Juan Manso de Contreras facts for kids

Juan Manso de Contreras was an important leader who served as the Governor of New Mexico from 1656 to 1659. He played a key role in the Spanish administration of the region during the 17th century.

Early Life and Family Connections

Juan Manso de Contreras was born in a town called Loarca, located in Asturias, Spain. He later lived in Sevilla, another city in Spain.

Juan had an older half-brother named Fray Tomás Manso. Fray Tomás was a very important religious leader who became the bishop of Nicaragua. This family connection helped Juan Manso de Contreras have good relationships with the Franciscans, a powerful religious group at the time.

Journey to New Spain

Around 1652, Juan Manso de Contreras and his brother, Tomás Manso, traveled to New Spain. This was the name for a large area in the Americas controlled by Spain, which included present-day Mexico and parts of the United States.

Their mission was to help organize supply caravans. These were groups of wagons that carried important goods from Mexico City all the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This was a long and difficult journey. By 1656, Juan Manso was actively working with these supply trains.

Becoming Governor of New Mexico

In 1656, Juan Manso de Contreras was chosen to be the Governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. This was a very important job, as he was in charge of the Spanish settlements and their interactions with the local Pueblo Native Americans.

During his time as governor, he made some rules that affected the Pueblo Native Americans. These rules caused disagreements with some Spanish settlers in New Mexico. One of these settlers was a soldier named Francisco de Anaya Almazán. Anaya held several important roles in the military and government. He was briefly held by the authorities, but he managed to get away with help from others.

Life After Governorship

Juan Manso de Contreras was replaced as governor by Bernardo López de Mendizábal in 1659. After his time as governor, Contreras moved to Mexico City, where he lived until 1661.

Later, he returned to New Mexico to help with an official order from the Inquisition. This order led to the arrest of the new Governor of New Mexico, Bernardo López de Mendizábal, in the spring of 1663. After this, Contreras moved to Parral, a town in New Vizcaya. He continued his work with supply wagons, a job he was very good at, until he passed away in 1671.

Family Life

Juan Manso de Contreras was married to Maria de Medina. They had one son together, named Francisco Manso de Contreras. Their son, Francisco, later worked as an accountant in Caracas, which is now the capital of Venezuela. Francisco married a woman named María Ramírez Monge o de Bejarano.

See also

In Spanish: Juan Manso de Contreras para niños