Francisco Lopez de Zuniga, 2nd Marquis of Baides and Count of Pedrosa (1599-19 September 1656) was the Governor of the Captaincy-General of Chile from 1639 to 1646.
Biography[]
Lopez de Zuniga was a knight of the Order of Santiago, and commanded Spanish troops in the Thirty Years' War for 16 years. He fought in Flanders and Germany, and in 1639 he was made the Governor of the Kingdom of Chile. Corruption flourished, but Lopez de Zuniga made deals with the natives. In 1641 he briefly made peace with the Mapuche during the Arauco War, and in 1646 he was recalled.
In 1656, Lopez de Zuniga returned home to Spain on the Spanish treasure fleet. However, Richard Stayner of the Royal Navy intercepted the fleet of Cadiz and destroyed 6 of 8 ships in the convoy. Lopez de Zuniga, his wife, and one of his daughters died in the attack, which crippled Spain's economy.