José de Antequera

Bora 1690; died 1731. Panamanian; leader of one of the first large uprisings against Spanish rule in South America.

In 1721, Antequera was sent as a judicial commissioner to Asunción (Paraguay), where the inhabitants had risen in opposition to the dominance of the Jesuits, who were receiving privileges from the Spanish crown. Upon arriving in Asunción, Antequera removed from power Governor Reyes, who supported the Jesuits, and led a movement against the Jesuits and their patrons in the Spanish administration. The movement acquired the form of an uprising against Spanish rule. After many years of struggle, the Jesuits were driven out of Asunción; however, in 1725 Antequera’s militia was smashed, and he was subsequently arrested and executed.