José de Azlor y Virto de Vera

José de Azlor y Virto de Vera
13th governor of Coahuila (1st time)
In office 1719–1722
Preceded by	Martín de Alarcón
Succeeded by	Blas de la Garza Falcón
10th governor of the Spanish Colony of Texas
In office 1719–1722
Preceded by	Martín de Alarcón
Succeeded by	Fernando Pérez de Almazán
Personal details
Born	unknown unknown
Died	unknown unknown
Profession	Political

José de Azlor y Virto de Vera, the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo, was the governor of the Mexican provinces of Coahuila and Texas between 1719 and 1722. During his tenure, Aguayo retook eastern Texas from New France without firing a shot. He established or reestablished seven missions and three presidios, and quadrupled the number of Spanish soldiers stationed in Texas.

Aguayo was descended from a noble Spanish family from Aragon. He came to his title through his marriage to Ignacia Xaviera de Echeverz, a wealthy heiress in Coahuila.

During the War of the Quadruple Alliance, Great Britain and France, who were aligned together against Spain, attempted to take over Spanish interests in North America. In June 1719, 7 Frenchmen from took control of the eastern Texas mission of San Miguel de los Adaes from its sole defender, who did not know that the countries were at war. The French soldiers explained that 100 additional soldiers were coming, and the Spanish colonists, missionaries, and remaining soldiers abandoned the area and fled to San Antonio.

That year, Aguayo was named the governor of the provinces of Coahuila and Texas. He had volunteered to use his own money to reconquer Texas and raised an army of 500 soldiers. His departure was delayed a year, however, as he dealt with Indian troubles in Coahuila and a devastating drought that killed over 80% of the horses he had purchased for the expedition. The drought ended with torrential rains which made the journey impossible until late 1720. Just before he departed, the fighting in Europe halted, and Felipe V ordered them not to invade Louisiana, but to find a way to retake eastern Texas without using force. The expedition brought with it over 2800 horses, 6400 sheep, and many goats; this constituted the first large "cattle" drive in Texas. This greatly increased the number of domesticated animals in the region and marked the beginning of Spanish ranching in Texas.

...
Wikipedia