Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursua

Fra Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Marquis of Vallehermoso and Count of Jerena (sometimes spelled Bucareli y Urzúa) (January 21, 1717, Seville, Spain – April 9, 1779, Mexico City) was a Spanish military officer, governor of Cuba, and viceroy of New Spain (1771—1779). He was Knight of Justice of the Order of Malta.

Bucareli enlisted as a cadet in the brigade of Royal Carabineers, aged 15. After service in campaigns in Italy and Portugal, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general while serving as inspector of coastal fortifications in Granada. In 1766 Bucareli entered the colonial administrative service of the Spanish Crown as governor and captain-general of Cuba.

His distinguished record in Cuba led him to be appointed Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of New Spain on September 23, 1771. He sailed from Havana on August 14, 1771 and arrived at Veracruz on August 23. He took command of the colony at San Cristóbal Ecatepec on September 22, and made his formal entry into Mexico City on September 23, 1771. As Spain was at peace, he immediately reduced the size of the army to save costs. Before the reduction, the army consisted of 10,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry, not including the regiment La Corona, the urban guard in Mexico City, Puebla and Veracruz, and the companies of Alvarado and Tlacotalpan. With the reduced army, he took special care to reinforce the presidios in the north, to fight the Apaches and Jumiles, who were continuing devastating incursions into Coahuila. The Indians taken prisoner were deported to Cuba, together with their families.

In 1771 he tried to reconcile the Franciscans and Dominicans in the colony, strongly divided over issues of the evangelization of California. The following year he prohibited the importation of foreign goods and recalled the circulating coins in order to replace them with others containing the likeness of King Charles III. He founded a military hospital in the old College of San Andrés. In 1776 he founded another hospital for the poor in Mexico City and on January 20, 1777 he inaugurated the hospital of San Hipólito, for the insane.

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