Manuel de Cendoya

Manuel de Cendoya
24º Governor of La Florida
In office
1670 (or 6 Jul 1671) – 8 July 1673
Preceded by Francisco de la Guerra y de la Vega
Succeeded by Nicolás Ponce de León II
Personal details
Born early seventeenth century
Died 8 July 1673
Saint Augustine, Florida
Profession Soldier and Administrator (governor of Florida)

Manuel de Cendoya (?? - 1673) was a Spanish Soldier and the governor of Florida between 1670 and 1675. His rule was based on the reconstruction of the Castillo de San Marcos, as Fortress to try to prevent British invasion in Florida.

Biography

Manuel de Cendoya was born in the early seventeenth century. As a youth, he joined the Spanish army, where he learned military engineering.[1] During 22 years,[2] he fought in the capture of fortifications[1] in Extremadura, Guipúzcoa, Flanders and Italy.[1][2] Eventually, Cendoya ascended to Sergeant major of the Army.[3]

Later, in 1670 (or 6 Jul 1671, according to other sources[4]), when Manuel de Cendoya was in Cadiz, Spain,[2] he was appointed royal governor of Florida, so as secretary of Government,[3] leaving Cadiz this same year with his wife and his two children.[2]

However, before taking office, he went to Mexico in November of that year to collect funds and consult with the Viceroy Sebastián de Toledo and military engineers to buil a new fort in Florida, knowing that the old was four bastions made of wood and fagin. In addition, this was very close to the beach, for which the waves were eroding and decaying it, and it could no longer be repaired because the wood had to bring it the natives on the backs from far away, which had made that the chiefs were rebelled.[1] So, now Cendoya should build second Fort against the mouth of the harbor, and a third to prevent troop landings, in addition of a main castle of St. Augustine (Castillo de San Marcos). To build all this, the governor would need thirty thousand pesos, but just then arrived in Florida the news that Charleston (South Carolina) had been liquidated and Cendoya suggested building a strong fourth in Santa Catalina.[2]

So, already since that Cendoya sat his office, in 1671, he had gave orders for the trace of the fort and the Castillo de San Marcos.[5] In April 1671, Cendoya obtained 12,000 pesos[2][6] and fifteen masons, along with stonecutters and lime burners he sought and meet in Habana,[2] from the Viceroy of New Spain in Mexico City.[6] In addition, he selected to engineer Ignacio Daza[2][7] to oversee the build and presumably to prepare the design,[7] and got 17 soldiers to collaborate at Ft.[2]

Cendoya also hired one hundred and fifty Native Americans as laborers, some to carry the coquina from "Island Quarry" in Anastasia, others bringing firewood to make shells and lime, and fifty to open the floor and clean the ground working with picks, shovels and tools that were made there, in the smithy village.[1] He also employed slaves in the build of Castillo de San Marcos,[8] so as fifteen teachers cutters, masons and calciners, including Lorenzo Lagunes, who was the master builder of construction and he sure knew the works of fortification that were built in Europe.

The new fort was made of stone, modeled on the earlier draft of wood. Cendoya even suggested making four small Casemates: Two to guard the entrance of St. Augustine, one in Santa Catalina de la Frontera in the north and one in San Marcos de Apalache; The boards of War approved the project, but not the funds.[1]

After receiving the news of numerous threats in the Matanzas Inlet, began to examine the watchtower there, until deciding to build a second stone fort there.[6]

However, Cendoya died unexpectedly,[1] while still ruled Florida and the Castillo de San Marcos was being still built[8] on 8 Jul 1673[4] and a huge storm destroyed the existing wooden fort in 1674.[8] Cendoya was replaced by Nicolás Ponce de León II as acting governor of Florida, who will continue the construction of the Castle. The Castle of San Marcos, will generate a recovery in all facets of life St. Augustine, and of course, in the population. Starting this moment, entered a period that will bloom until the early eighteenth century.[1]

Personal life

Cendoya married with a woman and they had, at least, two children.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "El Fuerte de Piedra y la Villa (The Fort of Stone and the Village) (In Spanish)" (PDF). November 26, 2008. Retrieved May 22–26, 2010. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 austin.com Beginning the Castillo.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Struggle for the Georgia Coast. Written by John E. Worth. Post in 2007. Ed: The university of Alabama Press. Page 187.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 U.S. States F-K.
  5. ↑ Juan Ignacio Arnaud Rabinal, Alberto Bernández Alvarez, Pedro Miguel and Martín Escudero y Felipe DEL Pozo Redondo (November 26, 2008). "Estructura de la población de una sociedad de frontera: la Florida (Population structure of a frontier society: Florida) (In Spanish)" (PDF). Retrieved May 22–26, 2010. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Old City life. St. Augustine: City of Castles (First colonial capital of Florida) Posted by Raphael Cosme in January 15, 2014. Retrieved in July 18, 2014, to 0:50pm.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America, Volumen 1. Written by James D. Kornwolf. Page 1569.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 - St. Augustine's Written History

External links