Nicolás del Campo

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Nicolás Francisco Cristóbal del Campo, Marquis of Loreto was a Spanish politician and soldier who occupied several posts in the Spanish american colonies, mainly in the River Plate area.

He was Viceroy of the Río de la Plata from March 7, 1784 to December 4, 1789, after the resignation of Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo^[1].

As with other viceroys, he was a professional military officer but he did not have experience in politics in Spanish America before arriving in Buenos Aires. He became an honest and capable administrator and took charge of building and improving the Real Audiencia de Buenos Aires in 1785^[2], created in 1783 by his predecessor. He established the subdivisions on intendancies ((Spanish) intendencias) in the River Plate, instituting eight intendants^[3], and the new system of relations between the mayors and the viceroy. Four intendancies were in Upper Peru (La Paz, Potosí, Cochabamba, Charcas plus Paraguay). The other three comprised Buenos Aires an the region south to the end of Patagonia, the intendancy of Córdoba and Salta including the north of today's Argentina

He fomented the economy in many levels, promoting agriculture and cattle raising, looking for new sources of good quality salts at low cost to facilitate the salting of meat for export. He improved the ports infrastructure, fought contraband and introduced new policies of pacific co-existence and commerce with the natives.

The Virrey Loreto city street in Buenos Aires is named after him.^[4]