Andrés Díaz Venero de Leiva facts for kids

Andrés Díaz Venero de Leiva (1495 – 1578) was the first president of the New Kingdom of Granada, appointed in 1564.

Political rise to power

Venero de Leiva was born in El Castillo, a place near the port of Laredo, on the Cantabrian Sea. He was born to a noble family. He served as major convictor (a layman living in a college or seminary without being part of the regent community) in the Colegio de Santa Cruz in Valladolid. In 1548 he served as professor of higher and convictor Vespers and Santacruz Canons in the College of Valladolid. From there he was called to fill the position of prosecutor and judge of the Accounting Council of Castile in 1554.

In 1563 he left Spain for the Americas arriving in Bogotá (then called Santa Fe) in February 1564 where he was appointed as the first president of the Royal Audiencia of the New Kingdom of Granada between 1564 and 1574.

Governmental affairs

The government of President Andres Diaz Venero de Leiva was a milestone in the political and institutional life of the New Kingdom, not only because it introduced a new form of government, but because it excelled in administrative measures to affirm the presence of Crown and the prevalence of their interests with the group of commissioners.

Early actions

His first actions were aimed at reorganizing the Royal Court and try to improve the functioning of justice. He began by seeking harmony between the judges, hitherto engaged in quarrels and animosities of old data. He asked them to account for all convictions and legal expenses incurred in the last seven years for the mess and misinformation that showed he ordered officers from future registration of such data. And attracted the greatest sympathy to the Court imposing a higher work rate for the transaction of business dammed, some of the passions among the judges and others at the insistence of the litigants in attending the challenges. The effect of this measure was synthesized, in April 1565 by Mayor John Penagos in the following terms: "He encouragement to those who did not dare ask for fear (justice) and stopped with favors to those who wanted the alien" . By mandate of the Crown, Venero did the impeachment trial judge Perez de Melchor Arteaga and the entire staff under the Hearing, that is, reporters, camera clerks, receivers, attorneys and porters, on which weighed several charges; the judge found him guilty of excesses to function as a visitor in Cartagena. In the course of his administration, the president had to face high-profile court cases.

Indigenous concerns

Venero de Leiva was concerned with improving the situation of indigenous subjected to all sorts of indignities by the encomenderos group, which ignored the protectionist provisions of the Crown. The first thing was to remember the current rules on the treatment should be given to the Indians and the penalties for public or secret sale of parcels. Then he commanded the judges to make "visits the earth" to find out, among other things, the relationship of indigenous encomenderos and individuals, as well as to learn or change the tax rates. Diego de Villafane was in the villages in the district of Santa Fe in 1564, toured Castejón angle Anserma Carthage in 1568, Juan de Hinojosa visited Popayán in 1569, Garcia Valverde went to Pasto in 1570 and Lopez de Cepeda to Tunja and Velez in 1572. The president and abolished the hearers some personal services of the Indians, that is, they lent to the encomenderos without pay in wages existed, banning the employment of Indians included in herding, domestic service and supply of fuels and forages. Although they tried to modify the personal services in agriculture, this did not prosper because the pressure of the encomenderos. In relation to work in mines, Venero de Leiva admitted he had not dared run at exactly the royal charters "because it was destroying the whole kingdom" because no "there was another metal coin or hire men but gold ", there would be real fifth and the Indians would not have the money to pay the tribute. Against the quantitative decline of the indigenous population, the president advised the king in August 1564, which introduced "black at moderate prices" so that "the mines and wealth of these lands are removed and with plenty of [...] more easily, so that it results in universally good of all of your growing real estate. " The slaves took to the mines were not able to replace indigenous labor and the president decided in September 1570 to regulate the work of Indians in mining.

Provided that this work had a voluntary basis, and that the Indians who would be employed as laborers should receive six grains of gold per day, plus food and tools, set the working day in seven hours, "from nine o'clock until four p.m., leaving them at this time to eat and drink as usual with "after the four had to teach them Christian doctrine, as in" the holidays to save "the Indians were prohibited engaged in different jobs and moving to different climates "those who are born and bred" encomenderos authorized rent their Indians, but in a proportion not exceeding one tenth of the tributaries of the parcel, and ordered that each "entry clearance" should be a mayor and a "natural defense".

The persistence of indigenous people continue to worship their ancient gods and encomenderos complaints about the shortage of priests made Venero de Leiva will manage the coming of 40 religious of San Francisco and Santo Domingo. Around the same time and with the support of the Archbishop Fray Juan de los Barrios, were built over 40 churches and missions founded schools and grammar classes, arts and theology. The president also took measurements on trade. Between 1564 and 1565 addressed the complaints of the merchants against the encomenderos debtors and ordered that the first could seize all the assets of the second, even taxes that they paid the Indians, as well as arms and horses belonging to " veteran knights, "as called themselves the debtors. In 1566 the president put into effect the principle that a monopoly of trade belonged to the Crown, as opposed to the councils of some cities, like Velez or Tocaima, which had jurisdiction in ports on the Magdalena River of those who had derived revenue.

Personal life and death

Venero de Leiva was married to Mary Ondegardo and Zarate, whose union had nine children. She may have contributed marginally in the administration.

Venero de Leiva returned to Spain in late 1574 and was appointed to the Council of the Indies. He died in Madrid on July 1, 1578.