Melchor de Mediavilla y Azcona was the acting

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 ...

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 ...

between 1727 and 1731.

Biography

Mediavilla y Azcona was born in the early eighteenth century. He was appointed

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the

Presidio A presidio (''jail, fortification'') was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire mainly between the 16th and 18th centuries in areas under their control or influence. The term is derived from the Latin word ''praesidium'' meaning ''pr ...

of Bexar. Later, Governor

Fernando Pérez de Almazán Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, and former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa and Asia (like the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka). It is e ...

became him in

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. This office allowed him to occupy the positions of

acting governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or a ...

and interim governor of Texas when Almazán decided to resign from his charge as governor in 1727.MEDIAVILLA Y AZCONA, MELCHOR DE
Published on The Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 21 December 2010, to 12:45 pm. Under his administration, Mediavilla y Azcona promoted the foundation of several missions by friars in a zone located between the

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and

Brazos The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

Rivers, although these foundations (the San Xavier missions) were carried out in 1748 and 1749, when Azcona had left the office of governor of Texas. While Mediavilla y Azcona was governor, Inspector

Pedro de Rivera y Villalón Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

revised political management of Mediavilla and found several errors in his administration of the presidio. Villalón recommended to the Viceroy to reduce the number of officials of the presidio, as well as the price of the supplies that the garrison needed, and to remove some of their equipment, because not all that was in the garrison was necessary. He also indicated that the Presidio de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores should be removed and the number of military men that formed the garrison of Nuestra Señora del Pilar was too high and should be limited to only 60 people. Mediavilla accepted Rivera's suggestions and these were carried out, despite the fact that the

Viceroy of New Spain This article lists the viceroys who ruled the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1535 to 1821 in the name of the monarch of Spain. In addition to viceroys, this article lists the highest Spanish governors of the viceroyalty, before the appointment o ...

, Juan de Acuña, had refused to approve its realization. This caused disaffection among Mediavilla and the viceroy. On 5 March 1731 (and following the Rivera's advice), three missions were renamed in San Antonio: * Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainai was renamed Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepción de Acuña; *

San Francisco de los Neches Mission San Francisco de la Espada (also Mission Espada) is a Roman Rite Catholic mission established in 1690 by Spain and relocated in 1731 to present-day San Antonio, Texas, in what was then known as northern New Spain. The mission was built i ...

was renamed San Francisco de la Espada; * San Jose de los Nazones was renamed San Juan Capistrano. On the other hand, in March 1731, when a group of Spanish settlers from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

came to San Antonio to help populate the place, it was the captain of the presidio of San Antonio, Juan Antonio Perez de Almazan (and not Mediavilla), who was in charge of welcoming them and providing them with accommodation. This was because Mediavilla was never an official governor of Texas, as he never was appointed to the position by the viceroy of New Spain, but only by the previous governor. He governed the province until 1731, when the Viceroy Acuña appointed a new governor,

Juan Antonio Bustillo y Ceballos Juan Antonio Bustillo y Ceballos (Zevallos) was a soldier and politician who served as governor of Province of Texas (1730–1734) and Coahuila, New Spain (1754–1756). He also served as ''alcalde ordinario'' (ordinary mayor) in Mexico City ...

References

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