In Guatemala , Gálvez showed himself an active administrator and a good organizer . He worked to reconstruct Guatemala City after the earthquake of 1773 , established a mint and built the cathedral . When Spain entered the Anglo-Spanish War as an opponent of Great Britain in 1779 , he became involved in defending the colonial territories against British attacks . He repulsed the English at San Fernando de Omoa , and won victories against British positions in Belize in 1779 . Because of the distance and the scarcity of resources , he was not able to aid Fort San Juan , Nicaragua , which fell to an English expedition led by Horatio Nelson . The English were forced to abandon it on January 5 , 1781 , after their forces were decimated by tropical diseases . In March 1782 Gálvez led an expedition along the Caribbean coast that captured the island of Roatán and scattered the British settlement at Black River , although the later was retaken by the British settlers two months later
the earthquake of 1773
1773 Guatemala earthquake
Matías de Gálvez