Miguel Antonio de Merlos (1669-c.1744) was a Spanish military man and politician, who served during the colonial period of Buenos Aires. He held various positions, including Sargento Mayor of the Compañía of Guardias Españolas and Governor of the
province of Porco.
Biography
Miguel Antonio de Merlos was baptized on January 20, 1669 in the
Parish of Santa Eulalia, the son of Diego de Merlos y Calvo and Estefanía Jiménez de los Ríos, belonging to Spanish noble families from Murcia. He did his studies in Spain and arrived at the
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
as a passenger of Capt. Francisco de Retama in 1691.
Installed in Buenos Aires, Merlos held various military and political positions, including as commander of the Fuerte de Buenos Aires. He also served as notary of the
Real Asiento de Inglaterra, and held the position of Mayordomo of Buenos Aires in 1705 and 1740 (hierarchical position, concerning to managing the finances of the city).
His first public position in the Spanish domains of America was as governor of
Porco (
Potosí
Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Potosí Department, Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the list of highest cities in the world, highest cities in the wo ...
,
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
), appointed on September 15, 1708, during the viceroyalty of
Manuel de Oms, 1st Marquis of Castelldosrius.
Family
Miguel Antonio de Merlos was married in the
Buenos Aires Cathedral to Rosa Martinez de Figueroa, daughter of Juan Martínez Guerrero and Leonor Ramírez de Arellano, belonging to an illustrious family of the
Kingdom of Chile
The General Captaincy of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ), Governorate of Chile, or Kingdom of Chile, was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818 that was, initially, part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It comprised most of mod ...
. He and his wife were the parents of
Miguel Antonio de Merlos y Martínez, caballero of the Real
Orden de Santiago
The Order of Santiago (; ) is a Military order (religious society), 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 pro ...
, who served as alcalde of 2nd vote (vice-mayor) of Buenos Aires in 1735.
References
External links
Matrimonios 1656-1762Bautismos 1682-1713Bautismos 1682-1713
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merlos, Miguel Antonio de
1669 births
1740s deaths
People from the Kingdom of Murcia
People from Murcia
Politicians from Buenos Aires
Military personnel from Buenos Aires
17th-century Spanish nobility
18th-century Spanish military personnel
Spanish colonial governors and administrators
18th-century Spanish nobility