Pablo de Hita y Salazar
| Pablo de Hita y Salazar | |
|---|---|
| 27º Governor of La Florida | |
|
In office 3 May 1675 – 28 September 1680 |
|
| Preceded by | Nicolás Ponce de León II |
| Succeeded by | Juan Márquez Cabrera |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1646 Seville, Spain |
| Died | unknown |
| Spouse(s) | Juana de Ávila |
| Profession | Soldier Governor |
Pablo de Hita y Salazar (1646–date of death unknown) was a Spanish officer who served as the governor of Spanish Florida from 1675 to 1680. The territory at the time stretched from current-day Florida west to Texas and north to South Carolina. He was best known for his work to reconstruct the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida.
Hita y Salazar was born in approximately 1646 in Seville, Spain.
When Hita y Salazar was young, he joined the Spanish army, serving for forty years in Flanders, Germany, Mexico and in the Cambray War. Eventually, Hita y Salazar attained the rank of Sergeant Mayor.
In 1670, Hita y Salazar moved with his wife and six children to Veracruz, where from 1670 to 1674 he was chief administrative officer, or corregidor, of Veracruz.
He served in the military until May 3, 1675, the year in which the Spanish Crown chose him to become the new governor of Florida. Hita y Salazar's performance at San Juan de Ulúa and his experience in the Flanders war led to this appointment as Governor of Florida.
He also organized the construction of the port of San Juan de Ulloa.
When Hita y Salazar was 29 years old, he left Sevilla and moved to Florida. Once he became governor, plans were made to reconstruct the Castillo de San Marcos. During that time, the Florida government under Hita y Salazar made further changes and reforms in the plans for the castle's reconstruction. Although it was Manuel de Cendoya who began the reconstruction of Castillo de San Marcos, it was Hita y Salazar who consolidated the final draft: dimensions of the square, placement of fortification elements, polvorines and soldier houses. The workers were primarily recruited Native Americans from the area. Hita y Salazar recommended (following the military engineering concepts in vogue) that the fort be made in a pentagonal shape (the same as the fort of San Diego, in Acapulco, Mexico), although the idea was rejected by his advisers.
...
Wikipedia