Guido de Lavezaris

Little was known of Governor-General Lavezares. In 1543, he became a member of the Villalobos Expedition that traveled to the Philippines.[1] He became the royal treasurer of the expedition during the navigation. Later on, he was one of several prisoners who escaped from a prison in Ambon Island when Villalobos' crew and ships were captured by the patrolling Portuguese.[2]

During his governorship, he directed Legazpi's nephew Juan de Salcedo to go to the northern portion of Luzon together with some 100 Spanish soldiers and conquer the present-day Ilocos and establish Villa Fernandina.[2] Lavezaris also conquered the peninsula of Camarines and granted vast encomiendas to his loyal generals.[3]

In 1574, he defeated the notorious Chinese pirate Limahong when the latter attempted to colonize the Philippines.[2] In 1575, Spanish friar Martín de Rada filed a complaint to King Philip II of Spain against Lavezaris, which led to his removal from office. He was reported for abusing power and imposing higher tributes to the natives.[3]

He never returned to Spain but retired as a wealthy encomendero. His successor Francisco de Sande issued a decree in 1576 stating the division of his encomienda into smaller lands which were to be distributed to the natives.[4] Sande also filed legal cases like usurpation to him, but this was later absolved by Philip II.[3] The municipality of Lavezares, Northern Samar was named after him.

Maura, Juan Francisco. “La Relación del suceso de la venida del tirano chino del gobernador Guido de Lavezares (1575): Épica española en Asia en el siglo XVI.” Edición, transcripción y notas (incluye facsimil del manuscrito original), Juan Francisco Maura. Lemir (Departamento de Filología Hispánica de la Universidad de Valencia), <http://parnaseo.uv.es/Lemir/Textos/Maura/Index.htm> 2004.