Vértiz y Salcedo, Juan José de (1719–1799)
Vértiz y Salcedo, Juan José de (1719–1799)
Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo (b. 11 July 1719; d. 1799), governor of Buenos Aires (1770–1777), viceroy of Río de la Plata (1778–1784). Born in Mérida, Yucatán, while his father was serving as governor, Vértiz was trained as a military man in Spain and later participated in the Italian campaigns. He arrived in Río de la Plata as governor in 1770. Although he was forced to step aside during the brief viceroyalty in Cevallos, he soon succeeded him. As second viceroy of Río de la Plata, Vértiz was the true architect of viceregal government in the Río de la Plata. While governor and later viceroy, Vértiz was a very successful leader: he implemented a series of far-reaching reforms, including the creation of the intendency system; free trade; improvement of public services, education, and welfare; geographical exploration; construction of forts; and agricultural experimentation. Vértiz returned to Spain in 1784.
See alsoRío de la Plata, Viceroyalty of .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
José Torre Revello, Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo: Gobernador y virrey de Buenos Aires (1932).
Enrique Udaondo, Diccionario biográfico colonial argentino (1945), pp. 937-939.
Additional Bibliography
Lesser, Ricardo. Los orígenes de la Argentina: Historias del Reino del Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires: Editorial Biblos, 2003.
Susan M. Socolow