List of Spanish governors of New Mexico

Spanish Governor of New Mexico
	Flag of the Viceroyalty of New Spain
Residence	Santa Fe
Appointer	King of Spain
Formation	November 1598
First holder	Juan de Oñate
Final holder	Facundo Melgares
Abolished	January 1822
Succession	Mexican Governors of New Mexico

Spanish Governors of New Mexico were the political chief executives of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México (New Mexico) between 1598, when it was established by an expedition by Juan de Oñate, and 1822, following Mexico's declaration of independence. New Mexico became a territory of the United States beginning in 1846, and a state in 1912.

Map of the province of Nuevo México in 1824

History

In 1598, Juan de Oñate pioneered 'The Royal Road of the Interior Land', or El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, between Mexico City and the Tewa village of 'Ohkay Owingeh', or San Juan Pueblo, founding the Nuevo México Province under the authority of Philip II. He also founded the settlement (a Spanish pueblo) of San Juan on the Rio Grande near the Native American Pueblo. In 1610, Pedro de Peralta, then governor, established the settlement of Santa Fe in the region of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the Rio Grande. Missions were established for conversions and agricultural industry under the authority of the governor. The territory's Puebloan peoples resented the Spaniards denigration and prohibition of their traditional religion, and their encomienda system's forced labor. In 1680, the Pueblo Revolt occurred, and a final resolution included additional protections from Spanish efforts to eradicate their culture and religion, the issuing of substantial communal land grants to each Pueblo, and a public defender of their rights and for their legal cases in Spanish courts.

In January 1822, the last Governor under the Spanish regime, Facundo Melgares, lost the title of governor and was now called géfe político (political chief) and géfe militar (military chief).[1] Subsequently, Melgares became the first Mexican Governor of New Mexico, serving until July 5, 1822 when he was succeeded by Francisco Xavier Chavez, though he would hold office for just five months.

Governors

The following is a list of governors of the Province of New Mexico under the Viceroyalty of New Spain:[2]

1st stage (1598-1680)

The political chiefs (géfe políticos) or governors were:[3]

Name	Start	End	Notes
Juan de Oñate	1598	1610	Conquistador, explorer and administrator of New Spain. Son of explorer and conquistador Cristóbal de Oñate. Initiated NM Indian slaving through encomienda system. Allowed colonists to seize "orphaned" Native children, including from their parents.[4]
Cristóbal de Oñate (son of Juan de Oñate)	November 1610	1610
Pedro de Peralta	1610	1613
Bernardino de Ceballos	1613	1618
Juan Álvarez de Eulate	1618	1625
Felipe de Sotelo Osorio	1625	1630	Employed Indians to capture Indians from competing tribes for slave trade in New Mexico.[5]
Francisco Manuel de Silva Nieto	1630	1632
Francisco de la Mora Ceballos	1632	1635
Francisco Martínez de Baeza	1635	1637
Luis de Rosas	1637	spring 1641	Exploited Indian slaves in sweatshop manufacturing of textiles to export to Mexico.[6] Imprisoned and killed when his government ended
Juan Flores de Sierra y Valdés	Spring 1641	Autumn 1641	Died in office
Francisco Gomes	1641	1642	Acting
Alonso de Pacheco de Herédia	1643	1643
Fernando de Argüello	1644	1647
Luis de Guzmán y Figueroa	1647	1649
Hernando de Ugarte y la Concha	1649	1652
Juan de Samaniego y Xaca	1652	1656
Juan Manso de Contreras	1656	1659	Issued a "death sentence against the entire Apache nation and others of the same ilk," but allowed Spanish settlers to hold captured Indians as indentured servants.[4]
Bernardo López de Mendizábal	1659	1660	Collected Indians as slaves and stole their livestock, clothing, salt, sleeping mats, and other items to gift to authorities in Mexico.[4]
Diego Dionisio de Peñalosa Briceño y Berdugo	1661	1664
Tomé Dominguez de Mendoza	1664	1664
Juan Durán de Miranda	1664	1665
Fernando de Villanueva	1665	1668
Juan de Medrano y Mesía	1668	1671
Juan Durán de Miranda	1671	1675
Juan Francisco Treviño	1675	1679	His policies against the Pueblo Indians gave rise to their revolt.

2nd stage: Governors and Pueblo leaders during the revolt

From 1680 until 1692, the Pueblo people revolted against Spanish domination and lived under their own rulers. The political chiefs or governors and Pueblo leaders were:[7]

Spanish Governors	Start	End	Notes
Antonio de Otermin	1679	1680	Titular governor until 1683
Domingo Gironza Petriz Cruzate	1683	1686
Pedro Reneros de Posada	1686	1689
Domingo Gironza Petriz Cruzate	1689	1691
Pueblo Leaders	Start	End	Notes
Popé	1680	1685
Luis Tupatu	1685	1692

3rd stage (1688-1822)