Governor Isidoro Posadillo lands at Mesenieng with 50 soldiers, 50 Filipino convicts and six Capuchins, founding Santiago de la Ascensión (Kolonia).
What happened
The governor’s party had sailed from Manila in early February and stopped about three weeks at Yap on the way. One of Posadillo’s first acts was to name Pohnpei’s chiefs “gobernadorcillos” and give them Spanish flags and scepters, meant to confirm their rank under Spanish authority. Sources give his first name as Isidoro, Isidro or José.
Why it matters
Santiago de la Ascensión, built at Mesenieng, grew into Kolonia, Pohnpei’s main town.
Who’s who
- Isidoro PosadilloFirst Spanish governor of the Eastern Carolines at Pohnpei; killed in the July 1887 uprising.