Conquistador from Segovia who, after the execution of Carvajal, was named lieutenant governor of El Tocuyo (1547-1549) and later Governor of the Province of Venezuela. From El Tocuyo he organized the founding of Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto in May 1552.
A Segovian in the Indies
Juan de Villegas y Maldonado was born in Segovia (Spain) in 1509. He came to the Indies as a young man and joined the expeditions that combed Tierra Firme in search of precious metals. By 1546 he was in the Province of Venezuela, in the circle of officers who would assist judge Juan Pérez de Tolosa in his mission against Juan de Carvajal.
Lieutenant Governor in El Tocuyo
After Carvajal's execution in September 1546, Pérez de Tolosa appointed Villegas Lieutenant Governor of El Tocuyo (1547-1549). From El Tocuyo —which was already the de facto capital of the province— Villegas administered the nascent colony, organized the encomiendas, and promoted exploration of the surrounding territory.
The founding of Carache (1548) and Borburata (1549)
Under his government there were founded:
- San Juan Bautista de Carache (1548), forerunner of Trujillo.
- Borburata (1549) on the central coast —a port that would prove key for colonial commerce.
Governor of the Province (1549-1553)
In 1549 he was appointed Governor of the Province of Venezuela. He kept El Tocuyo as the administrative and logistical base of the province: from there came the authorizations, the troops, and the settlers who founded the cities of central and western Venezuela.
The Buría mines and the founding of Barquisimeto
In 1551, expeditions organized by Villegas discovered important veins of gold in the Buría valley, north of El Tocuyo. To administer the new mining zone and protect its settlers, Villegas decided to found a new city near the mines.
That city was Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto, founded by Juan de Villegas between May 17 and 20, 1552 —not on September 14, as popular tradition held for centuries until Brother Nectario María corrected the date based on colonial archives.
The name "Nueva Segovia" pays homage to Villegas's hometown; "Barquisimeto" is a local indigenous word. Today it is the fourth most populous city in Venezuela and the "eldest daughter" of El Tocuyo.
Death in Buría
Villegas died in Buría on August 11, 1553 —some sources give an approximate date— in circumstances connected to the struggle against the maroon leader Negro Miguel, head of the first great slave rebellion in Venezuela. The rebellion went so far as to establish a brief maroon "kingdom" before being put down.
Ancestor of Bolívar
Through his descendants, Juan de Villegas is considered a direct ancestor of Simón Bolívar —a fact stressed by many historiographies. The genealogical link binds the founder of Barquisimeto to the Liberator across five centuries.
Importance for El Tocuyo
Villegas embodies the golden founding period of El Tocuyo: when the city was the effective capital of the Province of Venezuela and from its streets the settlement of much of the territory was decided. Without Villegas there would be no Barquisimeto; without El Tocuyo as operational base, Villegas could not have undertaken his campaigns. The two —city and conquistador— are inseparable in the Venezuelan history of the sixteenth century.