José Antonio Lacayo de Briones y Palacios

José Antonio Lacayo de Briones y Palacios (1679–1756) held the position of Governor in two countries in Central America during the Spanish colonial period. He was Governor of Costa Rica from 1713 to 1717 and Governor of Nicaragua from 1740 to 1745. He also held the post of Commander in Chief of the Army and strengthened the defenses of these two countries against foreign invasion.

The family name Lacayo de Briones originates from the town of Briones located in the province of La Rioja. The town is close to the city of Viana in the province of Navarre, where Jose Antonio was born.

Because Lacayo de Briones held important administrative and military responsibilities in the two Central American countries he governed during Spanish colonial times, it is important to learn about the history of the regions, La Rioja and Navarre, from which his ancestral family members came, a history characterized by a constant struggle against foreign invasions and an effort to maintain order and tradition. José Antonio´s direct ancestors, as well as José Antonio himself, undoubtedly had their character moulded by this ancient history, as their high public offices in military and civilian responsibilities shows.

During the Basquisation in 1536 there were thirty Basque surnames in Briones, among which was the Lacayo last name. Possibly around that year (there is no confirmed date), Don Francisco Lacayo de Briones, one of José Antonio´s earliest documented ancestors, was born. He was from noble origins and his manorial house in Briones had his coat of arms carved in stone at its entrance.

Don Francisco married Doña Francisca Domínguez y Rodríguez in Miranda, Navarra, where they established their home. She was also of Basque origin, being from the Village of Riezu, next to the city of Estella, both places in Navarra. Several of Don Francisco's descendants held high public offices, usually related to maintaining order and public peace. His great grandson, Don Marcos Lacayo de Briones y Orive in 1651 was named Mayor of Briones' Santa Hermandad del Estado de Hijosdalgo. Santa Hermandad, literally "holy brotherhood" in Spanish, was a type of military Peacekeeping association of armed individuals, which became characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain, especially in Castile and they were for the most part religious confraternities with a military structure and ethos. Don Marcos was also Regidor for the same Estado de Hijosdalgo in the city Estella in 1671.

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