Juan Ignacio de la Carrera Yturgoyen (31 July 1620 â 27 March 1682) was a Spanish soldier known for his career in colonial administration of Chile and for being the original patriarch of the Carrera family, a family that had outstanding public participation during the nineteenth century, especially during the Independence of Chile.
Carrera was born on 31 July 1620 in Alegia, Kingdom of Navarre (present-day, Basque Country, Spain) to Juan de la Carrera Lapaza and Francisca de Iturgoyen y Amasa. Carrera was baptised on 31 August 1620.
Carrera arrived in Concepción on 4 April 1639 whilst serving as retinue to Francisco López de Zúñiga, 2nd Marquess of Baides.
During his political career he held the following roles:
In 1655, Carrera married Catalina de Elguea y Cáceres, the great-great-granddaughter of , with whom he had ten children. Carrera fathered three illegitimate children.