San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María

San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María Saint Jerome of the Virgin Mary
Town
Pueblo de San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María
Flag
Nickname(s):  San Jerónimo
Motto(s):  Empezar de la'Nación
Country	Creeperopolis
Captaincy General	San Carlos Islands
Province	Esclaveta
Established	30 September 1384
Abandoned	5 August 1412
Founded by	Cristóbal Colón Cámarillo
Named for	Saint Jerome
Government
• Type	Mayorship
• Mayor	Armando Galván Bernárdez (last)
Elevation (Southern Ocean)	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (1400)
• Total	1,449
	Excludes slave population as the figure was not recorded.
Demonym(s)	San Jerómeño

San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María (pronounced: [san xeˈɾo.ni.mo de la ˈβiɾ.xen maˈɾi.a]; translated as: Saint Jerome of the Virgin Mary) was a Creeperian settlement and trading post for both general goods and slaves located in the province of Esclaveta on the island of Esclaveta. The settlement was the first ever Creeperian settlement in Esclaveta, founded on 30 September 1384 by Admiral Cristóbal Colón Cámarillo.

During the settlement's existence, it served as a trading outpost between Esclaveta and the other islands of the San Carlos Islands and also as a slave trading hub for within the province of Esclaveta, after the city of Anadesa was established. San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María was abandoned and destroyed during the Revolt of Esclaveta of 1412 and its location has since been lost.

Establishment

On 17 November 1383, Admiral Cristóbal Colón Cámarillo began his second voyage to the San Carlos Islands, which he landed on two years prior on 12 October 1381. He arrived at the San Carlos Islands on 15 March 1834, and from there, he navigated the islands, eventually landing on the island which they named Isla Adolfo I. He and his men landed on 30 September 1384, the feast day of Catholic Saint Jerome. He established a settlement and named it after him, naming it San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María.

On 2 October 1384, Colón Cámarillo reported that a fight erupted between his men and Native San Carlos Islanders which were living near the settlement. In the ensuing fight, four Natives and four Creeperans were killed, with more being injured. After the fight happened, the Natives demanded that the Creeperans leave from the island and never return. Colón Cámarillo departed from the settlement on 5 October 1384 and returned to Creeperopolis, recording its location for future use, as many of the structures that his men build were meant to be permanent.

On 12 October 1389, then Captain General Colón Cámarillo appointed Commander Hernán Núñez Jalisco as the Mayor of San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María. He ordered Núñez Jalisco to reestablish the settlement and to forcibly take it from the Natives if he had to, also allowing him to enslave any Natives that attempt to prevent him from securing the settlement or attempt to ward off his force. Núñez Jalisco landed at the location of San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María on 3 February 1390 and engaged in combat with several Natives who attempted to force him to withdraw. After the engagement, he and his men secured control of the settlement and began enslaving Natives, beginning slavery in the San Carlos Islands.

Use as a slave trading post

Under Núñez Jalisco, the settlement became a center for trading slaves between Isla Adolfo I and the rest of the San Carlos Islands. Pedro Gutiérrez Valdivia became Captain General on 22 April 1392 and decided to expand slavery on the island. He increased commitment to subjugating and enslaving the Natives on Isla Adolfo I, which has since been known as the island of Esclaveta, earning him the nickname "El Esclavizador," meaning "The Enslaver." During his tenure, brutal punishments were introduced against slaves who violated laws or codes of conduct, including torture and death. A caste system, known as the Casta, was also introduced as a form of segregation and established a racial hierarchy.

As a part of his expansion of slavery in the San Carlos Islands, he established the city of Anadesa on Esclaveta on 11 December 1392. He selected to make Núñez Jalisco the Mayor of Anadesa, and he was replaced by Commander José González Sandoval on 1 May 1389. González Sandoval continued ordering his men to find and enslave any Natives they found in the countryside, giving each soldier a bonus of an unknown amount of gold for each slave they captured, and sometimes, he even offered the soldiers free slaves for their efforts.

In 1397, González Sandoval received the first families in San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María to expand and grow the population of the settlement. Most of the families which arrived were the wives and children and blood relatives of the soldiers who were serving under González Sandoval. By 1400, the population of the settlement was reported to be at 1,449, not including the amount of enslaved Natives living in San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María at the time as they were not counted in the census.

González Sandoval died on 29 February 1408. He was succeeded as Mayor by Captain Armando Galván Bernárdez, his most senior military officer.

Abandonment and destruction

On 3 May 1412, Gutiérrez Valdivia was assassinated by several of his Native slaves outside the San Carlos Mission in Cámarillo, the capital city of the San Carlos Islands. He was stabbed and beat to death by several of his slaves who sought to end his reign of terror. Gutiérrez Valdivia was succeeded by Gustavo Hurtado Mendoza, the Mayor of Cámarillo, who had the slaves publicly tortured to death in front of the San Carlos Mission. The slaves' entire families were also put to death due to their relations to the assassins.

News of the assassination spread across the islands, and when it reached Esclaveta, the slaves staged an uprising against the Creeperans. As a part of the revolt, the slaves in San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María rose up against their Creeperian masters and many free Natives from the countryside joined in the attack on the settlement. On 5 August 1412, Galván Bernárdez had everyone in the settlement evacuate by marching west to Anadesa. During the attack, only 219 Creeperans survived, while the remainder were killed or enslaved by the Natives. The Natives burned and destroyed the settlement of San Jerónimo de la'Virgen María after the Creeperans abandoned it.

The Creeperans never attempted to recapture the city from Native control, even after the revolt was put down. Galván Bernárdez attempted to relocate the settlement in 1413, however, he died during his attempt to relocate it. The site has since been considered lost.

Mayors

Portrait		Mayor (Birth–Death)	Term of office & mandate Duration in years and days
1		Admiral Cristóbal Colón Cámarillo (1330–1392)	30 September 1384	5 October 1384
			5 days
No mayor (5 October 1384 – 12 October 1389)
2		Commander Hernán Núñez Jalisco (1343–1402)	12 October 1389	1 May 1393
			3 years and 201 days
3		Commander José González Sandoval (1363–1408)	1 May 1393	29 February 1408
			14 years and 304 days
4		Commander Armando Galván Bernárdez (1370–1413)	29 February 1408	5 August 1412
			4 years and 158 days

See also

• Xichútepa