Manuel Cabral de Alpoim

Manuel Cabral de Melo e Alpoim
Castle of Belmonte, belonging to their ancestors
Born	1589 São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Died	1676 Corrientes, Argentina
Buried	Corrientes
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Military

Manuel Cabral de Melo e Alpoim (1589–1676) was a Portuguese nobleman, Regidor and Alcalde of Buenos Aires. He also served as Lieutenant Governor of Corrientes and Santa Fe Province (Argentina). Cabral de Melo was one of the most powerful cattle breeders of South America during the Spanish Empire, belonging to a noble Portuguese family descended from the Royal House.

Manuel was born in São Miguel Island, he arrived at the Rio de la Plata in the company of their parents Amador Vaz de Alpoim and Margarida Cabral de Melo. His family had lived for five years in the Portuguese colony of Brazil, in which they had taken refuge after the earthquake in the Azores islands, in 1591. Manuel began his studies in Buenos Aires, to continue his education at Lisbon. In 1613, Alpoim returned to Buenos Aires, and began to work in his father's business.

During 1620s and 1630s, Manuel Cabral de Melo e Alpoim occupied several state government posts as Alcalde, Regidor and Maestre de Campo. Resident in Corrientes was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Province in 1625. Alpoim led the crackdown against the rebel Indians, who in 1628, had murdered the Spanish Jesuits among them Roque González de Santa Cruz, cowardly attacked by the cacique Ñezú in reduction of San Nicolás, located across the Uruguay River. Commanding an army of 200 soldiers of Guarani origin, departed from the city of Itatí to Rio Grande do Sul, in support of the Jesuits. The rapid intervention of Alpoim, saved the lives of hundreds of people. Also gave approximately 40.000 cattle for creating stays in the area.