Alonso de Zuazo facts for kids

Alonso de Zuazo (sometimes spelled Suazo) was a Spanish lawyer and important official. He lived from 1466 to March 1539. He served as a judge and governor in the early Spanish colonies of New Spain (which is now Mexico) and Santo Domingo.

He was part of the group that governed New Spain when Hernán Cortés was away. This was before the first viceroy was appointed. He was a member of the ruling councils that managed the colony from October 12, 1524, to May 23, 1525.

Early Life and Career

Alonso de Zuazo was born in Segovia, Spain, or possibly Olmedo, Spain. He studied for many years at the University of Salamanca, a famous Spanish university.

In 1517, he traveled to Santo Domingo. He was sent there by Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, a powerful cardinal. His job was to help solve political problems in the Spanish colonies.

While in Santo Domingo, Zuazo wrote to King Charles I of Spain. He shared his thoughts on how the colonies were being run.

Later, Diego Columbus sent Zuazo to Cuba. There, Zuazo acted as a special judge. He looked into a complaint against Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, who was the governor of Cuba at the time.

In 1522, King Charles V made Hernán Cortés the governor of New Spain. The King also appointed five officials to help oversee Cortés's government. Alonso de Zuazo was one of these officials. He was named justicia mayor, which means chief justice or assessor.

These five officials arrived in New Spain in 1524. They formed the first public finance office in the colony. This office was called the Tribunal de Cuentas.

Governing New Spain

In 1524, Governor Cortés left Mexico City to go on an expedition to Honduras. He left the government of New Spain in the hands of three officials: Alonso de Estrada, Rodrigo de Albornoz, and Alonso de Zuazo. They officially took power on October 12, 1524.

These three governors shared power with the city council, called the ayuntamiento. However, the three governors soon started to disagree. They even almost fought over who should appoint a certain official.

This group governed for about two and a half months. Then, on December 29, 1524, Estrada and Albornoz were replaced. Gonzalo de Salazar and Pedro Almíndez Chirino took their places. Zuazo remained part of the government.

When Cortés had first left Mexico City, Salazar and Almíndez had traveled with him for a short distance. They used this chance to convince Cortés that they should be part of the government. Cortés then sent them back with two official orders. The first order said they should join the existing government, making it a five-person council. The second order said Salazar and Almíndez should replace Estrada and Albornoz, and govern with Zuazo.

When Salazar and Almíndez returned to the capital, they only showed the second order. This allowed them to take over the government. However, they made a mistake and told some friends about the first order. This caused a big problem.

Because of this, on February 17, 1525, Estrada and Albornoz were brought back into the government. Now, all five men Cortés had mentioned were part of the governing council. These were Salazar, Almíndez, Estrada, Albornoz, and Zuazo.

Alonso de Zuazo helped bring the two groups together. But the two sides still did not truly get along. On April 20, 1525, Salazar and Almíndez declared that no one should follow the orders of Estrada and Albornoz. This declaration was signed by Zuazo and other officials.

Later, Salazar and Almíndez removed Zuazo from the government on May 23, 1525. They then began to rule in a very harsh way. They started taking property from Cortés and the soldiers who had gone with him.

Estrada and Albornoz left Mexico City. But Almíndez sent armed men after them and took them prisoner. Salazar then focused on Rodrigo de Paz, a relative of Cortés. Paz was treated badly to try and make him reveal where Cortés's valuables were hidden. Zuazo was in contact with Cortés and told him about the difficult situation.

Governor of Santo Domingo

Alonso de Zuazo served as governor of Santo Domingo, on the island of Hispaniola, two times. His first term was from 1524 to 1528. His second term was from 1531 to 1533.

He passed away in Santo Domingo in March 1539. At the time of his death, he was still serving as an oidor, which was a judge in the high court.

See also

In Spanish: Alonso de Zuazo para niños