Juan Manso de Contreras

Juan Manso de Contreras (?? – 1671) was the Governor of New Mexico between 1656 and 1659.

Juan Manso de Contreras was born in la Villa de Loarca, Consejo de Valdes, in Oviedo (Asturias, Spain). He lived in Sevilla (Andalusia, Spain). Juan Manso was the younger half-brother of Fray Tomás Manso. Fray Manso was the bishop of Nicaragua. This led to good relations with the Franciscans.

Around 1652, Juan and Tomás Manso traveled to New Spain on a mission. This mission supplied caravans from Mexico City to Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1656 he began work with the mission supply wagons.

Juan Manso was appointment Governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1656. He issued legislation against the Pueblo Native Americans, because of his religion. Contreras created many enemies among the Spanish settlers of New Mexico. One of them was the Soldier Francisco de Anaya Almazán (who occupied several importants charges in the military and administrative areas). He was jailed (although he escaped with the help of Pedro Lucero de Godoy and Francisco Gómez de Robledo). The reasons of imprisonment of Anaya are unknown.

Manso was replaced by Bernardo López de Mendizábal in the New Mexico government in 1656.

After this, Contreras moved to Mexico City, where he lived until 1661. In that year, he was charged with Alguacil mayor, or chief constable, to New Mexico to arrest López following a commission from the Inquisition. Mendizabal was arrested in the spring of 1663 and Contreras moved to Parral, in New Vizcaya where he became administrator of the New Mexico mission. He supplied wagons while working in Parral. He continued until his death in 1671.

Contreras married Maria de Medina.They had one son named Francisco Manso de Contreras.