Francisco Antonio Marín del Valle | |
---|---|
48th Spanish Governor of New Mexico | |
In office 1754–1760 |
|
Preceded by | Tomás Vélez Cachupín |
Succeeded by | Mateo Antonio de Mendoza |
Personal details | |
Born | near of July 12, 1722 (he was baptized in this date) Villa del Lumbreras, Murcia, Spain |
Died | unknown unknown |
Spouse(s) | Maria Ignacia Martinez de Ugarte |
Profession | Miner, merchant and Captain General and Governor of New Mexico |
Signature | ![]() |
Francisco Antonio Marín del Valle (born near July 12, 1722 - ??) was Governor and Captain General of New Mexico (now a U.S. state), between 1754 and 1760.
Francisco Antonio Marin del Valle was baptized in the Villa del Lumbreras, Murcia, Spain, on July 12, 1722. He was the son of Francisco Marin del Valle and Manuela Saenz de Tejada. His Paternal grandparents were Mateo Marín del Valle and Catalina Fraile. His maternal grandparents were Blas Sáenz de Tejada and María Garcia Baquedano. His brother was Santiago Marín. All them were residents and natives of this village.
When he came to Americas, he settled in the state of Potosí (in modern Bolivia), where he worked in the mines of Charcas. Later he emigrated to Mexico, where became a merchant. Marín del Valle became mayor of Mexico and between 1754 and 1760 was Governor and Captain General of Province of New Mexico.
In 1754, he commissioned Spanish engineer and cartographer Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco to make the new map of El Paso, where he had lived since 1743. His work was the first accurate and detailed map of southern New Mexico, in El Paso (in this time, El Paso was part of New Mexico, joining Texas in the second half of the nineteenth century).
As the Spanish had no churches in New Mexico, Marin del Valle ordered the construction of one church for the 1000 men living there with their wives. He named the church as Nuestra Señora de la Luz (Our Lady of Light). It was basically a military chapel, so later was called "La Castrense" (The Military).
Francisco Marin del Valle formed two brotherhoods: Nuestra Señora de la Luz and the Nuestra Señora de Valvanera.