Diego de Rebolledo
| Diego de Rebolledo | |
|---|---|
| 21st Governor of la Florida | |
|
In office March 24, 1653 – February 20, 1659 |
|
| Preceded by | Pedro Benedit Horruytiner |
| Succeeded by | Alonso de Aranguiz y Cortés |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | Unknown |
| Profession | Administrator (governor of Florida) |
Diego de Rebolledo y Suárez de Aponte, most known just as Diego de Rebolledo, was the colonial governor of la Florida between 1655 and 1659. He is considered by historians as one of more controversial and corrupt governors of Colonial Florida. He rejected the status they had the Timucua chiefs as hereditary chiefs of this people and administrative intermediaries, provoking an Timucuan uprising against the government of the province. Rebolledo was Knight of the Order of Santiago.
Diego de Rebolledo y Suárez de Aponte was son of a former royal treasurer of the Cartagena's Spanish city.
He was appointed governor of la Florida province on March 24, 1653, arriving at Saint Augustine on June 18, 1654.
During his administration, the food scarce more in Florida and the prices of the products were excessive. All this benefited him. Thus, there are contemporary documents that have indicated that Rebolledo sold wine and chocolate at high prices, being bought by the poorest.
When Rebolledo arrived in Florida, unveiled its little experience in Hispanic American government when he held office, contradicting the local traditions in regard to the distribution of gifts and sustenance of the mission chiefs who were held in the province. So when Timucua chiefs (or caciques) traveled to Saint Augustine to swear to obey the governor, Rebolledo not delivered any gifts or support to indigenous, one something that did the previous governors, who gave away things in return for their obedience, because Timucua towns haven´t nothing that interesting to Rebolledo to sell in good price in the Habana market. For those who have deerskins or other salable items, the governor offered them all the gifts that could subsidize. He did it, apparently, for spend the money contained in the Indian background in others necessary or more profitable activities. Probably for this reason, former treasurer Joseph Prado set up quickly in Florida to control the Amerindian funds. In December 1654, he sent a letter to the Spanish Crown explaining that Rebolledo must leave of do this and that the clothes of the caciques should be donated out of the royal munitions (unlike what happened with the previous governments).
...
Wikipedia