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His ExcellencyJuan Rodríguez de Medrano y MesíaGovernor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México
Governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México
In office 1668–1671
Preceded by	Fernando de Villanueva
Succeeded by	Juan Durán de Miranda
Personal details
Died	Mexico City, New Spain (modern-day Mexico) (likely)
Relations	The Medrano family
Residence	Santa Fe de Nuevo México (during term)
Profession	Politician, Military Leader

Juan Rodríguez de Medrano y Mesía was a nobleman from the House of Medrano and the Governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México between 1668 and 1671. During his term he had to send troops against the Apaches, who carried out various attacks against the Christian communities of New Mexico. This event was a fundamental fact of his administration in the province.

Career

Governor Juan de Medrano y Mesia assumed office after his appointment by Viceroy Antonio Sebastián de Toledo. Unfortunately, historical records provide limited information about his actions and administration. During his tenure, persistent raids and hostilities by the Apaches instilled fear among the colonists and led to the abandonment of Chililí and the surrounding pueblos of Salinas. Governor Medrano also faced significant internal conflicts, including rivalries and disputes among both secular and ecclesiastical groups. Serious accusations were leveled against him, prompting a dramatic response. Reports state that he fled his home in the midst of heavy snow, clutching a Cristo, carrying a lance and cloak, and shouting his intention to seek justice from God and the King in Mexico for what he called "a people abandoned by God."

Arrival in Mexico

Medrano's safe arrival in Mexico is confirmed by records indicating that around 1673, he submitted a bid for the Mission Supply Service contract, which was under review for future policy decisions. Although his bid was more favorable than the Franciscan Order’s, a decision in 1674 ended the regular supply caravans and settled all related accounts. The supply service continued under the direction of the procurator general, but Medrano ultimately did not secure the contract.

Capitán Juan de Medrano y Mesía, the last governor of New Mexico during the 1660s (1668–1671), faced significant challenges in administering the region amidst persistent Apache raids, internal controversies, and declining Native populations. Appointed by Viceroy António Sebastián de Toledo, Medrano’s administration focused on granting lands for estancias and ranchos while attempting to maintain peaceful relations with the Native communities. However, ongoing Apache hostilities created fear among settlers and contributed to the abandonment of Chililí and other pueblos in the Salinas jurisdiction, marking a period of demographic and economic decline.

Compounding these difficulties, Medrano faced rivalry and controversy among both lay and ecclesiastical Spanish authorities. These internal divisions, reflective of broader tensions in colonial governance, further complicated his efforts to stabilize the region. Despite these challenges, Medrano’s governorship reflected the broader struggles of New Mexico during this period, balancing the pressures of external threats and internal discord while trying to maintain order and support for the colony’s settlers.

Tenure

After being appointed governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México by Viceroy Antonio Sebastián de Toledo, succeeding Fernando de Villanueva, he took office in November 1668. During his government, important conflicts arose between the Apaches of various tribes (Gilas, Salineros, and the natives of “Casa Fuerte”) and the Christian communities (both of Spanish and indigenous origin). Thus, the Apaches, in alliance with the Navajos, attacked these communities, leading to the murder of a large number of people (including six Spanish soldiers and some three hundred and seventy-three Christianized Natives, according to estimates made by Medrano himself) and the theft of a large number of horses, mules and sheep (which Medrano estimates at more than 2,000 in the case of equines). In 1670 (and coinciding with the harvest season), the Apaches attacked Las Humanas región. They killed eleven people who lived there, stealed church property and kidnapped thirty-one people. The Apache attacks contributed to the destruction of the populations of at least six towns in Piro and Salinas. These towns were affected by a combination of the attacks, famine, drought and disease.

The famine caused by Apache attacks in one of the missions caused the indigenous residents to steal food from the convents. To stop the attacks, Medrano promised to send a troop of fifty soldiers and six hundred indigenous people against the rebels. The indigenous members of the troop would be selected from among those who had assumed the Christian religion. The troop would depart from Jemez Pueblo. However, Medrano asked the clergy for help to carry out his mission. He asked Father Talabán for help in particular to provide food in the convents, such as wheat and corn. Talabán distributed them among a large number of convents, including those of Senecu, Socorro, Ácoma, Nambé, San Ildefonso and San Juan (the last three belonging to the Tewa people). The distribution of food among the convents not only alleviated the hunger of the parishioners but also prevented the priests from abandoning these religious buildings. In addition, convents in regions such as Galisteo, Sandía, and Zia received food from Pecos. A chaplain, two hundred sheep, and more than twenty cows were also sent to these regions. Medrano noted that thanks to these aids, there were still natives alive.

