Beschreibung:

Manuscript Document Signed ("Antonio") as third Viceroy of Peru, concerning the raising of funds to rebuild the famous bridge at Cuzco, 1 p, small folio (conjoined leaves), Cuzco, Peru, 1551, in Spanish, docketed on the verso of the second leaf. Old folds, light old dampstaining. A RARE DOCUMENT SIGNED BY MENDOZA AS VICEROY OF PERU. Mendoza is rightly celebrated for his long and successful reign as Viceroy of New Spain; this document from the last year of his life, recalls his regrettably short reign as the Viceroy of Peru. Antonio de Mendoza was born in Granada in about 1490. He was "the first and probably the most able viceroy of New Spain, who ruled the conquered Mexican territory with justice, efficiency, and a degree of compassion and established policies that endured until the colonies gained their independence. The son of a distinguished family of soldiers and statesmen, Mendoza distinguished himself in the service of the Spanish King Charles I, who rewarded him by appointing him viceroy in 1535. In a land recovering from conquest (1519–21), Indian rebellion, and rivalries among the Spanish conquerors, his duties were to stabilize society, increase the royal revenues, and regulate the affairs of the Indians ... As a reward for his effective service [in New Spain], he was promoted to the viceroyalty of Peru in 1551 but lived only long enough to take an extensive tour of the territory and outline the measures to be taken there" (Winsor II:542).