Meet El Tocuyo Venezuela: Colonial history, Juan Pérez de Tolosa, Juan de Carvajal, Diego Gómez de Agüero, and Juan de Villegas. El Tocuyo for some time was the seat of the governor of Venezuela. Venezuela Tourism, EmbavenezCanada https://youtu.be/06qhL4q7OOs.
The Venezuela Province (or Province of Caracas) was a province of the Spanish Empire from 1527, of Gran Colombia (1824-1830), and later of Venezuela from 1830, apart from an interlude (1528 - 1546) when it was contracted as a concession by the King of Spain to the German Welser banking family, as Klein-Venedig.
It has its origins in the 1527 foundation of Santa Ana de Coro by Juan de Ampíes, the province's first governor. Coro was the province's capital until 1546, followed by El Tocuyo (1546 - 1577). The capital was moved to Caracas in 1577 by Juan de Pimentel. At one time Calabozo founded in 1724 was its capital.
El Tocuyo is a fertile valley and city in west-central Venezuela at 622 m (2,041 ft) elevation. It is located in south-central Lara State about 60 km southwest of Barquisimeto. The town of El Tocuyo was founded by Juan de Carvajal in 1545 on the banks of the Tocuyo River and it was the administrative capital of Venezuela Province from 1546 to 1548. Its original name was Nuestra Señora de la Pura y Limpia Concepción del Tocuyo. El Tocuyo is now just the municipal seat of Morán. Its population is 41,327 (2001). Notable personalities: Lisandro Alvarado (b. 1858 - d. 1929) - Doctor, Naturalist, Historian, Ethnologist and Linguist, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisandro_Alvarado. José Ángel Rodríguez López, (El Tocuyo, Lara, Venezuela, December 13, 1880 – September 10, 1966) was a Venezuelan musician and composer who composed more than 100 musical pieces in the sacred and profane genres. He also stood out as a violin player and was a teacher of languages, physics and mathematics, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_%C3%81ngel_Rodr%C3%ADguez_L%C3%B3pez.
The Venezuela Province (or Province of Caracas) was a province of the Spanish Empire from 1527, of Gran Colombia (1824-1830), and later of Venezuela from 1830, apart from an interlude (1528 - 1546) when it was contracted as a concession by the King of Spain to the German Welser banking family, as Klein-Venedig.
It has its origins in the 1527 foundation of Santa Ana de Coro by Juan de Ampíes, the province's first governor. Coro was the province's capital until 1546, followed by El Tocuyo (1546 - 1577). The capital was moved to Caracas in 1577 by Juan de Pimentel. At one time Calabozo founded in 1724 was its capital.
El Tocuyo is a fertile valley and city in west-central Venezuela at 622 m (2,041 ft) elevation. It is located in south-central Lara State about 60 km southwest of Barquisimeto. The town of El Tocuyo was founded by Juan de Carvajal in 1545 on the banks of the Tocuyo River and it was the administrative capital of Venezuela Province from 1546 to 1548. Its original name was Nuestra Señora de la Pura y Limpia Concepción del Tocuyo. El Tocuyo is now just the municipal seat of Morán. Its population is 41,327 (2001). Notable personalities: Lisandro Alvarado (b. 1858 - d. 1929) - Doctor, Naturalist, Historian, Ethnologist and Linguist, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisandro_Alvarado. José Ángel Rodríguez López, (El Tocuyo, Lara, Venezuela, December 13, 1880 – September 10, 1966) was a Venezuelan musician and composer who composed more than 100 musical pieces in the sacred and profane genres. He also stood out as a violin player and was a teacher of languages, physics and mathematics, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_%C3%81ngel_Rodr%C3%ADguez_L%C3%B3pez.
Mariela Arvelo (b. Caracas, 1939, living in El Tocuyo) is a Venezuelan poet, short story writer and novelist, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariela_Arvelo.
Zulmarys Sánchez (b. 1987) - Venezuelan Olympic sprint canoer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulmarys_S%C3%A1nchez.
Mariam Habach (b. 1996) , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariam_Habach.
The province had hardly any cities, except for Coro, Maracaibo, and the recently founded El Tocuyo, as a consequence of the continuous expeditions in search of El Dorado, which the German governors lavished. The need to be able to dispose of soldiers for the explorations hindered the territorial settlement.
1st Lieutenant Governor General of El Tocuyo. Juan de Villegas or Juan Ruiz de Villegas, born as Juan López de Villegas y Segovia but better known as Juan Ruiz de Villegas Maldonado (Segovia, Crown of Castile, 1509 - Buría, province of Venezuela, Spanish Empire, August 11, 1553 ) was a Spanish nobleman, explorer, conquistador, and colonizer of the 16th century. Capitán Juan Ruíz de Villegas y Maldonado's 5th great grandson is Simón Bolívar.
