| Native name | Gobernación del Paraguay |
|---|---|
| Long name | Governorate of Paraguay |
| Status | Governorate |
| Empire | Spain |
| Status text | Governorate of the Viceroyalty of Peru Part of the Spanish Empire |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Era | Spanish Empire |
| Date start | December 16 |
| Year start | 1617 |
| Year end | 1782 |
| Event start | Created from the split of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata and of Paraguay |
| Event end | Added to the new Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata |
| P 1 | Governorate of the Río de la Plata |
| S 1 | Intendency of Paraguay |
| Capital | Asunción |
| Common languages | Spanish, Guaraní |
The Governorate of Paraguay (Spanish: Gobernación del Paraguay), originally called the Governorate of Guayrá, was a governorate of the Spanish Empire and part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Its seat was the city of Asunción; its territory roughly encompassed the modern day country of Paraguay.
The Governorate was created on December 16, 1617, by the royal decree of King Philip III as a split of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata and of Paraguay into its respective halves. The Governorate lasted until 1782, after which the massive Viceroyalty of Peru was split, and Paraguay became an intendency (intendencia) of the new Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.
List of governors of Paraguay
| Name | Start of rule | End of rule | King of Spain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hernando Arias de Saavedra | 1615 | 1617 | Philip III |
| Pedro Hurtado de Mendoza | 1618 | 1621 | |
| Manuel de Frías | 21 October 1621 | 1627 | Philip IV |
| Luis de Céspedes García Xería | 1630 | 1633 | |
| Martín de Ledesma Valderrama | 1633 | 1636 | |
| Pedro Lugo de Navarra | 1636 | 1641 | |
| Juan de Velasco Villasanti | 1641 | 27 June 1641 | |
| Gregorio de Hinestrosa | 27 June 1641 | 2 February 1647 | |
| Diego de Escobar y Osorio | 2 February 1647 | 26 February 1649 | |
| Bernardino de Cárdenas | 4 March 1649 | 1 October 1649 | |
| Sebastián de León y Zárate | 1 October 1649 | 10 October 1650 | |
| Andrés Garabito de León | 10 October 1650 | 26 July 1653 | |
| Cristóbal de Garay y Saavedra | 26 July 1653 | 21 September 1656 | |
| Juan Antonio Blázquez de Valverde | 21 September 1656 | 24 September 1659 | |
| Alonso Sarmiento de Sotomayor y Figueroa | 24 September 1659 | 25 August 1662 | |
| Juan Diez de Andino | 25 August 1662 | 13 April 1671 | |
| Charles II | |||
| Francisco Rege Corvalán | 13 April 1671 | 1676 | |
| Diego Ibáñez de Farías | 1676 | 1681 | |
| Juan Diez de Andino | 7 October 1681 | August 1684 | |
| Antonio de Vera Mujica | 18 October 1684 | 30 October 1684 | |
| Alonso Fernández Montiel | 30 October 1684 | 30 October 1685 | |
| Francisco de Monfort | 30 October 1685 | 2 August 1691 | |
| Sebastián Félix de Mendiola | 22 October 1692 | 4 December 1696 | |
| Juan Rodríguez Cota | 4 December 1696 | 27 June 1702 | |
| Philip V | |||
| Antonio de Escobar y Gutiérrez | 27 June 1702 | 1705 | |
| José Ávalos de Mendoza | 1705 | 26 September 1705 | |
| Sebastián Félix de Mendiola | 26 September 1705 | 9 February 1706 | |
| Baltazar García Ros | 9 February 1706 | 10 October 1707 | |
| Manuel de Robles Lorenzana | 10 October 1707 | 5 June 1713 | |
| Juan Gregorio Bazán de Pedraza | 5 June 1713 | 23 January 1717 | |
| Andrés Ortiz de Ocampo | 23 January 1717 | 5 February 1717 | |
| Diego de los Reyes Balmaseda | 5 February 1717 | 20 August 1721 | |
| José de Antequera y Castro | 14 September 1721 | 5 March 1725 | |
| Ramón de las Llanas | 5 March 1725 | 29 April 1725 | |
| Bruno Mauricio de Zabala | 29 April 1725 | 4 May 1725 | |
| Martín de Barúa | 4 May 1725 | 28 December 1730 | |
| Ignacio de Soroeta | 28 December 1730 | 25 January 1731 | |
| 25 January 1731 | 27 July 1733 | ||
| Agustín de Ruyloba | 27 July 1733 | 14 September 1733 | |
| Juan de Arregui y Gutiérrez | 27 September 1733 | 9 December 1733 | |
| Cristóbal Domínguez de Ovelar | 9 December 1733 | 1735 | |
| Bruno Mauricio de Zabala | 30 March 1735 | 1735 | |
| José Martín de Echauri | 1735 | 7 November 1740 | |
| Rafael de la Moneda | 7 November 1740 | August 1747 | |
| Ferdinand VI | |||
| Marcos José Larrazábal | August 1747 | 10 November 1749 | |
| Jaime Sanjust | 10 November 1749 | 2 April 1761 | |
| Charles III | |||
| José Martínez Fontes | 2 April 1761 | 23 July 1764 | |
| Fulgencio Yegros y Ledesma | 23 July 1764 | 29 September 1766 | |
| Carlos Morphi | 29 September 1766 | 23 August 1772 | |
| Agustín Fernando de Pinedo | 23 August 1772 | 1 February 1778 | |
| Pedro Melo de Portugal | 1 February 1778 | 21 August 1787 |