Juan de Cáceres y Ulloa


Juan de Cáceres y Ulloa was a Spanish nobleman and musician, who served as organist of Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral. He was the first musician of the Río de la Plata, together with Juan Vizcaíno de Agüero.

Biography

Cáceres was born in Buenos Aires, the son of Alonso de Cáceres and María Coutinho, belonging to a noble Creole family of Spanish and Portuguese roots. His grandfather was Felipe de Cáceres, who served as interim governor of Paraguay between 1565-1572. His mother María, was daughter of Juan López and Isabel de Melo Coutinho, a noble woman descendant of Vasco Fernandes Coutinho and Pedro Álvarez Holguín de Ulloa.
Juan de Cáceres y Ulloa was a disciple of Juan Vizcaíno de Agüero, organist of Cathedral of Buenos Aires. He was hired in the post of organist of the Eglise, with a salary of 100 pesos a year, in replacement of Aguero. He took over the organ, and the plainchant of the Cathedral, and he remained during a period of nearly 30 years.