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The Letters of Margil in the Archivo de la Recolección in Guatemala
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 December 2015
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References
1 Eliot, George, Middlemarch (New York: Mershon), p. 5.Google Scholar
2 See Los Conventos Suprimidos en México by Manuel Ramírez Aparicio (Mexico, 1862), p. 326. Another is written by Eduardo Enrique Ríos, up to now the author of the most complete biography of Antonio, Fray, entitled Fray Margil de Jesús, Apóstol de América (Mexico, 1941).Google Scholar
3 In El Peregrino Septentrional Atlante delineado en la Vida del V.P. Fr. Antonio Margil de Jesús fruto de la floridísima Ciudad de Valencia, by the Rev. Isidro Félix de Espinosa (Mexico, J. B. Hogal, 1731.) See pages 56, 59, 69, 70, 76, 77, 83, 89, 92, 125, 126, 165, 216, 239, 240–245, 255, 270, 273, 274, 277, 282, 283, 300, 346, 351, 352, 365, 367, 384, 389, 391, 404, 410, 428 and 445. In the Vida Portentosa del Americano Septentrional Apóstol el V.P. Fr Antonio Margil de Jesús, fundador, etc., by the Rev. Hermenegildo de Vilaplana (Madrid, Juan S. Martín, 1775); see pages 69, 107, 133, 151, 153, 154, 200, 201, 206. Also, naturally, there are references to various letters of Margil in the Crónica Apostólica y Seráfica de todos los Colegios de Propaganda Fide de la Nueva España by the Rev. Isidro F. de Espinosa (Mexico, Hogal, 1746.), primera parte, lib. IV, chaps, xx, xxi, xxiii and xxv. Juan Domingo Arricivita in his continuation of the Crónica Seráfica y Apostólica del Colegio de Propaganda Fide de la Santa Cruz de Querétaro de la Nueva España (Mexico, Zúñiga y Ontiveros, 1792), pp. 1–157 “attempts to reduce to a briefer form” the two aforementioned biographies of Margil. There are also references and short translated passages on pages 23, 37, 38, 69, 83, 85 and 96.
4 Fernández, León, Colección fie Documentos para la Historia de Costa Rica (Barcelona, 1907), vol. IX, pp. 9–11.Google Scholar
5 Ibid., pp. 12–15.
6 Ibid., pp. 16–18.
7 Ibid., pp. 19–21.
8 Op. Cit., vol. V, (ed. Paris, 1886), pp. 412–416.
9 Eduardo E. Ríos, op. cit., pp. 110–138.
10 See the review Archivum Franciscanum Historicum (Quaracchi, prope Florentiam), vol. XXV, p. 302; see also the work by Ríos already cited, pp. 138, 192 and 201.
11 Rich Collection, vol. I, fols. 166v.-169v.
12 Ibid., vol. I, fols. 251v.-253r. Number 89 of the Rich Collection comprises two volumes (tomes 27 and 28). This is part of a collection which is preserved in the Archivo General de la Nacion de Mexico in the “Historia” section, which came originally from the Convento de San Francisco de Mexico. They are certified as authentic copies by Fray Francisco García de Figueroa in Mexico on October 28, 1792. The missionaries in Texas at the time of Margil were separated into two groups: those of the Colegio de Santa Cruz de Querétaro, of whom Fray Isidro Félix de Espinosa was presidente, and those of the Colegio de Guadalupe de Zacatecas, which was under the administration of Margil.
13 Rev. García, Daniel Sánchez, Un gran apóstol de las Américas Septentrional y Central (Guatemala, Tip. San Antonio, 1917), p. iii of the prologue.Google Scholar We must bear in mind that he says these letters were found in the Archivo de San Francisco in Guatemala, but they pertain to the Recolección (Colegio de Cristo Crucificado) and in this latter place they now are to be found.
14 This Informe was published in 1917 in the Archivo Ibero-Americano (Madrid) by the Rev. Sánchez García (vol. VII, pp. 134–143), who further tells us of information obtained from Atanasio López concerning the existence of various interesting documents about the aforementioned Colegio de Cristo Crucificado, at that time (1917) in the possession of Teofilo Dominichelli in the Commissariat of the Holy Land at Livorno, Italy. Among them is a letter of Margil written in Querétaro, Feb. 9, 1709, to Fray Tomás de Arriviílaga containing details of the life of Fray Melchor López, Margiffs close companion.
