Álvaro Manrique de Zúñiga, marqués de Villamanrique

Álvaro Manrique de Zúñiga, 1st marqués de Villamanrique (Spanish: Álvaro Manrique de Zúñiga, primer marqués de Villamanrique) (d. 1590, Spain), Spanish nobleman and the seventh viceroy of New Spain. He governed from October 17, 1585 to January 26, 1590.

Born in Spain in the decade of the 1540s, Manrique de Zúñiga was a younger son of the fourth Duke of Béjar, Francisco de Zúñiga y Sotomayor. He served the Spanish Crown with such efficiency and loyalty that King Philip II rewarded him in 1575 with the title of Marqués de Villamanrique.

On February 26, 1585 Philip named him viceroy of New Spain to succeed Pedro Moya de Contreras. At this time Manrique de Zúñiga had lived for several years in Seville, where he had gained indirect experience with the Indies. In his case, the king made the choice personally, rather than relying on the recommendation of the Council of the Indies, as was the case ordinarily. He remained in Spain for a few months before leaving for the New World. He arrived in San Juan de Ulúa (Veracruz) on September 7, 1585, with his wife. Shortly thereafter he made his formal entry into Mexico City to take up his office.

Manrique de Zúñiga began his administration by completing the regulations introduced by the previous viceroy governing the sale of wine in the colony, and the location of taverns.

In 1586 the conflict between the regular clergy and secular clergy involving questions of prerogatives and jurisdiction erupted again. This was a continuation of the conflict between those parties during the administration of Viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza. The friars (regular clergy) had the support of the people, but the regulars were supported by the viceroy and by the nobles. Clergy of the Dominican, Augustinian and Franciscan orders were bitter opponents of this viceroy.

Depredations by pirates continued. On October 18, 1586, Sir Francis Drake took the Manila galleon Santa Ana. On August 6, 1587, the port of Huatulco (Oaxaca) fell to English corsair Thomas Cavendish, and on September 3, 1587 he sacked Navidad (Jalisco). Cavendish also captured the Manila galleon Santa Ana off Baja California on November 15, 1587. Each Manila galleon was loaded with a year's worth of treasure from the Philippines en route to Acapulco for ultimate delivery to Spain.

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