Diego de Rebolledo

Diego de Rebolledo y Suárez de Aponte, most known just as Diego de Rebolledo, was the colonial governor of la Florida between 1655 and 1659. He is considered by historians as one of more controversial and corrupt governors of Colonial Florida. He rejected the status they had the Timucua chiefs as hereditary chiefs of this people and administrative intermediaries, provoking an Timucuan uprising against the government of the province. Rebolledo was Knight of the Order of Santiago.^[1]

Florida´s government

Diego de Rebolledo y Suárez de Aponte^[2] was son of a former royal treasurer of the Cartagena's Spanish city.^[3]

He was appointed governor of la Florida province on March 24, 1653, arriving at Saint Augustine on June 18, 1654.^[3][4]

During his administration, the food scarce more in Florida and the prices of the products were excessive. All this benefited him. Thus, there are contemporary documents that have indicated that Rebolledo sold wine and chocolate at high prices, being bought by the poorest.^[5]

Relations with the Native Americans

Timucua Amerindian men meeting settlers

When Rebolledo arrived in Florida, unveiled its little experience in Hispanic American government when he held office, contradicting the local traditions in regard to the distribution of gifts and sustenance of the mission chiefs who were held in the province. So when Timucua chiefs (or caciques) traveled to Saint Augustine to swear to obey the governor, Rebolledo not delivered any gifts or support to indigenous, one something that did the previous governors, who gave away things in return for their obedience,^[3] because Timucua towns haven´t nothing that interesting to Rebolledo to sell in good price in the Habana market. For those who have deerskins or other salable items, the governor offered them all the gifts that could subsidize.^[6] He did it, apparently, for spend the money contained in the Indian background in others necessary or more profitable activities. Probably for this reason, former treasurer Joseph Prado set up quickly in Florida to control the Amerindian funds. In December 1654, he sent a letter to the Spanish Crown explaining that Rebolledo must leave of do this and that the clothes of the caciques should be donated out of the royal munitions (unlike what happened with the previous governments).

Prado explained also that gifts should be distributed only by the quartermaster and should be independent of the treasurer's account in order to control costs, but Rebolledo believed still that was the governor who should continue to monitor the distribution of gifts to the Amerindians as this was a tradition in Florida and also because, if he left to make the deal, the Amerindians could rebel against their government, as they were accustomed to gifts.

The Fiscal Council of Consejo de Indias (Amerindian Council) ruled in favor of Prado in 1656. During his rule, in order to enrich themselves, committed illegal activities to exploit both Amerindians as soldiers in Florida. Rebollero bought goods in Havana and developed a trade with the Indians based on barter, on the coast close to Cape Canaveral. There, he sold them iron tools and other goods in exchange for amber, which he sold in Havana, paying real taxes. Thus, gifts were replaced by trade with the Amerindians. The former Pedro Benedit Horruytiner governor criticized of Rebollero that he was only trading with the Amerindians of the coast, explaining that he should to give something also to all Amerindian chiefs.

There were also complaints of other former governors and some Amerindian caciques about how the new governor treated those last. So, some of them, were found eating in the house of treasurers because apparently Rebolledo refused to feed them, when he, as governor, must have given them to eat if they were hungry and asked him for food. In addition, in this year (1656), when a plague came to Guale and Timucua lands by two years, dying many people, Rebolledo did nothing to help to these places, but that he gather a lot more people in those places. Also, he increased the labor quotas in Guale.^[3]

For other hand, when also in 1656 Saint Augustine suffered a food shortage, Rebolledo ordered to the Amerindians of Timucua and Apalachee to carried grain in the city, although they protested against the governor to the Franciscans and complained of that they should to share his few food resources (soils of the agricultural lands of the places where they lived were poor), and the long distance between their lands and Saint Augustine.^[7]

Timucua Revolt

For other hand, Rebolledo ordered the chiefs of the Apalachee and Timucua, that they give provisions and five hundred of their people to Saint Augustine^[8] in order repair the Presidio of the city,^[9] strengthen it and defend the city from a possible British attack (which already had been released from Jamaica previously, giving evidence that Rebolledo thought that they could try invade Florida again).^[6][8][10] So, he wanted that this Amerindians people reactive the Amerindia militia, to help them against the British ^[10]

Moreover, these men (and their chief) should supply the city with 75 pounds of corn^[6][8] and of grain.^[10] However, Timucua chiefs refused to provide necessary supplies to the city and this people provoked a revolt against the military government of Saint Augustine in 1656. However, unlike other Amerindian uprisings, this did not kill any Franciscan.^[8]

The Governor led Spanish and Amerindian (from Guale) troops against the Timucua revolt to pacify the region.^[3]

Then, on November 27 of that year (1656), Rebolledo traveled to Ivitachuco to oversee the trial about the revolt of the Timucuan chiefs.^[4] Six caciques and four Timucuans murderers were sentenced to death.^[3][4] After that, apparently, he repopulated the devastated Camino Real.^[3]

Re - population of places of Florida

The Mission San Luis de Apalachee as it may have appeared in the 17th century.

In 1656, Spanish authorities decided to establish their western capital on one of the region’s highest hilltops for strategic purposes. Mission San Luis de Apalachee was described by Spanish military authorities as extending for miles and being completely indefensible. Inhabitants of old San Luis moved to the present site at the request of the Spaniards. The garrison was expanded to 12 and San Luis's chief promised to build a substantial blockhouse for them. Although Rebolledo planned for further expansion of the garrison and building a regular fort, Apalachee opposition to the project stalled it for well over a generation. The blockhouse at San Luis was described in 1675 as a "fortified country house."

In 1657, Rebolledo decided to repopulate the uninhabited region of Nombre de Dios, north of Saint Augustine, establishing therein Amerindians from Ybica and Oconi. The governor created an Amerindian troop and distribute to the warriors inside and along the coast to prevent a possible English assault pending, that sometimes occurring in Florida to invade this territory. In the first several times, Amerindian warriors were used as a complement to the Spanish infantry. Because crop fields were scarce in Saint Augustine, the governor asked the Amerindian warriors that they carry to the city an amount of corns for their own livelihood. The Franciscan complained that and Rebolledo, instead of convening a meeting with them to talk about what he intended to do with the Amerindians, he only called them when he had already decided something.^[3]

Religious Politic

It is also interesting that Rebolledo wanted that Saint Augustine became in an Episcopal see, or at least, become to Florida into an abbey, i.e. a Vicariate Apostolic, to establish it as a "superior local" and celebrate the sacrament of confirmation (many people had died in Florida without having been able to do it). To do this he asked the papal sovereignty to the king in 1655, so that this and the Consejo de Indias (Amerindian Council) sought the opinion of the Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Bishop of Cuba, the governor of Havana and other important figures or institutions.^[11] However, although Rebolledo obtained the approval of the Counsil to become Saint Augustine in Episcopal see, this city never get the religious power that wanted the governor of Florida, that is, it was never carried into practice.^[12]

In February 20, 1659, Rebolledo finished his term as governor of Florida, being succeeded by Alonso de Aranguiz y Cortés.^[2]

References

External links

• PRELUDE TO REBELLION: DIEGO DE REBOLLEDO VS. LÚCAS MENÉNDEZ IN MID-17TH. CENTURY SPANISH FLORIDA. Post by Linda Suzanne Cecelia Borgen, B.A., The University of West Florida, 2007. A thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology, 2011.