15 Sánchez García, op. cit., pp. 77, 78, 112, 130, 165, 166, 173, 179, 181, 187, 190, 227, 229; and on pp. 228–229 there is a complete copy of a letter from Margil to Leona de Jesús, written in Cartago, April 13, 1706. When Sánchez wrote, it was in the possession of the Recinos family of Guatemala. Also transcribed almost entirely are several reports by Margil to the Real Audiencia, which Sánchez copied in the Archivo General de Indias at Seville.
16 He means to say, “You have taken as your confessor,” as can be inferred from the text.
17 He makes reference to the Rector of the Jesuit college.
18 Verapaz, Guatemala. The whole letter is published by Sánchez.
19 Thatched church—of straw, Tr. Isidro called it in his Crónica Apostólica already cited, book V, ch. xxix.
20 Fray Tomás was a lector of theology and it appears from the context that it was at Almolonga, some three miles from Guatemala. It is probable that Margil was a guest in the Convento Grande de San Francisco near Santa Clara while he was preaching to the religious. Fray Tomás Arrivillaga was one of those who went from the Province of the Name of Jesus in Guatemala to the Colegio de Cristo Crucificado which held its inauguration ceremonies on those days, June 12 and 13, 1701. The words of Margil in a previous note, “A tercer día, solemnísimo, el de nuestro San Antonio, muchos altares, etc.” refer to altars that had been set up along the roads for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the college from the cathedral. It was to take place on the feast of St. Anthony.
21 He actually was transferred and was guardian there for three terms. He is not to be confused with Fray Antonio de Andrade, a missionary active in Costa Rica, and also guardian of the same college for two terms, who, says Juarros, removed the remains of the protomartyr of the college, Fray Pablo de Rebullida de Santo Domingo, from Costa Rica. See Domingo Juarros, Compendio de la Historia de la Ciudad de Guatemala, vol. II, tr. v, ch. xix. But from a letter of Margil, No. 28, which is published here, we know that it is Francisco Andrade who ordered Fr. Antonio Andrade to remove those remains.
22 Espinosa, op. cit., lib. II, chaps, iv and v. Concerning the sorceries in Matagalpa, Solingalpa, Molagiiina, Xinotega and Mui-Mui, in the District of Sébaco, as it was then known, Margil sent a report to the Audiencia of Guatemala. Already by Sept. 25, 1703, Margil was returning to Guatemala, as can be inferred from the 3rd letter—not Margil’s—of this collection. There is another letter by Margil written in October of the same year contained in vol. X of the Talamanca, fol. 469, in the same Archivo de la Recolección.
23 Fray Pablo de Rebullida refers to this Bernabé de los Ríos in a letter to Margil written on August 8, 1704, telling him that he has learned that Bernabé will go to Talamanca as presidente of the mission. Fray Bautista must be Fray Juan Bautista Lázaro, missionary in Huasteca, Mexico.
24 He seems to refer to Fray Francisco Murga and Fray Raimundo Barrientos. He has already been on mission journies with Fray Pedro de la Concepción among the Xicaques in Xamastrán, Honduras. See the Revista de la Universidad de Honduras, t. I, p. 651.
25 The report or letter must be from Fray Pablo de Rebullida, who uses “términos horrorosos” because truly “el habla en su lengua y según su espiritu,” as Margil says.
26 He is Fray Juan Bautista Alvarez de Toledo, whom we have said was Provincial of Guatemala, and years afterward was Bishop of Chiapas, then of Guatemala, and later the Bishop-elect of Guadalajara.
27 Well-known benefactor of the new college.
28 One must bear in mind that the See in Guatemala was vacant in this year after the death of Bishop Andrés de las Navas on Nov. 2, 1701, but probably at some previous time he had lent an ear to the false accusations and rumors to the effect that the missionaries had obtained confessions about practices of magic by the use of torture, which was untrue. Cf. Joaquín Pardo, Efemérides para escribir la Historia de la M.N. y M.L. Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, p. 128.
