Governorate of New León

Governorate of New León Gobernación de Nueva León
1529–1544
Flag
The adelantado grants of Charles V prior to the establishment of the Viceroyalty of Peru
Status	Governorate of the Crown of Castile
Capital	Puerto de los Leones
Official languages	Spanish
Religion	Catholicism
Government	Monarchy
King
• 1529-1542	Simón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor
Historical era	Spanish Empire
• Created by Capitulación de Toledo	1529
• Dissolved by Real Cédula	1544
Currency	Escudo
Preceded by Succeeded by Mapuche Tehuelche people Indigenous peoples in Argentina Indigenous peoples in Chile Captaincy General of Chile Governorate of the Río de la Plata Governorate of Tucumán

The Governorate of New León was a Governorate of the Crown of Castile created in 1534. It was granted to Simón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor and later to Francisco de Camargo, expanding the territory to the Strait of Magellan bordering with the Governorate of Terra Australis since 1539.

History

The Governorate was created as one of King Charles V's grants of 1529, establishing the adelantado Simón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor as its first governor, captain general, and chief justice. The territory was described as extending 200 leagues down the Pacific coast from Pedro de Mendoza's grant of New Andalusia.

On May 21, 1534 the king signed three other capitulations to explore and occupy the American lands, establishing provinces or governorates of 200 leagues of north-south extension, including the governorship of Nueva León, granted to Simón de Alcazaba and Sotomayor, also from Atlantic Ocean to Pacific, south of 36° 57' 09S (line from Coronel to Pinamar) and up to 48° 22' 52s (line from Campana Island to Laura Bay).

The Governorate was subsequently extended to the Strait of Magellan and the southern lands from it.

Governorates in Hispanic America

After the territorial division of South America between Spain and Portugal, the Peruvian Hispanic administration was divided into six entities:

• Province of Tierra Firme, included the Caribbean Coast, Central America, the Pacific Coast of Colombia and Mexico.
• Governorate of New Castile, consisting of the territories from roughly the Ecuadorian-Colombian border in the north to Cuzco in the south.
• Governorate of New Toledo, forming the previous southern half of the Inca empire, stretching towards central Chile.
• Governorate of New Andalusia, which was not formally conquered by Spain until decades later.
• Governorate of New León, the southernmost part of the continent until the Strait of Magellan.
• Governorate of Terra Australis, territories from the south of the Strait of Magellan to the South Pole.

This territorial division set the basis for the Hispanic administration of South America for several decades. It was formally dissolved in 1544, when King Charles I sent his personal envoy, Blasco Núñez Vela, to govern the newly founded Viceroyalty of Peru that replaced the governorates.

See also

• Patagonia#Early European exploration (1520–1669)