Luis de Figueroa

Luis de Figueroa, O.S.H. (died March 23, 1523) was a Roman Catholic friar who served as co-governor of Santo Domingo (1516-1519) and bishop elect of Santo Domingo but died before his consecration.^[1][2][3]

Biography

Luis de Figueroa was born in Seville.^[1] He was ordained a priest in the Order of Saint Jerome where he served as the prior of the convent of Mejorada del Campo.^[1] In April 1516, he was elected as the commissioner of the Indies and tasked by Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, regent of Spain, with stopping the abuses committed by the encomenderos as urgently documented by father Bartolomé de las Casas.^[1] On November 11, 2015, he left with two other Hieronimyte friars, Bernardino de Manzanedo (prior of the convent of Santa Marta) and Alonso de Santo Domingo (prior of the monastery of San Juan de Ortega) for the New World where they ruled for several years.^[1] They consolidated the Indian population into villages in order to better monitor their treatment as well as to facilitate evangelization; however, a smallpox epidemic devastated the population and efforts to prevent abuses by the encomenderos proved futile.^[1] The three Hieronimytes returned to Spain defeated.^[1] Adviser to the King and treasurer of Spain, Miguel de Pasamonte proposed Figueroa for bishop of the Diocese of Santo Domingo and President of Santo Domingo, which would have made him the highest religious and political dignitary in the Indies.^[1] The request was officially granted by Pope Clement VII in 1524 although Luis de Figueroa had already died on March 23, 1523 at the convent of Mejorada.^[1] Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal was appointed bishop of Santo Domingo in his place.^[1]

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