Mateo de la Mata Ponce de León
Encyclopedia
Mateo de la Mata Ponce de León (sometimes Mateo de la Mata y Ponce de León) (b. Requena, Valencia
, Spain
; d. November 16, 1720, Lima
) was a Spanish colonial official in Peru
. He was president of the Audiencia of Quito
from 1691 to 1699. (Quito was then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru
.) From March 2 to August 15, 1716 he served as interim viceroy of Peru.
in eastern Spain. His parents were Mateo de Cuenca Mata and Isabel Ponce de León Iranzú. He studied at San Ildefonso de Alcalá for eight years. He earned a bachelor's degree in canon law from the University of Salamanca
and a licentiate from the University of Osuna
. He was a knight of the military Order of Calatrava
.
He was an oidor (judge) in the Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá
(also part of the Viceroyalty of Peru), beginning in August 1674. On October 31, 1680 he was promoted to criminal alcalde in Lima. During this time he married Luisa de Céspedes, a native of Lima and daughter of Juan Antonio de Céspedes y Toledo, knight of the Order of Santiago
, and María de Arcos y Aguilar, a native of Lima. From January 26, 1687 he was an oidor in the Audiencia of Lima.
When Mata assumed the presidency in Quito, nearly all the buccaneers had abandoned the Pacific. Nevertheless, he had to address the continuing effects of nearly a decade of earlier, devastating pirate attacks. He assumed the responsibility of building the new city of Guayaquil
. In 1693 he sent the oidor Cristóbal de Cevallos y Borja to supervise the design and construction of Guayaquil. The corregidor
of Guayaquil, Fernando Ponce de León, died in 1694 and Mata named Oidor Cevallos to fill the position on an interim basis pending the arrival of a new corregidor with an appointment from the king. In 1696 Mata traveled personally to Guayaquil to inspect and supervise the work there.
During his government the institutions of the Audiencia were strengthened and the economic situation improved. On the other hand, there was a series of great natural catastrophes, such as the 1692 earthquake at Latacunga
, in which 8,000 of the 22,000 inhabitants perished. In 1693 a plague struck Quito and the towns of the Andean highlands. Mata took care that the sick were aided and medicines distributed, applying some of his own money to the purpose.
There was also a severe drought during the last seven years of the seventeenth century. Finally, on June 20, 1698, another earthquake destroyed what little of Latacunga had been reconstructed, and also badly affected Ambato
and Riobamba
. There were a great many deaths. Mata went to the affected towns to aid in the relief.
, who had been bishop of Quito, was removed as viceroy. Mata, in virtue of his position as deacon of the Audiencia of Lima, was name interim governor and captain general of the Viceroyalty of Peru. He occupied this position from March 2, 1716 to August 15 of the same year. He died in Lima on November 16, 1720.
Requena, Valencia
Requena is a municipality in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, located on the left bank of the river Magro.The town was formerly a Moorish fortress, occupying a strong position in the mountainous region of Las Cabrillas . It is dominated by the ancient citadel of the Moors, and still has...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
; d. November 16, 1720, Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
) was a Spanish colonial official in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. He was president of the Audiencia of Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
from 1691 to 1699. (Quito was then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
.) From March 2 to August 15, 1716 he served as interim viceroy of Peru.
Early career
Mateo de la Mata was born in RequenaRequena, Valencia
Requena is a municipality in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, located on the left bank of the river Magro.The town was formerly a Moorish fortress, occupying a strong position in the mountainous region of Las Cabrillas . It is dominated by the ancient citadel of the Moors, and still has...
in eastern Spain. His parents were Mateo de Cuenca Mata and Isabel Ponce de León Iranzú. He studied at San Ildefonso de Alcalá for eight years. He earned a bachelor's degree in canon law from the University of Salamanca
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
and a licentiate from the University of Osuna
University of Osuna
The University of Osuna , officially the Colegio-Universidad de la Purísima Concepción en Osuna was a university in Osuna, Kingdom of Seville, Spain from 1548 until 1824. Spain granted the university building the status of a monument in 2004...
