Pedro del Barrio Junco y Espriella
Pedro del Barrio Junco y Espriella (July 15, 1682 – ?) was acting governor of Texas from 1748 to 1750 and twice the governor of Nuevo León, Mexico (1740–1746 and 1752–1757).
Pedro del Barrio Junco y Espriela | |
|---|---|
| 26th governor of Nuevo León (1st time) | |
| In office 1740–1746 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Antonio Fernández de Jáuregui y Urrutia |
| Succeeded by | Vicente Bueno de Borbolla |
| 20th governor of the Spanish Colony of Texas | |
| In office 1748–1750 | |
| Preceded by | Francisco García Larios |
| Succeeded by | Jacinto de Barrios y Jáuregui |
| 28th governor of Nuevo León (2nd time) | |
| In office 1752–1757 | |
| Preceded by | Vicente Bueno de Borbolla |
| Succeeded by | Juan Manuel Muñoz de Villavicencio |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1682 Llanes (Asturias, Spain) |
| Died | Unknown Unknown |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Antonia Rodríguez |
| Profession | Political |
Biography
Junco y Espriella was born on July 15,[1] 1682,[1][2] in Carranzo, Llanes (Asturias, Spain). He was the son of Felipe de Barrio Junco y Espriella and Ana Maria Noriega Rubín de Celis. He had a brother, Nicolás de Junco y Espriela, Knight of Calatrava.[2]
He was a knight of the Order of Santiago. He joined the Spanish Army in his youth, attaining the position of colonel. In 1716, he traveled to modern Mexico as a knight of the Viceroy, Baltasar de Zúñiga. After this, he returned to Spain, and, in 1724, he returned to Mexico as Governor of Marquezado Valley.[1]
In 1740, the Spanish Crown appointed him the governor the Mexican state of Nuevo León. He finished this term in 1746. Two years later, on June 3, 1748, he was appointed the interim governor of Texas. He unsuccessfully opposed the location chosen by the friars for Mission San Xavier del Bac. However, In June 1749, Junco y Espriella spoke with Juan Galván, an explorer who led the Mission San Xavier del Bac, to devise a plan to organize an expedition in the valley of San Javier (San Gabriel). He personally investigated the valley to decide how to conduct the expedition. On August 28, after returning from his expedition, Barrio decided to elect Lieutenant Galván to lead a new group of soldiers to San Javier. His government was arbitrary and, at some point, he imprisoned the first ruler of San Antonio, but this imprisonment lasted a short time.[3] In 1750, a French soldier, the son of deceased explorer and soldier Louis Juchereau, asked Junco y Espriella for a license for direct trade with the Caddo people. Junco y Espriella refused this license, so the soldier carried French troops to the towns and took many goods to try to convince the indigenous people that the Spanish were not their friends since they had tried to stop the French from giving them the goods.[4]
He was dismissed from the office of governor in late 1750 because he chose to ignore a royal decree banning French trade in New Mexico and the existence of gambling. The charges against him were investigated.
He was appointed governor of Nuevo León for the second time, between 1752 and 1757,[3] and he developed many campaigns against Amerindian peoples.[5][3] Later, he served as provincial mayor of the Santa Hermandad (Brotherhood) of New Spain. On March 27, 1765, he was named the captain of the Presidio of El Paso del Norte, Mexico, which seems to have been his last appointment. His place and date of death are not known.[3]
Personal life
Pedro de Barrio Junco y Espriella was married to Maria Antonia Rodriguez, and they had two children.[3]
References
- Duque de Estrada y Castaneda, María Dolores; De Alós y Merry del Val, Fernando (1998-1999). Anales de la Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía. Volume V. Page 20. Real Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía, Madrid.
- De Cadenas y Vicent (1977). Caballeros de la Orden de Santiago, siglo XVIII (In Spanish: Knights of the Order of Santiago, 18th century). (in Spanish). Volume II (volume about the years 1709-1730). Numbers 366-740. Editorial Hidalguia, Madrid. Page 268.
- "Pedro del Barrio Junco y Espriela". Handbook of Texas Online. November 26, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
- Clayton Anderson, Gary (August 3, 2009). The Indian Southwest, 1580-1830: Ethnogenesis and Reinvention. University of Oklahoma Press. Page 156.
- Phares, Ross (1976). The Governors of Texas. Firebird Press. Page 29.
External links
- Pedro de Barrio Junco y Espriella (gobernador). Protocolo de instrumentos públicos (Protocol of Public Instruments).