Juan de Posada

Juan de Posada, was a governor of Florida and Santa Elena between 1588 and 1589.

Juan de Posada was born in Llanes, in Asturias, and was the son of Pedro de Tarapiella and Teresa Díaz de Posada. He married Catalina Menéndez Márquez, a sister of Pedro Menéndez Márquez. One of their daughters, María Menéndez y Posada, married future governor of Florida Juan Menendez Marquez when she was only 12 years old. The marriage was arranged by the uncle of both, Pedro Menéndez Márquez. Maria Menéndez y Posada inherited the title of royal treasurer of Saint Augustine from her father.

Juan de Posada started serving in the military in 1570, and is first mentioned in Florida on October 1, 1578, where he was the tenedor de bastimentos (person in charge of the distribution of food). On August 19, 1588, Governor Menéndez Márquez named him captain of the fort of Santa Elena and, in this same year, he was appointed as the governor of Florida, keeping the title until 1589. Juan de Posada was named treasurer of Saint Augustine on the 17th of April, 1592, but drowned the same year while trying to sail to Florida.