| Laureano de Torres y Ayala | |
|---|---|
| 30º Governor of La Florida | |
| In office 1693–1699 |
|
| Preceded by | Diego de Quiroga y Losado |
| Succeeded by | José de Zúñiga y la Cerda |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1645 Havana, Cuba |
| Died | 1722 unknow |
| Spouse(s) | Catalina Gertrudis Bayona y Chacón |
| Profession | soldier and governor |
Laureano de Torres y Ayala (1645–1722), Marquis of Casa Torres and Knight of Santiago, was a Spanish soldier and Royal governor of La Florida (1693–1699) and of Cuba (1707–1711 and 1713–1716).
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Laureano José de Torres Ayala a Duadros Castellanos was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1645, but he grew up in Madrid, Spain, where he settled with his parents when he was small. Ayala came from a noble family. He was the son of Tomás de torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos. His father was jury in Seville in 1649, regular mayor and governor and Captain General of Mérida and the La Grita in Venezuela. His brothers were: Pedro Ignacio, Cristóbal and Diego Torres Ayala y Quadros. In his youth he joined the Spanish army. Later, in 1693, Ayala was appointed governor of Florida replacing to Diego de Losada y Quiroga. He held this post until 1699, when he returned to Spain. More late, during 1704 and 1707, Ayala participated in the first War of Spanish Succession. After the war, the January 18, 1708, Ayala was appointed governor general of Cuba. However, he could only maintain this position until February 18, 1711, because to that its auditor Don Jose Fernandez de Cordoba, ordered put him prisoner in the fortress of El Morro, on the same island, sending to King an indictment of corruption against the governor. However, two years later, in 1713, he was acquitted and on February 14 of that year, Ayala was reelected to the same office. In this new period, he founded the city of Santiago del Bejucal, snuff industry acquired a great development and the plant begins to be widely cultivated in the district,"Vuelta Abajo". On June 9, 1714, Laureano de Torres y Ayala promoted the construction of a hospital for lepers, which was established in the city of Havana. After collecting large donations, he began construction of the Hospital de San Lazaro and its temple in a plot located near that city. Ayala also founded other charities. [1]
Laureano de Torres y Ayala married with the Cuban Catalina Gertrudis Bayona y Chacón the August 5, 1687 in a parish in Havana. With she, he had a girl: Tomasa María de Torres Ayala y Bayona. [2]He also has three son: Tomasa María, Laureano Antonio José and Sor Manuela de San Laureano.[1]