Capitán Juan de Villegas daughter Luisa Villegas y Pacheco daughter María Maldonado de Almendaríz y Villegas daughter Ana Leonor de Rebolledo y Maldonado de Almendariz husband Capitan de Infantería Antonio de Bolívar y Díaz de Rojas mother Beatriz Díaz de Moreno y Rojas mother Ana Gómez de Agüero y Rojas father Capitán Conquistador Diego Gómez de Agüero, Founder and Lieutenant Governor of the Island of Margarita.
Juan de Villegas was appointed lieutenant governor-general of Coro from 1539 to 1540 and from 1545 to 1546, lieutenant governor-general of El Tocuyo from 1547 to 1549, and as governor of the province of Venezuela, briefly as interim in the second half of 1540 and then as holder, from 1549 to 1553. He founded several Venezuelan towns including Borburata in 1548, and the town of Buría in 1552, considered this as the first location of the current Barquisimeto.
Pérez de Tolosa, the first Spanish governor and captain-general of Venezuela after the government of the Welzers and residence judge of the same province, arrived in Santo Domingo on the same trip as Diego de Losada y Cabeza de Vaca (vs. Diego de Losada y Quiroga, RAH), the future founder of Caracas. From the Dominican capital, he wrote on May 28, 1546, announcing his arrival and his desire to leave soon for Venezuela. The first Spanish governor of Venezuela, as he was, disembarked in Coro on June 11, 1546. Three days later he proclaimed the residency trial against the Welzers before the notary Ramos de Arganaras and took office as governor of the province.
Pérez de Tolosa suggested that he be transferred to another place where his services were most needed since Venezuela had few inhabitants, but the Council insisted on the appointment on November 27, 1545, arguing the need in Venezuela for "a person to govern it." and put in all good order”, thus demonstrating that his person had been carefully chosen.
After fulfilling his role as judge, he undertook that of government and settlement. He started it by sending Diego de Losada to look for the force of sixty men that Juan de Carvajal had sent to discover the valleys of Umúcaro with Captain Juan de Ocampo. It was a simple mission, as Ocampo agreed to return to El Tocuyo, recognizing the authority of Pérez de Tolosa.
On April 6, 1547, the governor appointed Juan de Villegas as lieutenant general and mayor and Bartolomé García as governor of the city of Coro and ordered both to return to Coro with thirty men, and then head towards Borburata, while another party, commanded by his brother Alonso Pérez de Tolosa and Diego de Losada y Cabeza de Vaca, made a reconnaissance of the Sierra Nevadas to explore the Andean lands. Both companies were related to the search for possible population sites. Lieutenant Juan de Villegas left for the Borburata port in November 1547 with forty soldiers and headed towards the port. Along the way, especially in Quibor, he was taking Indians whom he forced to be his freighters. On December 24, 1547, he discovered the Tacarigua lagoon and continued towards the coast, where he drew up the founding act of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Borburata on February 24, 1548, returning later to El Tocuyo. Thus, it seems that although he drew up the founding act, he did not carry out said foundation, which was postponed until 1549, after the lawyer Pérez de Tolosa had died.
Pérez de Tolosa wanted to take advantage of the cotton fields and the ability of the natives in spinning and weaving, creating the first looms in El Tocuyo. In this town, the famous Tocuyo canvas was made, which became recognized in Europe.
Pérez de Tolosa thought that his two-year term was about to expire and wrote a Relation of the Lands and Provinces of the Government of Venezuela, in 1546, which is the oldest known on this territory. The Crown was very satisfied with his performance and decided on January 28, 1547, to extend his mandate indefinitely. The governor then believed that the time had come to deal with the third great problem that had promoted his appointment, which was the good treatment and suppression of the slavery of the Indians, as established by the New Laws of 1542. For this, he had a commission dispatched by the Council of the Indies on June 5, 1546, in compliance with which he had to go to the city of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, in Río de la Hacha, to find out the treatment given to the Indians of the pearl fisheries, as well as to remedy the abuses against the natives and against the fifths that defrauded the royal treasury.
On January 7, 1549, Pérez de Tolosa gave a sentence as a visitor in the city of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, prohibiting the use of Indians in pearl fisheries, by chapter 24 of the New Laws. Possibly Pérez de Tolosa died a few days after giving this sentence in that same month of January 1549 and in the city of Los Remedios de Riohacha. He was succeeded by Juan de Villegas (1549-1553).
Pérez de Tolosa, the first Spanish governor and captain-general of Venezuela after the government of the Welzers and residence judge of the same province, arrived in Santo Domingo on the same trip as Diego de Losada y Cabeza de Vaca (vs. Diego de Losada y Quiroga, RAH), the future founder of Caracas. From the Dominican capital, he wrote on May 28, 1546, announcing his arrival and his desire to leave soon for Venezuela. The first Spanish governor of Venezuela, as he was, disembarked in Coro on June 11, 1546. Three days later he proclaimed the residency trial against the Welzers before the notary Ramos de Arganaras and took office as governor of the province.