. He was a knight of the military Order of Calatrava
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava was the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava as a Militia was given by Pope Alexander III on September 26, 1164.-Origins and Foundation:...
.
He was an oidor (judge) in the Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
(also part of the Viceroyalty of Peru), beginning in August 1674. On October 31, 1680 he was promoted to criminal alcalde in Lima. During this time he married Luisa de Céspedes, a native of Lima and daughter of Juan Antonio de Céspedes y Toledo, knight of the Order of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
, and María de Arcos y Aguilar, a native of Lima. From January 26, 1687 he was an oidor in the Audiencia of Lima.
As president of the Audiencia of Quito
Mata Ponce de León was named president of the Audiencia of Quito by a decree dated October 27, 1689, but he did not occupy the position until January 10, 1691. He governed until 1699. By this point he was a lawyer and oidor in Lima, with much experience in public administration. As was the custom in the Audiencia of Quito, for the first two years of his administration he was also visitador general (inspector).When Mata assumed the presidency in Quito, nearly all the buccaneers had abandoned the Pacific. Nevertheless, he had to address the continuing effects of nearly a decade of earlier, devastating pirate attacks. He assumed the responsibility of building the new city of Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
. In 1693 he sent the oidor Cristóbal de Cevallos y Borja to supervise the design and construction of Guayaquil. The corregidor
Corregidor (position)
A corregidor was a local, administrative and judicial position in Spain and its empire. He was the highest authority of a Corregimiento. In the Americas a corregidor was often called an alcalde mayor. They began to be appointed in fourteenth century Castile and the institution was definitively...
of Guayaquil, Fernando Ponce de León, died in 1694 and Mata named Oidor Cevallos to fill the position on an interim basis pending the arrival of a new corregidor with an appointment from the king. In 1696 Mata traveled personally to Guayaquil to inspect and supervise the work there.
During his government the institutions of the Audiencia were strengthened and the economic situation improved. On the other hand, there was a series of great natural catastrophes, such as the 1692 earthquake at Latacunga
Latacunga
Latacunga is a plateau town of Ecuador, capital of the Cotopaxi Province, south of Quito, near the confluence of the Alaques and Cutuchi rivers to form the Patate, the headstream of the Pastaza. At the time of census 2001 Latacunga had 51,689 inhabitants, largely mestizo and indigenous.Latacunga...
, in which 8,000 of the 22,000 inhabitants perished. In 1693 a plague struck Quito and the towns of the Andean highlands. Mata took care that the sick were aided and medicines distributed, applying some of his own money to the purpose.
There was also a severe drought during the last seven years of the seventeenth century. Finally, on June 20, 1698, another earthquake destroyed what little of Latacunga had been reconstructed, and also badly affected Ambato
San Juan de Ambato
Ambato is a city in located in the central Andean valley of Ecuador. Lying on the banks of the Ambato River, the city also sits beneath several tall mountains. It is the capital of the province of Tungurahua, at an elevation of 2,577 meters above sea level. The population is 180,000 , making it...
and Riobamba
Riobamba
Riobamba is the capital of the Chimborazo Province in central Ecuador, which is located at the Chambo River Valley of the Andes. It is south of Ecuador's capital Quito and located at 2754 m on the Avenue of the Volcanoes...
. There were a great many deaths. Mata went to the affected towns to aid in the relief.
Later career
In 1699, after his term as president of the Audiencia of Quito, he again became oidor in Lima. Thereafter the king offered to promote him to a place in the Council of the Indies as a reward for his services, but Mata preferred to remain in the administration in Lima. In 1716 Viceroy Diego Ladrón de GuevaraDiego Ladrón de Guevara
Doctor Diego Ladrón de Guevara Orozco Calderón was a Roman Catholic bishop and Spanish colonial administrator. From August 30, 1710 to March 2, 1716, he was viceroy of Peru.-Before his term as viceroy:...
, who had been bishop of Quito, was removed as viceroy. Mata, in virtue of his position as deacon of the Audiencia of Lima, was name interim governor and captain general of the Viceroyalty of Peru. He occupied this position from March 2, 1716 to August 15 of the same year. He died in Lima on November 16, 1720.