Viceroyalty of New Granada

Panama, 1717–1819. Draft, not yet reviewed

It was the name given on 27 May 1717 to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in northern South America, corresponding to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. It was restored in 1739 after being suspended in 1723 for financial problems. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated in 1739. The territories of the viceroyalty gained full de facto independence from Spain between 1819 and 1822, uniting in a republic now known as Gran Colombia.

Seat of power: Panama City

Rulers

Jorge de Villalonga

Viceroy of New Granada, 1717–1724

He was a Spanish lawyer, general and the first official viceroy of New Granada. He was a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Portrait of Jorge de Villalonga: Unknown artistUnknown artist, Public domain, file

Sebastián de Eslava

Viceroy of New Granada, 1740–1749

From April 24, 1740 to November 6, 1749 he was viceroy of the newly reestablished Viceroyalty of New Granada. He was governing at the time of the defeat of British Admiral Edward Vernon at the Battle of Cartagena de Indias.

Portrait of Sebastián de Eslava: Joaquín Gutiérrez, Public domain, file

José Alfonso Pizarro

Viceroy of New Granada, 1749–1753

From November 6, 1749, to November 24, 1753, he was viceroy of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Granada. He was a Spanish naval officer and colonial administrator.

Portrait of José Alfonso Pizarro: Joaquín Gutiérrez, Public domain, file

Manuel Antonio Flórez

Viceroy of New Granada, 1776–1781

He was a general in the Spanish navy and viceroy of New Granada from 1776 to November 26, 1781. He was also viceroy of New Spain from August 17, 1787 to October 16, 1789.

Portrait of Manuel Antonio Flórez: Unidentified painter, Public domain, file

Francisco Gil de Taboada

Viceroy of New Granada, 1788–1789

He was briefly viceroy of New Granada. He was a Galician Spanish naval officer and colonial administrator in South America.

Portrait of Francisco Gil de Taboada: WIKI.MGP, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

José Manuel de Ezpeleta, 1st Count of Ezpeleta de Beire

Viceroy of New Granada, 1790–1797

He was a Spanish military officer and politician, and viceroy of New Granada. Before that he was governor of Cuba.

Portrait of José Manuel de Ezpeleta, 1st Count of Ezpeleta de Beire: Esteve, Public domain, file

Antonio José Amar y Borbón

Viceroy of New Granada, 1803–1810

From September 16, 1803 to July 20, 1810 he was viceroy of Viceroyalty of New Granada. During his mandate he faced the beginning of the independence movement.

Portrait of Antonio José Amar y Borbón: Joaquín Gutiérrez, Public domain, file

Francisco Montalvo y Ambulodi

Viceroy of New Granada, 1816–1818

From April 16, 1816, to March 9, 1818, he was viceroy of the colony. During his terms of office, New Granada was in open revolt against Spain.

Portrait of Francisco Montalvo y Ambulodi: Unknown author, Public domain, file

Culture

Gold and silver were brought by ship from South America, hauled across the isthmus, and loaded aboard ships for Spain. The route became known as the Camino Real, or Royal Road, although it was more commonly known as Camino de Cruces (Road of Crosses) because of the number of gravesites along the way.
In 1671, the privateer Henry Morgan, licensed by the English government, sacked and burned the city of Panama, the second most important city in the Spanish New World at the time.
In 1744, Bishop Francisco Javier de Luna Victoria DeCastro established the College of San Ignacio de Loyola and on June 3, 1749, founded La Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Javier.

Picture

This site is the remaining part of the original Panama City, the former capital of Panama, which was destroyed in 1671 by the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan.

Image: Melpanama, CC BY 3.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.