Hernando Arias de Saavedra

Early life Hernandarias was born in Asunción, colonial Paraguay as the second son of María de Sanabria and Martín Suárez, an officer under Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. He had a sister, Juana de Saavedra, who later married Juan de Garay, the father of Jerónima de Contreras. His maternal grandparents were Diego de Sanabria and Mencia Calderón de Sanabria, who were wealthy from their holdings in Paraguay. He served three terms. While claiming most officials from Spain or Peru were lazy or corrupt, the new governor Diego Rodríguez Valdés Vanda y Lugarteniente wrote about Hernandarias: Solo en Hernan Darias había vencido la virtud. Aunque los españoles lo tachan de que se inclina siempre a los criollos y mestizos, es muy honrado Cavallero, aunque criollo, porque no hay regla sin excepción.

Cathedral of Buenos Aires Hernandarias was directly involved in the relocation of the church in Buenos Aires in 1603.

Marriage and family In his personal life, he was married to Jerónima de Contreras with whom he had three daughters: Gerónima, Isabel and María Hernandarias retired with his wife to Santa Fe, Argentina, where he died in 1634 at the age of 72. His remains and those of his wife were interred at the convent of San Francisco, in Santa Fe.

Legacy The Arms of the Argentine city of Villa Hernandarias are derived from an old seal used by the governor. The city of Hernandarias in Paraguay and the city of Villa Hernandarias in Entre Rios Province of Argentina were both named after him. As well as the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel in Argentina.

Cattle introduction in the Banda Oriental

In 1604 Hernandarias traveled six month along Uruguay and Negro rivers looking for wood, coal and canes supplies on the Uruguay River Eastern Bank (Spanish: Banda Oriental). On his return to Buenos Aires he reported to King Felipe III of Spain describing those lands as excellent for cattle raising, and suggesting they be populated. The King didn't heed his advice but in 1610 he deeded Hernandarias with the "Natural Peoples Protector" title and two islands at the confluence of Uruguay and negro rivers, present day Vizcaíno and Lobos islands. In 1611 Hernandarias disembarked fifty heifers and some bulls in Lobos Island and reached an agreement with the natives to protect animals with calves. He repeated the operation in 1617 with another fifty animals and the same number in San Gabriel Island on the Colonia coast. This act originated a great cattle herd in the region, the exploitation of which was determinant in the historical processes lending to colonization of present-day Uruguay, so far overlooked by Spaniards.

The territory pastures proved to be very favourable for bovine reproduction, and the abundance of cattle attracted Portuguese incursions from Brazil, Colonia del Sacramento foundation by Portugal (1678) and Montevideo foundation by Spain (1726).