Pedro Antonio de Cevallos was born in Cádiz, and came from a renowned Cantabrian family.

On 12 October 1776 he sailed with an army from Cadiz, and spent the Southern Hemisphere summer in Buenos Aires, where he had been appointed Viceroy.

He then marched to Colonia del Sacramento, a disputed Portuguese city in present-day Uruguay, which surrendered almost immediately.

He then marched towards Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, conquered Santa Catarina island, but received word from a treaty having been signed between Spain and Portugal and turned back.

He was buried in the Cordoba Cathedral in a sumptuous ceremony, a memorable event in the city's history.