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Supplemental Document 6: Account of the Services of Don Fernando de Villanueva, Governor and Captain General of the Provinces of New Mexico by Appointment of the Marqués de Mancera, Viceroy of New Spain, October 30, 1671
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310 Part Two 3. A note to the 1929 translation, made from a typewritten transcript of the original, states that the month was omitted. A photograph of the original in the library of the University of New Mexico, Southwest Research Center, reveals, however, that the date was December 5. The copyist who made the transcript apparently misread the abbreviated form of December as “dias.” (E & S) Supplemental Document 6 Account of the Services of Don Fernando de Villanueva, Governor and Captain General of the Provinces of New Mexico by Appointment of the Marqués de Mancera, Viceroy of New Spain October 30, 16711 He began to serve His Majesty in the year 1630 with the post of soldado and two escudos de ventaja in the royal armada of the ocean sea in which he continued until 1634 at which time he was promoted to alférez in the Army of Cataluña where he was at the site of Leocata until the army was retired. He was then part of the company reformed under license of the Duque de Cardona, the general of the company, which went to serve the Royal Armada of the Indies under the command of don Carlos de Ibarra. Being given the post of soldado in April 1637, he advanced and participated in the pacification of Los Algarbes, Kingdom of Portugal, attached to the army and afterward he went on at his own expense to the Presidio de la Isla de San Martín with a set of documents with regard to his royal service to present to the governor of [the presidio], who ordered that he remain there as a soldado, in which post he was given. For his part and valor, the said governor appointed him alférez and later as sargento mayor of that presidio in which he performed to all satisfaction, participating in specific services such as going to the island of Puerto Rico four times to aid with provisions, which were necessary for conducting the siege, fighting three times with the enemy engaged within the plaza, and on one occasion he left [the island] in bad condition with two wounds and retreated to the island of Anguillas, taking away two pieces of artillery from the enemy. He went various times to reconnoiter the perimeters of island, in which he brought good notice of an enemy supply ship in a bay of the said island of San Martín. The governor went out in a launch with one hundred and fifty-two soldiers and fought with the enemy with valor and le rindio a escala vista and they carried back eight pieces of artillery to the port and they were sold at Puerto Rico for the gain of His Majesty, and the proceeds went into the royal treasury of that city. Supplemental Documents 311 Afterward he went to Nueva Vizcaya where he was justicia mayor and war captain of the Real de Minas de Guanazevi y San Pedro, the frontier of the Tepeguanes. By means of his prudence and at his own cost he [helped to] pacify many barbarous Indians who were in revolt, reducing them to the peace of Our Holy Faith, which helped to increase the amount of the royal fifth. In the occasions in which there was war with the rebellious Indians of that frontier , he attended to what was ordered with satisfaction, and in the review of his tenure that was taken regarding his duties he was declared as being a good judge. With the license of the governor of Nueva Vizcaya he went to serve in the Armada de Barlovento and having returned to these kingdoms [of Spain] he went to Cataluña and took part in the assistance of Lerida. In the year 1645, he served as an adventurer at his own cost and in return His Majesty honored him with a royal decree in which he was commended for vacant posts. And in March 1646 he returned with the post of soldado in the said Armada de Barlovento and arrived at Veracruz very ill.2 He left there with license granted by the general of [Veracruz]. Later the Conde de Salvatierra, the viceroy of New Spain, appointed him on September 14, 1647, as alcalde mayor and war captain of the Provincias de Autlán and Puertos de la Navidad and squadron leader of the southern coast. For these services His Majesty commended his person by a decree dated May 14, 1651, to the Conde de Alba...