Velasco, Luis de (c. 1511–1564)
Velasco, Luis de (c. 1511–1564)
Luis de Velasco (b. ca. 1511; d. 1564), second viceroy of Mexico. Velasco was born in Carrión de los Condes, Palencia, in Spain, into the extended family of the constables of Castile. His early career included service in France and Navarre (viceroy, 1547–1548). In 1549 he was appointed the viceroy of Mexico. He served from his arrival in 1550 until his death. Central to his rule was the implementation of the New Laws, which placed restrictions on the encomienda. The discovery of silver mines on the northern frontier caused a need for protection from the nomadic Indians. Velasco helped to define the military policy. He also supported expeditions, specifically to Florida under don Tristán de Luna. His son, don Luis de Velasco (the Younger), daughter, and half-brother married into the creole elite. The latter years of his rule were marred by the visitation of Licentiate Jerónimo de Valderrama and by an upsurge of creole animosity toward Spain due to the implementation of the New Laws.
See alsoMexico: The Colonial Period .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
James S. Olson, ed., Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Empire, 1402–1975 (1992), p. 624.
Additional Bibliography
Lemon, Jason Edward. "The Encomienda in Early New Spain." Ph.D. diss. Emory University, 2000.
John F. Schwaller