Alejandro Ordóñez

Alejandro Ordóñez (c. 1766 – c. 1836) was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 3 January 1816 to 31 December 1818.[5][6] He was a teniente justicia mayor (justice major lieutenant).[7][lower-alpha 1]

Alejandro Ordóñez
10th Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico
In office 3 January 1816[1] – 31 December 1818[2]
Preceded by	José Ortiz de la Renta
Succeeded by	Juan Dávila
Personal details
Born	ca. 1766
Died	ca. 1836
Nationality	Spaniard
Relations	Ana Maria Ordoñez[3] (sister)
Profession	Army lieutenant[4]

Background

Ordóñez was a Spanish subject who had arrived to Puerto Rico from Venezuela with his family, plenty of cash, and merchandise and slaves. He was educated, knowledgeable on matters of business and agriculture, and with plans to grow a prosperous business.[8] He arrived in Puerto Rico on 1815 as a Comandante Militar y Politico and was immediately named Subdelegado Real de Hacienda and Teniente de Justicia Mayor in Coamo. Two years later, in 1817, he became Alcalde Ordinario in Ponce.[9] As of 1 January 1816, heads of civil government in Ponce that up to that time were titled "teniente a guerra", began to be titled "justicia mayor". However, on 6 June of that same year, they stop titling heads of local government as "Justicia Mayor" and they start naming ordinary mayors.[10]

Mayoral term

Ordóñez is best remembered for creating the first known map of Ponce in 1818.[11][12][13] While Ordóñez was mayor of Ponce, the municipality also ceased to depend on Coamo for governmental matters and becomes head of its own district. This meant it no longer needed to channel government matters to be heard by the Governor via administrative personnel in Coamo, but began to enjoy the benefits of a direct channel of communication with the capital.[14]

Post mayoral life

Ordóñez is also known to have been commissioned, sometime around 1825, for the planning and opening of several downtown streets, including Calle León, Calle Aurora, Calle Amor and Calle Salud.[15]

Legacy

There is a street in Urbanización Las Delicias of Barrio Magueyes in Ponce named after Ordóñez.

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico

Notes

1. While Eduardo Neumann Gandia (1913) calls him "teniente justicia mayor" (justice major lieutenant), Eli D. Oquendo Rodriguez (2016) calls him "alcalde real ordinario" (ordinary royal mayor). (See, Eli D. Oquendo Rodriguez. 1800-1885, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe: Historia de la Parroquia de Ponce durante el Siglo XIX. Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones del Sur Oeste (CEISO). Lajas, Puerto Rico: Editorial Akelarre. 2016. ISBN 9781523888702. p. 178.) It is worth noticing, however, that an older source yet, the actual Municipal Act for 26 October 1817, registers Ordoñez as "teniente del ejercito, comandante militar y alcalde ordinario" (army lieutenant, military commander and ordinary mayor). In any event, here we use Neumann Gandia as the most authoritative source, as well as to maintain consistency with the characterization of other mayors, as Neumann Gandia is the only author that provides a listing of such characterizations that includes all mayors.

References

1. Eduardo Neumann Gandia. Verdadera y Auténtica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. San Juan, PR: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. 1913. pp. 49, 276.
2. Eduardo Neumann Gandia. Verdadera y Auténtica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. San Juan, PR: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. 1913. p. 276.
3. Ivette Perez Vega. Las Sociedades Mercantiles de Ponce (1816-1830). Academia Puertorriqueña de la Historia. San Juan, PR: Ediciones Puerto. 2015. p. 341, 347.ISBN 9781617900563
4. Ilia del Toro Robledo. Actas del Cabildo de Ponce: 1812-1823. Gobierno Municipal Autónomo de Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1993. (Comisión Puertorriqueña para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario del Descubrimiento de America y Puerto Rico en Conmemoración del Encuentro de Dos Mundos.) p.67.
5. Eduardo Neuman Gandia. Verdadera y Autentica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. San Juan: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. 1913. pp. 49, 275.
6. Municipalities: Ponce: Mayors. Archived 23 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Puerto Rico Encyclopedia. Fundación Puertorriqueña para las Humanidades. 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
7. Eduardo Neumann Gandia. Verdadera y Auténtica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. San Juan, PR: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. 1913. p. 49.
8. Ivette Perez Vega. Las Sociedades Mercantiles de Ponce (1816-1830). Academia Puertorriqueña de la Historia. San Juan, PR: Ediciones Puerto. 2015. pp. 271-272.ISBN 9781617900563
9. Ivette Perez Vega. Las Sociedades Mercantiles de Ponce (1816-1830). Academia Puertorriqueña de la Historia. San Juan, PR: Ediciones Puerto. 2015. p. 287.ISBN 9781617900563
10. Eduardo Neumann Gandia. Verdadera y Autentica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. p. 260.
11. Eduardo Neumann Gandia. Verdadera y Autentica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. 1913. p. 69.
12. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, Rafael J. Torres Torres, and Carlos Aneiro Perez. Brevario Sobre la Historia de Ponce y sus Principales Lugares de Interés. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1st edition. 1991. p. 105.
13. The Nancy Velez Blog. Blogspot. Accessed 12 February 2019.
14. Socorro Girón. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina: Historia de Ponce desde sus comienzos hasta la segunda década del siglo XX. Ponce Municipal Government. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1986. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editora Corripio, C. por A. 3rd edition (1992). page 9. LOC: 85-90989. Registration Number: TX-1-977-212
15. Eduardo Questell Rodriguez. Historia de la Comunidad Bélgica de Ponce, a partir de la Hacienda Muñiz y otros datos. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Mariana Editores. 2018. Page 9.

Further reading

• Ramon Marin. Las Fiestas Populares de Ponce. Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico. 1994.

External links

• Guardia Civil española (c. 1898) (Includes military ranks in 1880s Spanish Empire.)