Melchor de Navarrete y Bujanda (1693–1761) was a Spanish soldier and administrator who served as governor of

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

(in what is now

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

), from 1739 to 1742; of

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...

from 1749 to 1752; and of

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

(in what is now

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

), from 1754 to 1758. He was linked to several cases of corruption in Cartagena.

Biography

Early years and government in Cartagena

Melchor de Navarrete was born on January 17, 1693, in the town of Briones, Spain, to Francisco Navarrete, the governor of Briones, and Josefa Bujanda y Bañuelos. His siblings were Javier and Teresa de Navarrete y Bujanda. He joined the

Spanish Royal 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 active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed continuously ...

in his youth and eventually 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 ...

In 1736, Navarrete moved to Cartagena to become the King's Lieutenant. Three years later, after the death of Governor Pedro Hidalgo, he was appointed

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 ...

of the city, in charge of administration and food supply, while Admiral

Blas de Lezo Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta (3 February 1689 – 7 September 1741) was a Spanish Navy officer best known for his victory at the 1741 Battle of Cartagena de Indias, where forces under his command defeated a large British invasion force u ...

held the military command. In 1740, Navarrete entered the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

and was promoted to the rank of

in the

. In 1741, he participated in the

Battle of Cartagena de Indias The Battle of Cartagena de Indias () took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spanish Empire, Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war was primarily fough ...

, fighting against British Admiral

Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon (12 November 1684 – 30 October 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' E ...

, who attempted to capture the city's fortress. Navarrete was accompanied by Admiral de Lezo and

Viceroy of New Granada Spanish viceroys of the colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada (1717–1819) located in northern South America. Introduction The former territory within the Viceroyalty of New Granada corresponds to present day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Ven ...

Sebastián de Eslava Sebastián de Eslava y Lazaga (January 19, 1685 – June 21, 1759) was a Spanish general and colonial official. From April 24, 1740 to November 6, 1749 he was viceroy of the newly reestablished Viceroyalty of New Granada. He was governing th ...

, a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the Spanish Royal Army. In June, Navarrete wrote a letter to the Marqués de la Ensenada asking him to ensure that food was sent to Cartagena. In July, the city received 100,000

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...

s from duties on commerce. In 1742, Navarrete was charged with several crimes by the officers of the

Royal Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state ...

, who demonstrated that Navarrete had given commercial information to a French trader, Jean Lehen Brignon, advising him how to avoid paying royalties on a shipment worth 15,000 pesos, and suspected that Navarrete had taken the commission for himself. In response to these accusations,

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

Eslava replaced Navarrete as acting governor of Cartagena with Brigadier Basilio de Gante, and rejected Navarrete's petition to recover his office. The viceroy also suspended Navarrete as royal lieutenant. However, Navarrete's wife belonged to one of the most important merchant families in Cartagena, and in 1749, he got enough money to be appointed governor of Florida. He also regained his position as lieutenant to the king, until he left to assume his new office as governor. In spite of this, Colonel Diego de Pino, a smuggler who belonged to Cartagena's elite society, accused Navarrete of several criminal offenses: he had married after the king denied him a marriage license; when the British attacked Cartagena, he had forced more than 500 residents to leave the city; and he had allowed a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

carrying 200,000 pesos of

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

into port in exchange for 8,000 pesos. Viceroy Eslava, who feared that his opponents, the mariners of the Marqués de la Ensenada's political party, would try to prevent him from continuing in office as viceroy of Peru (which later happened) allowed Navarrete and his wife to travel to Florida.

Government of Florida and Yucatán

On August 8, 1749, Navarrete was appointed governor of

. While in office, he provided evidence of fugitive slaves leaving British Southern colonies for Florida. His correspondence of April, 1752 documented the baptism of fourteen fugitive enslaved persons living at

Fort Mose Fort Mose (originally known as Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose oyal Grace of Saint Teresa of Mose and later as Fort Mose, or alternatively Fort Moosa or Fort Mossa) is a former Spanish fort in St. Augustine, Florida. In 1738, the governor of ...

. Fort Mose, inhabited mainly by free blacks, served

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

as a buffer from Indian and British attacks. Navarrete left Florida office on July 3, 1752.Ben Cohoon
U.S. States F-K
In 1752, he was admitted as a knight of the

. In 1754, he was appointed governor and captain general of the Mexican provinces of

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

, and

Tabasco Tabasco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tabasco, 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It i ...

. During his tenure in Yucatán, complaints were raised about the forced labor of the

Mayas Maya () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived within that historical region. Today ...

, the indigenous people of the peninsula, who were enslaved by

encomenderos The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including military protection and education. In pr ...

and forced to raise cotton. Navarrete defended the position of the encomenderos and forced the Mayan chiefs to write a declaration that was forwarded to the

Council of the Indies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

and King

Ferdinand VI Ferdinand VI (; 23 September 1713 – 10 August 1759), called the Learned (''el Prudente'') and the Just (''el Justo''), was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death in 1759. He was the third ruler of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty. He was the ...

. They approved the declaration, and the forced work continued.Casares G. Cantón, Raúl; Duch Colell, Juan; Antochiw Kolpa, Michel; Zavala Vallado, Silvio (1998). ''Yucatán en el tiempo'' In Spanish. (Yucatan in Time). Mérida, Yucatán. Navarrete participated in a military campaign against

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

s who had attacked the Yucatán coast in 1754. Ships and fleets came from

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Campeche Campeche, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, make up the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the sta ...

Bacalar Bacalar () is the municipal seat and largest city in Bacalar Municipality (until 2011 a part of Othón P. Blanco Municipality) in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, about north of Chetumal. In the 2010 census the city had a population of 11, ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

, and

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. Also during Navarrete's administration, the town council of

requested permission to build a powder magazine away from the town plaza, where fires were frequently started by summer lightning storms. The powder magazine was completed in 1758, the same year that Navarrete finished his term in Yucatán. After that, he returned to Cartagena, where he died on the evening of August 28, 1761.

Personal life

On May 28, 1740, Navarrete married María Micaela de Sanz y de la Roche. They had three children: María Antonia, María Josefa, and María Francisca de los Dolores.

References

External links

Linaje Fernández de Liencres
(In Spanish. (The Lineage of Fernández de Liencres) {{DEFAULTSORT:Navarrete, Melchor de 1693 births 1761 deaths Royal governors of La Florida Governors of Yucatán (state) People from La Rioja Viceroyalty of New Granada people