Juan Márquez Cabrera
| Juan Márquez Cabrera | |
|---|---|
| 31st Governor of Spanish Honduras | |
|
In office 1668–1672 |
|
| Preceded by | Juan de Zuazo |
| Succeeded by | Pedro de Godoy Ponce de León |
| 28th Governor of La Florida | |
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In office September 28, 1680 – April 11, 1687 |
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| Preceded by | Pablo de Hita y Salazar |
| Succeeded by | Pedro de Aranda y Avellaneda |
| Personal details | |
| Born | unknown unknown |
| Died | unknown unknown |
| Profession | soldier and administrator (governor) |
Juan Márquez Cabrera was a Spanish soldier who served as governor of Honduras (1668 – 1672) and then of Spanish Florida (1680 – 1687), until he was dismissed for abuses in office against the native peoples and Spanish citizens of Florida. He, as did the three previous governors, spent much time supervising construction of the Castillo de San Marcos and other fortifications in the presidio of St. Augustine as well as defending Florida against incursions from the British to the north.
Juan Márquez Cabrera joined the Spanish Army in his youth. He excelled in his military career, attaining the rank of Sergeant Major. In 1668, he was appointed governor of Honduras, an office he occupied until 1672. On September 28, 1680, Cabrera was appointed governor of Florida to replace Pablo de Hita y Salazar. He arrived at St. Augustine, capital of the province, on November 30 of that year. On his arrival, Hita y Salazar gave him a report that included a detailed outline of his administration's progress in St. Augustine, and described the progress on the works of the Castillo de San Marcos. None of these changes, however, corresponded to the original plans that had been commissioned by the Crown.
Governor Cabrera made a series of investigations that concluded works done on the Castillo under Salazar's supervision did not coincide with the report he gave to the new governor. His engineers found errors and deficiencies in the structures he was commanded to build, especially regarding the walls and bastions.
Cabrera also levied an onerous tax on ranchers in Florida and ordered that all cattle should be butchered at the slaughterhouse in St. Augustine.
In 1683, Governor Cabrera formed a militia company of free mulattos (pardos) and blacks (morenos) militia in St. Augustine, consisting of 42 men and six officers. Later that same year they helped drive away a fleet of pirates led by the Frenchman Michel Grammont.
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Wikipedia