Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 4).djvu/404

366 the expedition to Yucatan of May, 1518. On his return he enlisted with Hernan Cortes, and sailed with him for the conquest of Mexico on 18 Feb., 1519. He was the first Spaniard to touch the shore, and assisted in the foundation of Vera Cruz, being appointed by Cortes a member of the first common council. In July of that year he was commissioned by Cortes to carry to Spain the news of the con- quest and presents for the emperor, who in 1522 appointed ihim governor of the fortress of Vera Cruz. On his return to Mexico he assisted Cortes in the conquest till the beginning of 1526, when he returned on another commission to Spain, and in December of that year made an agreement with the emperor for the conquest of Yucatan, receiving the title of adelantado and governor. In May, 1528, he left Seville with three vessels and 500 men, and after his arrival carried on a constant war for twelve years, passing victoriously through the country from Kimpech to Vera Paz, till on 23 Jan., 1541, the most powerful king of that region, Tutulxin, surrendered. He founded the cities of Campeche, Valladolid, and Salamanca in Yucatan, New Sevilla and Olancho in Guatemala, and Port Caballos and Comayagua in Honduras. In 1546 a royal commissioner arrived to investigate his ad- ministration ; and, to complain at court of the in- justice that was thus done him, he sailed in 1548 for Spain, where he died. — His son, Francisco, b. in Salamanca in 1502; d. in Merida, Yucatan, in 1560, accompanied his father on his expedition and was appointed by him in 1545 assistant gov- ernor of Yucatan and Cozumel.

MONTEMAYOR, Alonso de (mon-tay-mah- yor'), Spanish soldier, b. in Seville late in the 15th century ; d. in Mexico in 1552. He came to Peru in 1532 with his friend Almagro, and accompanied him in 1536 to the conquest of Chili. In the battle of Salinas he was made a prisoner and kept long in confinement by Hernando Pizarro. After recover- ing his liberty he came to Lima, when he heard of the assassination of Francisco Pizarro in 1541, and joined the party of the younger Almagro, who sent him to Cuzco to gain over the governor, Alvarez Holguin, but he was imprisoned by the latter and sent to Vaca de Castro. He was pardoned by Cas- tro and fought for him against his former com- panions in the battle of Chupas, 15 Sept., 1542. On the arrival of the viceroy, Nunez Vela, in 1544, Montemayor was appointed captain, but fell into the hands of the forces of the audiencia opposed to the viceroy. Being discovered in the act of con- spiring against the life of the oidores, or supreme judges, in favor of the viceroy, he was put to the torture, but, after recovering, fled and joined Nunez Vela in Tumbez. He accompanied the latter in his unfortunate campaign, and in the battle of Aiia- quito, 19 Jan., 1546, was taken prisoner by Gonzalo Pizarro, who pardoned him, but banished him to Chili. On the voyage he and his companions over- powered the crew of the vessel, and sailed for New Spain, landing in Soconuseo. He wrote a narra- tive of the events in Peru in which he participated, published by Oviedo in his " Historia general y natural de las Indias."

MONTENEGRO, Alfonso de (mon-tay-nay'- gro), clergyman, b. in Spain ; d. in Lima, Peru, in 1553. He was chaplain to the army of Belalcazar, lieutenant of Pizarro, on his march from San Miguel de Piura to Quito. He entered the city with the conqueror, and was the first apostle of this country. He was soon followed by other Dominicans, and laid the foundations of the immense Dominican convent and church of Quito, which, although their walls are cracked by earthquakes, are still among the most imposing buildings of South America. He governed his order in Quito, with the title of vicar, up to 1551, when he was recalled to Lima. He is believed to have founded the convents of Guayaquil and Loja.

MONTERDE, Mariano (mon-tair'-deh), Mexi- can soldier, b. in the city of Mexico, 9 Feb.. 1789; d. in Chapultepec, 5 March, 1861. He studied in the College of San Juan de Letran, but left it to enter the militia, being placed in 1812 by the vice- roy, Venegas, in his company of halberdiers. In 1821 he joined the army of Iturbide and gained the rank of lieutenant. After the war of inde- pendence Monterde applied himself again to his studies, was appointed assistant on the general staff, and built the fortifications of Vera Cruz and those of the Puente Nacional. He projected and constructed the fortifications of Cerro Gordo, and took an active part in forcing the capitulation of the Spanish troops that occupied the Castle of San Juan de Ulua. In 1828, under Gen. Bustamante, he commanded part of the army at the time of the invasion of Tampico by Barradas. Two years af- terward he was appointed civil governor of the territory of Baja California, and in 1831 he was elected deputy to the general congress. In 1835 he was again deputy, and when the sessions of congress were closed he returned to the corps of engineers as lieutenant-colonel. He was appointed sub-director of the military college in 1837, bre- vetted brigadier in 1840, and in the following year attained the rank of colonel of engineers. After his appointment in 1842 as general commander of Chihuahua, he was elected by the people constitu- tional governor of the department. In 1846 he was chosen director of the military college of Cha- pultepec, and built the fortifications there in 1847 at the time of the American invasion. He de- fended the fortress with his scholars, but was taken prisoner on 13 Sept., 1847. In 1848 Monterde again assumed the direction of the military col- lege, but during the revolution of the following year he was relieved. In 1859 he was appointed general commander of the Federal district and elected temporary president by the junta de nota- bles. During the administration of Gen. Mira- mon he again took charge of the military college, and he died while holding that post.

MONTERO, Lizardo (mon-tay'-ro), Peruvian naval officer, b. in Ayabaca, province of Piura, 27 May, 1832. He studied in his native place, and went to Quito to finish nis scientific education. In 1851 he returned to Lima, entered the naval academy, and was assigned to the frigate " Mercedes," which was lost in 1853 with nearly all on board, but Montero, with a few others, escaped. He was then sent to the steamer " Rimac," which was also wrecked in 1855, and Montero went on foot through the desert of Tarapaca to obtain aid for the few survivors. In the same year he was lieutenant of the " Apurimac," the largest vessel of the Peruvian navy, and, while her commander was ashore in Arica, joined in a mutiny in favor of Vivanco, who was then at the head of a revolution against President Castilla, and steamed away from port. Early in 1857, while Castilla was besieging Vivanco in Arequipa, Montero, with the "Apurimac," captured Arica, thus cutting ofl! Castilla's supplies by sea. After the suppression of the rebellion, Montero delivered the vessel to the government and went to Europe, but he returned in 1862, and, when war was declared with Spain, was commissioned to buy war-vessels in the United States. He arrived in Callao a few days before the bombardment of 2 May, 1866, and took an active part in the defence