[3] He was the son of Miguel Antonio Tacón y Fosca, a brigadier in the Spanish Royal Army, and of María Francisca Rosique y Ribera.

[3] In March 1806, he was named civil and military Governor of Popayán Province (today's Southern Colombia).

Here he joined the army of Viceroy of Peru Pezuela, and participated in the victories in the Battles of Vilcapugio and Viluma.

Considered a liberal, he was sidelined during the Ominous Decade (1823-1833) in which King Ferdinand VII reestablished a conservative Absolute Monarchy.

His good governance of the island in daily matters and public works, especially in Havana, thanks to the zeal of the mayor Claudio Martínez de Pinillos, was overshadowed by his despotic style and his promotion of slave trade.