Count of Tendilla Alhambra: First Governor After 1492
Íñigo López de Mendoza, Count of Tendilla, ran the Alhambra from 1492 to 1515. See how Granada's first Christian governor lived, ruled and wrote 6,000 letters.
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- Also known as
- Iñigo López de Mendoza, Conde de Tendilla
The Count of Tendilla, Íñigo López de Mendoza, was born around 1440 and died in Granada on 20 July 1515. After the conquest in 1492 he became the first Governor (alcaide) of the Alhambra, and his formal appointment as Captain General followed in 1502. He set up house in a Nasrid palace, and in September 1512 he obtained the title of Marquis of Mondéjar. He also protected humanists, among them Pedro Mártir de Anglería, tutor of his children.
His trace is on the hill itself. The Alhambra was his residence and, according to Cuadernos de la Alhambra, the seat of the Captaincy General of the Kingdom of Granada. Three surviving registers of his correspondence, from 1504 to his death, hold roughly six thousand letters written mainly from the Alhambra.
For the wider setting, read the political history of the Alhambra's rooms and convivencia in Granada. The full account of his governorship is in the main article: Read the full story.
The full story
Places to see
In their time
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Castilian conquest & the Moriscos
1492–1610
Boabdil handed Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella on 2 January 1492, after a siege whose camp became the town of Santa Fe. Enrique Egas drew a Gothic plan for the cathedral in 1518 and building began in 1523. Diego de Siloé, master builder from 1529, changed it into Spain's first fully Renaissance cathedral, with a circular capilla mayor.
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Monastery of San Jerónimo
1504 Monument
San Jerónimo holds the tomb of the Great Captain in a Renaissance church completed in 1522, with a carved altarpiece and gilded ceilings of exceptional quality.
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Royal Chapel of Granada
1504 Monument
Isabelline Gothic chapel with the tombs of Isabella I and Ferdinand II. The sacristy holds royal regalia and paintings by Memling, Botticelli, and Bouts.
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Monasterio de la Cartuja
1516 Monument
Founded in 1516 by El Gran Capitán, La Cartuja's sacristy is one of Spain's most ornate Baroque spaces — marble inlay, gilded altars, and near-total silence.
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Granada Cathedral
1523 Monument
Granada Cathedral in Spain took 181 years to build from 1523, blending Gothic foundations with a Renaissance interior of five naves and a gilded dome chapel.
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Mirador de San Nicolás
1525 Monument
Free 24-hour viewpoint in the Albaicín with unobstructed Alhambra views and the Sierra Nevada as backdrop. Crowds peak at sunset; early morning is far quieter.
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Hernando de Talavera
c. 1430–1507 Historical figure
Hernando de Talavera, Isabella's confessor, became Granada's first archbishop in 1493. He learned Arabic himself and encouraged his clergy to do the same.
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Isabella I
1451–1504 Historical figure
Isabella I of Castile, queen 1474–1504, chose Granada for her tomb in 1504. Her life in brief and where her trace survives in the Royal Chapel and the city.
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Ferdinand II of Aragon
1452–1516 Historical figure
Ferdinand II of Aragon co-ruled with Queen Isabella through the Granada War, which ended on 2 January 1492, and is buried in the Royal Chapel of Granada.
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Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
1453–1515 Historical figure
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the Gran Capitán, helped arrange Granada's surrender in 1492 and died near the city in 1515. Where his trace remains in Granada.
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Pedro Machuca
c. 1490–1550 Historical figure
Pedro Machuca, the Toledo-born architect and painter who designed the Palace of Charles V in the Alhambra from 1527. Where to see his work around Granada.
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