José Iturrigaray (Cádiz, 1742 - Madrid, 1815) was a Spanish military and politician, head of the Andalusian Army who ruled as viceroy of New Spain between 1803 and 1808. In addition, he was Governor of Cádiz between 1793 and 1798.
During his time in command, he made a difference with previous rulers, generating divided opinions among native Mexicans. For many, he was characterized by his fondness for enriching himself beyond the objectives of the Spanish crown, making himself known as a miser and interested.
José de Iturrigaray ruled as viceroy of New Spain between 1803 and 1808. Photo: Unidentified painter
For others, he contributed to the independence of Mexico, serving as one of the first viceroys who modestly focused on the interests of the people and traveling through it from beginning to end, even planning to establish an autonomous government of Spain, an action that would mean the end of his era as leader.
Biography
José de Iturrigaray y Aróstegui de Gaínza y Larrea, began a prolific military and political career at an early age, starting as an infantry cadet with only 17 years of age in 1759.
His skills on the battlefield and in decision-making earned him progressive promotions during his fighting in the Portuguese and Gibraltar campaigns, rising from cadet to ensign in 1762.
Between 1779 and 1783 he was in battle at the head of the war of Spain against England, being a brigade captain. He was part of the glorious victories of Perpignan, on September 3, 1793, as in the campaigns of Perestoltes, Bernes and Rivesaltes, while he continued to climb hierarchical positions through the ranks of brigadier and field marshal.
He directed important tactical and strategic attacks during the war between the monarchy of Carlos IV of Spain against the French Republic, such as the attack on the Coll de Banyuls and other maneuvers that guaranteed the resistance of the Spanish forces on the battlefield.
These credits earned him the position of Lieutenant General and Governor of Cádiz, which he held between 1793 and 1798. Years later, Iturrigaray was already commander-in-chief of the Andalusian Army in the war against Portugal in 1801.
Finally, in 1803 he was appointed 56th viceroy of New Spain, which by then had Mexico City as its capital.
Viceroy of New Spain
Exalted by his glorious past and present, José de Iturrigaray arrived triumphantly in New Spain. One of his first decrees was to separate Alta from Baja California and take control of the production of mercury, a raw material for managing mining activity and the main source of wealth at the time.
The months immediately following his arrival were marked by an extensive national tour that toured the regions of Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Villa de Guadalupe, Guanajuato, Tepeji del Río, San Juan del Río and Querétaro, among many other locations.
This blog is one of the main reasons why he was defined as a ruler who is adept at the customs of native peoples and even someone who would have welcomed the independence of Mexico, despite the fact that the responsibilities of his position indicated everything. contrary.
Until then, no other viceroy had made such a profound journey through the region. However, there was always a division of opinion. Iturrigaray also had a reputation for digging into the crown's budget for personal enrichment.
Historians say that there is a version of his arrival at the port of Veracruz, in which in his first step into Mexican lands he traded some fabrics that he had managed to obtain tax-free thanks to his persuasion skills with the Spanish crown.
Claiming that he did not have time to manufacture his outfits, he traveled with the fabrics and fulfilled his plan: he sold them to the highest bidder for a good price that he added to his individual budget.
He implemented measures that contributed to the development of New Spain. He was responsible for allowing and legalizing bullfights for all audiences, income that he controlled from the town halls and destined for the construction of works.
One of them is the Tresguerras bridge that he built in Celaya and meant a significant advance for the time with which the locals were able to transport the metal from Guanajuato and Zacatecas to Mexico City.
The era of José de Iturrigaray as the main president of New Spain also had a spectacular event for its historical record: his management coincided with the dates of the great exploration trip of Alexander von Humboldt, who, accompanied by the Spanish doctor Francisco Javier Balmis, arrived at Mexican lands in 1803.
Both left their mark on their visit. Humboldt collected valuable information that he captured on several pages of his book Cosmos, while Balmis took advantage of the blog in North American lands to vaccinate a large number of people, as recorded by several historians.
The Viceroyalty debacle
France and England were at war, and Spain's ambiguous position in the conflict for not declaring in favor of either country, caused it to end up financing both in secret.
This generated an economic demand above the average, with which the peoples of America, including New Spain, were especially affected.
In addition, the bad reputation of embezzler and corrupt that José de Iturrigaray carried on his shoulders grew rapidly. A large part of the members of the council and the people in general shared that these accusations of corruption were an irrefutable truth.
To this was added the excessive increase in the collection of taxes and collections to cover the demands of the Spanish monarchy.
Everything resulted in great poverty, debt and discontent in the New Spain region, causing a crisis that led to the gradual debacle of his viceroyalty.
Independence conspiracy
Around 1808, Spain was invaded by the empire of Napoleon Bonaparte. The French army forces strategically attacked Madrid and the main cities to seize power.
This confrontation, rooted in Napoleonic pressure, led to the abdication of King Carlos IV in his son Fernando, who would assume the position under the name of Fernando VII, although shortly after he would also abdicate, this time in favor of Napoleon, who gave the mandate to his brother José Bonaparte (José I).
With the abdication of the king and Spain under siege, the news spread to New Spain generating chaos and uncertainty at the worst moment of the viceroyalty on duty. Some time later, envoys from Seville and Oviedo arrived in the capital requesting Iturrigaray to accept said boards to recognize the government of Spain.
He refused and his adverse position sparked rumors of independence from the Spanish crown, despite the fact that he called a governing board to decide the next moves.
The factions in the New Spain town hall were divided: some in favor of liberal ideas that suggested support for the sovereignty of the peoples; other conservatives - the realists - attached to tradition and based on the right that belonged to the royal families to rule in monarchy by divine mandate.
José de Iturrigaray was in the middle and the rumors were still out of control. It was presumed that he would rebel against Spain and establish an independent government declaring himself the viceroy of New Spain autonomously. By then he had already lost a lot of popularity and his mandate was immersed in a very serious socioeconomic crisis.
Suspicions of independence were not well received by the royalists, who assembled a conspiracy against him on the night of September 15, 1808 and overthrew him with a coup.
He was sent back to Spain to be tried for treason against the Spanish crown. However, he pleaded not guilty at the first trial for lack of incriminating evidence.
After his death, the pending trial sentence was handed down posthumously and he was found guilty of acts of corruption. What came after the viceroyalty of José de Iturrigaray is considered the birth of the Mexican War of Independence.
References
- Military Historical Service. Campaigns in the Pyrenees at the end of the 18th century. Madrid (1951).
- Porrúa Dictionary of History, Biography and Geography of Mexico, Mexico, Ed. Porrúa, SA, 6th edition corrected and augmented (1995).
- Atlantic crisis: autonomy and independence in the crisis of the Hispanic monarchy, José M. Portillo Valdés, Carolina Foundation, Center for Hispanic and Ibero-American Studies (2006).
- The crown on fire. Economic and social conflicts in the Ibero-American independence, José A. Serrano, Luis Jáuregui (2010).
- Free trade between Spain and Latin America, 1765-1824, Fontana, Joseph, Bernal, AM, Fundación Banco Exterior (1987).