Enforcing the Encomienda system

Governor Juan de Medrano played a critical role in administering and enforcing the encomienda system in New Mexico, particularly during a volatile period in the late 1660s and early 1670s. On May 1, 1669, Medrano reassigned a one-third share of the Jumanos encomienda to Juan Domínguez de Mendoza after its previous holder, Juan González Bernal, forfeited his rights for failing to appear for a mandatory military muster in 1668. Following the devastating Siete Rios Apache attack on September 3, 1670, which resulted in the destruction of the Jumanos Pueblo church, the death of eleven residents, and the capture of thirty-one individuals, Medrano labeled the incident an atrocity:

The Apache Indians, common enemies, who during the seven months I have beengoverning have killed six Spanish soldiers and 373 Christian Indians, stolen more thantwo thousand horses, mares, and mules, and more than two thousand head of ganadomenor , the property of the conventos of this holy custodia and of the citizens andinhabitants of these so ravaged and destroyed, that it is a miracle anyoneremains in them.

Following the devastating Apache raid on the Humanas Pueblo in early September 1670—resulting in the destruction of the church, eleven deaths, and the capture of thirty-one individuals—Medrano appointed Juan Domínguez de Mendoza as maestre de campo. Domínguez de Mendoza was tasked with leading a retaliatory force of thirty Spanish soldiers and three hundred Christian Natives to pursue the attackers and rescue the captives. Despite the force’s efforts, only six of the captives were successfully freed.

As Medrano’s governorship neared its end in early summer 1671, he took further action in response to escalating Apache aggression. When the incoming governor, don Juan de Miranda, and his retinue were ambushed at the Paraje del Muerto, resulting in three deaths and the theft of mule teams, Medrano promoted Domínguez de Mendoza to sargento mayor, the third-highest military position in the province. This elevation was based on Domínguez de Mendoza’s documented service record, which Medrano praised for its demonstration of his merits and quality.

Bernardo Gruber's escape

Governor Juan de Medrano y Mesía played a decisive role in the aftermath of Bernardo Gruber's escape, ensuring a coordinated response to the incident. When notified of the escape on June 28, 1670, Medrano swiftly dispatched Cristóbal de Anaya Almazán with a squad of soldiers and forty Indigenous trackers to pursue Gruber and his Apache accomplice. Additionally, Medrano supported Friar Juan Bernal by facilitating the circulation of bulletins to Inquisition agents in Parral and Sonora, spreading awareness of the fugitive's flight. His leadership demonstrated a commitment to enforcing justice despite the colony's dire challenges, including famine and Apache raids.

Retirement

Medrano left the government of Santa Fe in 1671, being replaced by Juan Durán de Miranda. By 1673, Medrano was established in Mexico. A facsimile during his time as Governor still exists, preserved in the New Mexico Archives.

References

1. https://www.uair.library.arizona.edu/item/238263
2. https://www.srca.nm.gov/governors/
3. John L. Kessell, Kiva, Cross, and Crown: The Pecos Indians and New Mexico, 1540–1840 (Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1979), 212, 217–20. See also James E. Ivey, “‘The Greatest Misfortune of All’: Famine in the Province of New Mexico, 1667–1672,” Journal of the Southwest 36 (spring 1994): 76–100
4. ^ José García. Colonial Governors 1665-1677, La Herencia.
5. https://www.srca.nm.gov/governors/
6. https://santafenm.gov/document_center/document/553
7. https://santafenm.gov/document_center/document/553
8. https://newmexicohistory.org/2015/07/22/juan-medrano-y-mesia-from-the-wpa-writers-project/
9. https://www.somosprimos.com/michaelperez/ribera13/ribera13.htm
10. https://www.somosprimos.com/michaelperez/ribera13/ribera13.htm
11. ^ "Miranda, Juan Durán de". New Mexico Office of the State Historian. Posted by Grace Meredith.
12. Diccionario Enciclopédico Espasa. 1999. Volume 1, page 126
13. ^ "Chapter 5: The Shadow of the Inquisition, 1659-1680: A Decade of Distress". National Park Service. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
14. ^ Historia de América. Julián N. Guerrero. 1962, page 36
15. https://www.everand.com/book/465032724/Juan-Dominguez-de-Mendoza-Soldier-and-Frontiersman-of-the-Spanish-Southwest-1627-1693
16. https://soar.suny.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12648/2666/hashtaghistory/vol1/iss1/2/fulltext%20(1).pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
17. https://www.everand.com/book/465032724/Juan-Dominguez-de-Mendoza-Soldier-and-Frontiersman-of-the-Spanish-Southwest-1627-1693
18. https://www.everand.com/book/465032724/Juan-Dominguez-de-Mendoza-Soldier-and-Frontiersman-of-the-Spanish-Southwest-1627-1693
19. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/kcc/chap5c.htm
20. https://nmarchives.unm.edu/repositories/22/archival_objects/283949

• Colonial governors of Santa Fe de Nuevo México
• 17th-century Spanish nobility