Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Leiva

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Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Leiva, primer marqués de Mancera (ca. 1585, Madrid—1654, Madrid) was a Spanish general, colonial administrator, and viceroy of Peru from December 18, 1639 to September 20, 1648.

He served in the armies in Italy, rising to the rank of lieutenant general in the royal galleys of Sicily. Thereafter he served eight years as governor and captain general of Galicia. In 1621 he married María Luisa Salazar y Enríquez de Navarra, tercera Señora de El Mármol.

He was named viceroy of Peru in 1639, at the age of 54. He traveled to Peru with his son, Antonio Sebastián de Toledo, second Marquess of Mancera (ca. 1621-1715). The son was later viceroy of New Spain (1664-73).

As viceroy, the first marquess introduced the papel sellado (literally, sealed paper).^[1] He expanded the naval forces and fortified the ports of Valdivia, Valparaíso, Arica and Callao. In Callao he ordered the construction of a 4-km-long wall, which was completed in 1647.

He organized literary discussion parties, tertulias a formalized kind of official salon. In these was invented the mancerina, a ceramic or silver saucer with a framework for holding a jícara, or chocolate cup. The manufacture of mancerinas later became an industry in the Spanish towns of Manises and Talavera.

Are the end of his term as viceroy, Álvarez de Toledo returned to Spain. He died in Madrid in 1654.

[edit] Footnotes

^ For the purpose of increasing royal revenues in the first part of the 17th Century, a series of measures were adopted. One of the measures was the introduction of papel sellado, by a royal decree of 1638. This required the use of seals on official documents in the Indies, such as contracts, judicial decrees, deeds, etc. A tax was charged for the seals.