Pérez de Tolosa suggested that he be transferred to another place where his services were most needed since Venezuela had few inhabitants, but the Council insisted on the appointment on November 27, 1545, arguing the need in Venezuela for "a person to govern it." and put in all good order”, thus demonstrating that his person had been carefully chosen.
After fulfilling his role as judge, he undertook that of government and settlement. He started it by sending Diego de Losada to look for the force of sixty men that Juan de Carvajal had sent to discover the valleys of Umúcaro with Captain Juan de Ocampo. It was a simple mission, as Ocampo agreed to return to El Tocuyo, recognizing the authority of Pérez de Tolosa.
On April 6, 1547, the governor appointed Juan de Villegas as lieutenant general and mayor and Bartolomé García as governor of the city of Coro and ordered both to return to Coro with thirty men, and then head towards Borburata, while another party, commanded by his brother Alonso Pérez de Tolosa and Diego de Losada y Cabeza de Vaca, made a reconnaissance of the Sierra Nevadas to explore the Andean lands. Both companies were related to the search for possible population sites. Lieutenant Juan de Villegas left for the Borburata port in November 1547 with forty soldiers and headed towards the port. Along the way, especially in Quibor, he was taking Indians whom he forced to be his freighters. On December 24, 1547, he discovered the Tacarigua lagoon and continued towards the coast, where he drew up the founding act of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Borburata on February 24, 1548, returning later to El Tocuyo. Thus, it seems that although he drew up the founding act, he did not carry out said foundation, which was postponed until 1549, after the lawyer Pérez de Tolosa had died.
Pérez de Tolosa wanted to take advantage of the cotton fields and the ability of the natives in spinning and weaving, creating the first looms in El Tocuyo. In this town, the famous Tocuyo canvas was made, which became recognized in Europe.
Pérez de Tolosa thought that his two-year term was about to expire and wrote a Relation of the Lands and Provinces of the Government of Venezuela, in 1546, which is the oldest known on this territory. The Crown was very satisfied with his performance and decided on January 28, 1547, to extend his mandate indefinitely. The governor then believed that the time had come to deal with the third great problem that had promoted his appointment, which was the good treatment and suppression of the slavery of the Indians, as established by the New Laws of 1542. For this, he had a commission dispatched by the Council of the Indies on June 5, 1546, in compliance with which he had to go to the city of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, in Río de la Hacha, to find out the treatment given to the Indians of the pearl fisheries, as well as to remedy the abuses against the natives and against the fifths that defrauded the royal treasury.
On January 7, 1549, Pérez de Tolosa gave a sentence as a visitor in the city of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, prohibiting the use of Indians in pearl fisheries, by chapter 24 of the New Laws. Possibly Pérez de Tolosa died a few days after giving this sentence in that same month of January 1549 and in the city of Los Remedios de Riohacha. He was succeeded by Juan de Villegas (1549-1553).
Juan de Carvajal, Conqueror, founder of the city of El Tocuyo.
From his biography there are hardly a few notes and they refer exclusively to his performance as a conqueror in the region of Venezuela.
This territory had been granted to the Welsers, German bankers. This family sent various governors in his name. All of them ended up failing and putting the Indians on a war footing. Therefore, in 1545, the Court of Santo Domingo sent Juan de Frías as governor to bring order to the region.
On December 7, 1545 he founded the town of El Tocuyo, which for some time was the seat of the governor of Venezuela. A year later, while in Coro, he met Pedro de Limpias. He informed him that Felipe Hutten and Bartolomé Welser, who had set out in search of El Dorado in 1541, were alive and were returning to the seat of their governorship. Carvajal appeared before them and asked them to submit to his orders, as he was a lieutenant of the new governor. However, neither Hutten nor Welser wanted to obey his orders, so they fled. The Trujillo man caught up with them in the Buenavista mountains and executed them. And this without knowing that the Council of the Indies had already revoked the cession of Venezuela to the Germans.
The situation in Venezuela became untenable due to the uprisings of the Indians, but above all as a consequence of the struggle for power between the Europeans themselves. When the new governor of Venezuela, Juan Pérez de Tolosa, arrived in Coro, he immediately set out to do justice. He secretly ordered the arrest of the man from Trujillo who, after a brief trial, was executed in El Tocuyo in 1548.
San José, Costa Rica, February 6th, 2023, rafaelvilagut@gmail.com Rafael A. Vilagut-Vega, is an engineer and magister, and since recent years historian, writer, and professional genealogist.
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