Published: 1952
Updated: April 1, 1995
As the lieutenant governor, appointed by Governor Fernando Pérez de Almazán, Capt. Melchor de Mediavilla y Azcona of the presidio at Los Adaes served as interim and acting governor of Texas after the resignation and departure of the governor and continued in office until the viceroy appointed a new governor in 1731. Inspector Pedro de Rivera y Villalón found fault with the manner in which Mediavilla exercised his office as captain of the presidio and reported to the viceroy that more officers than customary and needed were appointed (though the officers received the same pay as the soldiers, that is, 450 pesos a year), that required supplies were sold at excessive prices, and that unnecessary equipment was used. Juan Agustín Morfi writes that Mediavilla "terminated his administration in disfavor with the viceroy for having disapproved the reforms recommended by Rivera," but actually Mediavilla was never confirmed in his office as governor by the viceroy. Mediavilla was still in charge of the province of Texas when the Canary Islanders arrived at San Antonio on March 9, 1731, but it was the captain of the local presidio, Juan Antonio Pérez de Almazán, who welcomed them and gave them lodging in the best houses of the soldiers.
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., “Mediavilla y Azcona, Melchor de,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed October 16, 2021, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mediavilla-y-azcona-melchor-de.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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