Laureano de Torres y Ayala
| Laureano de Torres y Ayala | |
|---|---|
| 30th Governor of La Florida | |
|
In office 21 Sep 1693 – 1699 |
|
| Preceded by | Diego de Quiroga y Losada |
| Succeeded by | José de Zúñiga y la Cerda |
| 42nd Governor of Cuba | |
|
In office January 18, 1707–1708 – February 18, 1711 |
|
| Preceded by | Pedro Álvarez de Villarín |
| Succeeded by | Vicente de Raja |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1645 Seville, Spain |
| Died | 1722 (aged 77) Havana, Cuba |
| Spouse(s) | Catalina Gertrudis Bayona y Chacón |
| Profession | soldier and governor |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Laureano de Torres y Ayala (1645–1722), Marquis of Casa Torres and Knight of Santiago, was a Spanish soldier and royal governor of La Florida (1693–1699) and of Cuba (1708–1711 and 1713–1716). During his administration in Florida, he completed the construction of the Castillo de San Marcos fortress in St. Augustine, the provincial capital.
Laureano José de Torres Ayala a Duadros Castellanos was born in 1645 in Seville, Spain, and grew up in Madrid, Spain, where his parents settled when he was still a small child. Ayala came from a noble family, being the son of Tomás de Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos. His father was a judge in Seville in 1649 and mayor, governor and Captain General of Mérida and La Grita (in Venezuela). He had three brothers: Pedro Ignacio, Cristóbal and Diego Torres Ayala y Quadros. In his youth he joined the Spanish army.
In June 1693, Ayala joined a Spanish expedition in La Florida which passed through what is now Okaloosa County and crossed the natural bridge of the spring-fed Chipola River. On September 21, 1693, Torres y Ayala was appointed Governor of Spanish Florida, replacing Diego de Quiroga y Losada.
Like the previous governors since 1672, Torres y Ayala oversaw construction of the Castillo de San Marcos, completed in 1695. During his administration, the San Carlos de los Chacatos mission was attacked by Alibamu Indian warriors in 1696. In 1698, the first European settlement (Presidio Santa Maria de Galve) and the first fort (Fort San Carlos de Austria) were founded at the site of present-day Pensacola. He held the post of governor of Florida until 1699, when he returned to Spain, being replaced by José de Zúñiga y la Cerda.
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