwest and Southern Plains for centuries. At the time of European and African contact, they lived in New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and ...

in their struggle against the

Comanches The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in Lawton, Oklahoma ...

. Later, due to the strength of the Comanche and his desire to end their countless raids into Spanish territory, he enlisted Pedro Vial and Francisco Xavier Chavez to attempt to negotiate peace with the Comanche people.Pekka Hamalainen, The Comanche Empire, p. 113-123 In October 1785, a peace treaty between the Spanish and Comanches was enacted,Martínez Laínez, Fernando and Canales Torres, Carlos. Banderas lejanas: La exploración, conquista y defensa por parte de España del Territorio de los actuales Estados Unidos (Flags far: The exploration, conquest and defence by Spain of the Territory of the present United States). Page 177. Fourth edition: September 2009. achieving an acceptable peace in the north of the border until his government ended. However, the

Apaches The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

still were a threat in the South and the lands spread until Pecos. The previous administration of Ripperdá had driven most of Texas population into poverty. In addition, massive exports of products of animal origins caused a depletion of livestock, resulting in cattle raiding (to continue producing products of animal origins, an economic activity practiced by many families in Texas) and the failure of an ordinance issued in January 1778. Cabello tried to comply with regulation of exports and made attempts to prevent illegal exports of products. Therefore, on July 10, 1783, he set the so-called "Bando" (Side) law, which required compliance with certain guidelines for the shipment of unmarked livestock to other locations, as well as for roundup and branding. Cabello set a number of changes and improvements in Texas during his administration. He created a new province joining Texas (which belonged to the

Audiencia Real A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' (), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional designation ''chancillería'' (or ''cancillería'', Catala ...

(Supreme Court) of the Mexico's jurisdiction) to

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

. Later, many residents of Bucareli (place located near Trinity River), abandoned this city and settled in

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and specia ...

, in Hasinai lands. Cabello y Robles also created a monthly mail service, which communicated Texas and the

Provincias Internas The ''Provincias Internas'' ( Spanish: ''Inner Provinces''), also known as the ''Comandancia y Capitanía General de las Provincias Internas'' (''Commandancy and General Captaincy of the Inner Provinces''), was an administrative district of the Sp ...

(Internal Provinces). In 1786, Pedro Vial was appointed as leader of an expedition to find a direct route between the capital de Texas and

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

. Cabello ended his term on December 3, 1786.

Later years

Shortly after he abandoned the legislation in Texas, farmers delivered a memorial against Cabello, accusing him of setting unfair rules and forbidden them to use the unbranded cattle. They also accused him of having misappropriated funds. Cabello was very criticized, but he was highly regarded by the king. He did not learn of the charges against him until 1790. Nonetheless, between 1787 and 1795, he occupied other highlight military and politician charges: so, he was governor of Cuba (1789-1790), lieutenant of king in the garrison of the Havana and ''deputy inspector of troops'' of Cuba, and in 1797 he became a

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

of the Spanish army.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabello Y Robles, Domingo Governors of Cuba Governors of Nicaragua Governors of Spanish Texas 18th-century Cuban people People from León, Spain 1725 births Year of death unknown 18th-century Spanish people 18th-century Mexican people