Juan Martínez Téllez de los Ríos

Juan Martínez Téllez de los Ríos (Colmenar Viejo, Crown of Castile, c. 1590s – Guatemala City, February 9, 1657) was a captain in the Royal Armies who participated in the defense of Callao, Viceroyalty of Peru, in 1624. He served as Chief Scribe of the Guatemala City council from 1631 to 1637, Attorney General from 1639 to 1642, and Mayor of San Salvador from 1647 to 1650.

Biography Martínez was born in the 1590s in Colmenar Viejo, Crown of Castile, to Juan Martínez de Madrid y Ríos and Catalina Téllez. In May 1624, as captain of his own ship, he participated in the defense of Callao, Peru, during an attack by Dutch pirates led by Jacques L'Hermite. The viceroy of Peru, Diego Fernández de Córdoba, also tasked him with warning the port of El Realejo in Nicaragua of potential dangers.

Martínez served as mayor until 1652 and later became a member of the Spanish Inquisition in 1653. He died on February 9, 1657, leaving a sealed will from 1655.