Miguel Antonio de Arrascaeta
Miguel Antonio de Arrascaeta | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 21, 1719 Córdoba, Governorate of Tucumán, Viceroyalty of Peru |
| Died | July 9, 1767 (aged 48) Fuerte del Sauce frontier, Viceroyalty of Peru |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Occupations | Soldier and explorer |
| Known for | Holder of the Arrascaeta royal land grant (1757) |
| Spouse | María Josefa Ferreyra de Aguiar |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) | Antonio de Arrascaeta y Hemasabel Micaela Ferreyra de Acevedo |
Miguel Antonio de Arrascaeta (Córdoba, 21 January 1719 – Fuerte del Sauce, 9 July 1767) was a Spanish military officer and explorer who served in the Governorate of Tucumán, then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, during the reigns of Ferdinand VI (1746–1759) and Charles III (1759–1788).
He attained the rank of Maestre de Campo in the militias of Córdoba and led several expeditions into the Gran Chaco as part of the peace and defense policies implemented along one of the most unstable frontiers of the colonial domain. According to expedition diaries, Miguel de Arrascaeta carried out explorations in the Chaco with the assistance of the cacique Colompotop, referred to in the sources as a “friendly and allied Indian.”
In a letter sent to the Viceroy of Peru in 1766, the Governor of Tucumán, Juan Manuel Campero, praised his merits, training, and military discipline, considering him capable of "competing with the most seasoned veterans."
In recognition of his services—and those of his ancestors—to the Spanish Crown, Arrascaeta was granted a royal land grant (merced real) for himself and his successors. In the text of this grant, he stated that he had served "from my earliest years [...] at my own expense and without pay," and that his ancestors had served the Crown "in all the political and military offices held by this city since its first founding".