Juan Rodríguez Espejo
Juan Rodríguez Espejo (Jerez de los Caballeros, ca. 1561 -) is a Spaniard who dedicated himself to the administration of the Cabildos of the cities that were already founded when he arrived in Venezuela and became immensely rich with his work and their businesses. Biography
Juan Rodríguez Espejo, from Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz), where he was born in 1561, the son of Diego Rodríguez Milán and of Mencía Rodríguez Espejo. Very young it happened to the New Kingdom of Granada and soon arrived to the Trujillo Venezuelan and would exercise like notary public and of Cabildo. Later he was in Coro exercising positions of his office, and soon afterwards he moved to Valencia (Venezuela) with the position of Judge and Senior Justice.
Apparently, Rodríguez Espejo in addition to handling the pen also knew how to wield defensive weapons, because without neglecting their institutional positions, when situations required, he also knew how to defend himself as a military man. With Rodriguez Espejo, Alonso Díaz Moreno and Vicente Díaz Pereira, who were relatives, Rodríguez Espejo armed a defensive third and collaborated in several actions against the fearsome jirahajaras Indians who used to attack cattle herds near Valencia. At the age of 28, he was appointed deputy for Valencia, El Tocuyo and San Sebastián de los Reyes and in 1589 attended the Assembly of Municipalities convened by the governor Diego de Osorio, where Rodríguez Espejo, on behalf of the cities that he represented, signed the powers so that in Madrid, Don Simón de Bolivar managed before the Hispanic Court the diligences and requests that the Province of Venezuela did. Neighbor of Caracas
Early a meteoric race that would make him the most important man in the Province of Venezuela. By his knowledge of the laws and his administrative preparation, he was called to the capital of Caracas where he was going to carry out a series of institutional positions that would elevate him of social rank. In 1592 they were named alguacil mayor of Caracas; he served as a clerk in the years 1593-95; besides being appointed mayor of the Holy Brotherhood; in 1596 he would occupy the office of attorney general.
In his few years, Rodríguez Espejo had become an efficient manager of the Cabildo administration in Caracas and an important person. In addition to his institutional occupations, he was also engaged in certain commercial operations, as recorded in the notarial archives of Caracas that produced him profitable profits, attending at the same time businesses of another nature, since by his demonstrated capacity and honorability he was given powers to attend various and complicated issues of the power. Family life
In 1579, at age 18, he married María de Montemayor y Jiménez, and had two children from this marriage. Maria was the daughter of Pedro de Montemayor who intervened in the refoundation of Caracas and Caraballeda, where he was mayor and lived until his depopulation.
Widowed by his first wife, in 1595 and aged 33, he married Ana Jorge de Quiñones, with whom he had seven children. Ana was the daughter of the Valencia landowner Vicente Díaz Pereira, who, besides being a soldier in his early days, dedicated himself to raising cattle and along with his relative Alonso Díaz Moreno (who were probably from the northern part of Extremadura), were the most significant cattle ranchers and the most influential people of the nascent Venezuela. Bibliography
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