29 It appears to refer to the report of Teniente de Capitán General D. Jacobo Barba de Figueroa. Cf. Espinosa, op. cit., lib. II, ch. 9.
30 Fray Francisco Estévez.
31 Fray Estévez was supposed to take Margil’s place in Guatemala so that Margil could go to Peru. It was Fray Estévez’ illness that prevented him from coming to Guatemala, and not that he forbade Margil to go to Peru, as Ríos hypothetically states (Op. cit., p. 117). Fray Tomás de Arrivillaga in a letter to Margil from Guatemala, dated May 20th of the same year, 1704, strongly advises him against going (in the same collection, No. 10 of those that are not by Margil). Arrivillaga supposes that Margil believes that Estévez will replace him in the new college, inferring this from the same words of Margil and he did not agree with this opinion of Margil. He expressly says that Bartolomé de Gálvez was quite disgusted at the way Estévez approved of Margil’s going to Peru, leaving the college without his support.
32 Published in its entirety by Sánchez, op. cit., p. 130–131, and by Ríos, op. cit., p. 125.
33 This Fray Antonio Salinas had been a person of great authority and influence in Mexico, even with the Archbishop. See the letter of Fray Antonio de Quiroga, the Provincial of Guatemala, in the same collection, No. 12 of those that are not by Margil.
34 Four years later he was provincial there. This letter was also partly published by Sánchez, op. cit., p. 165–166.
35 Espejo had already been in Zacatecas. Later in the letter Margil writes: “Su Guadalupe de Zacatecas.”
36 Nayarit.
37 José Guerra, co-founder of the Colegio de Zacatecas.
38 It actually was thus.
39 Fray Antonio was the Bishop of Comayagua, Honduras, from 1725 to April, 1742. Nevertheless in September, 1725, the See of Comayagua was vacant. Bear in mind the Gaceta de Mexico which is reproduced in the Revista de la Universidad de Honduras, t. IV, p. 140. He took possession in 1728.
40 The colleges of the Propaganda Fide were accustomed to taking as “superioress” the Blessed Virgin Mary under some particular invocation.
41 He must have received the Tabla Capitular after he had written his letter of November 15; after receiving it, he felt obliged to write another letter.
42 Fray Alonso del Castillo, noted theologian and jurist.
43 Perhaps he refers to the Indians of the Island of Mosquitos, the Zambos, whose conquest D. Lorenzo Antonio de Granda y Balbín, the Governor of Costa Rica, had proposed. The latter refers to this proposition in a letter dated September 1st of the same year, 1713. See Talamanca, fol. 1, in the Archivo de la Recolección in Guatemala.
44 D. Fray Benito Garret y Arloví, Premonstratensian. Part of this letter was published by Sánchez, op. cit., p. 173–174.
45 Part of this was published by Sánchez. In the royal cedula mentioned above the King approves the opening of missions in Boruca before, as Sr. Presidente Cosío had said, the Zambos stirred in revolt.
46 He gives no name to this, but says only Camino. It is published in part by Sánchez, op. cit., p. 179.
47 A little later he was named Governor of Cohahuila and Texas. Part of this letter was published by Sánchez, op. cit., pp. 180–181.
48 The greater part of this was published by Sánchez, op. cit., p. 187.
49 Part of this was published by Sánchez, op. cit., pp. 190–191.
50 Already mentioned in the previous letters, he was elected Bishop of Guadalajara. This close friendship with Margil takes away many of the shadows cast upon his name by the Dominican chronicler, Fray Francisco Ximénez.
51 D. Francisco Rodríguez de Rivas.
52 One must remember that the Indians were exempt from the jurisdiction of the Holy Tribunal of the Inquisition.
53 We have seen that they called the leaders of the cult of sorcery and idolatry by these names.
54 The pseudonym of another pious woman at the Colegio de Cristo Crucificado.
55 It must refer to the litigation between the Colegio de Cristo and the Bishopric of Guatemala over the use of the special faculties that the missionaries of the Propaganda Fide had, such as those for consecrating altars, etc. A good part of these court records are still preserved in the Archive of the same college in the Church of the Recolección.
56 Altar stones.