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The Ordenanza del Patronazgo in New Spain, 1574-1600

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

John Frederick Schwaller
John Frederick Schwaller*
Affiliation:
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431
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Extract

The history of the Church in Mexico has seen an ongoing confrontation between the secular and the regular clergy. During various periods one or the other side would achieve ascendency, only to decline at a later date. The religious orders have chronicled the exploits of their brothers and friars, yet to this day the activities of the secular clergy have remained largely unknown. One critical period in the development and expansion of the secular clergy occurred between the promulgation of the Ordenanza del Patronazgo in 1574 and the end of the sixteenth century. In this quarter century many of the basic institutions of the diocesan establishment came into being, and in general the whole ecclesiastical hierarchy felt the changes. This essay specifically will focus on the implementation of the Ordenanza del Patronazgo and its effect on the secular clergy.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , January 1986 , pp. 253 - 274
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1986

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References

* An earlier version of this essay appears in Cole, Jeffery A., ed., The Church and Society in Latin America (New Orleans, 1984), pp. 39–50.Google Scholar I wish to thank the Rev. Stafford Poole, Rev. Francisco Morales, and Dr. Richard Greenleaf for their comments at various points in the development of this essay. The research upon which this piece is based was funded in part by the government of Mexico, the Organization of American States, and the U.S. Department of Education.

1 Haring, Clarence, The Spanish Empire in America (New York, 1947), pp. 103–105 Google Scholar

2 Padden, Robert C., “Ordenanza del Patronazgo of 1574: An Interpretive Essay,” The Americas, 12 (1956), pp. 333–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar For a fuller treatment of the juridico-historical role of the Ordenanza in the conflict between the secular and regular clergies see Padden, Robert C., “The Colonial Church in New Spain: Era of Establishment,” Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of California-Berkeley, 1959.Google Scholar

3 Catholic Encyclopedia, 16 vols. (New York, 1907), vol. 2, “Benefice”, p. 473.

4 The papers dealing with the first oposiciones can be found in three places. The registry book and oposición records are in the Archivo Arzobispal de Mexico (AAM), Ordenes Sacros, I. Moya’s letters and reports to Spain are in Archivo General de Indias, Seville (AGI), Mexico, 336-A, doc. 117. Several of these have been published in del Paso, Francisco, y Troncoso, , Epistolario de la Nueva España, 16 vols. (Mexico, 1939–42), vol. 11, pp. 237–260.Google Scholar

5 AGI, Mexico 336-A, doc. 117 a & b, 24 Jan. 1575, “Nombramiento & Instrucción”; Paso, y Troncosco, Epistolario, 11, pp. 237–239.Google Scholar

6 This chronology is based on the letter of Moya to Ovando, AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 117, 30 Mar. 1575; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, pp. 244–249.Google Scholar The daily record is in AAM, Ordenes Sacros, I.

7 AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 117 d, “Oposición de Zumpango y Huipuztla,” 8 Mar. 1575; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, p. 243.Google Scholar

8 Schwaller, John F., Partidos y Párrocos bajo la Real Corona en la Nueva España, Siglo XVI (Mexico, 1981), p. 508.Google Scholar

9 AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 117 d; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, p. 243.Google Scholar

10 AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 117 e, “Presentación,” 26 Mar. 1575; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, pp. 241–242.Google Scholar

11 Records of the early presentations can be found in AAM, Ordenes Sacros, I.

12 Ibid.

13 AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 117, Moya to Ovando, 30 Mar., 1575; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, pp. 244–248.Google Scholar

14 Ibid., “a titulo de unos beneficios mentales y imaginados o de unos patrimonios fingidos.”

15 AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 109, Moya to Ovando, 20 Dec, 1574; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, pp. 204–210.Google Scholar

16 AGI, Mexico, 343, Romano to Ovando, 14 Mar. 1575, “cada uno escrivira a V Sa; facil cosa sera entrando la autoridad de V Sa por medio q. tengan paz, quitados puntos y niñerias.”

17 Ibid.

18 AGI, Mexico, 343, Romano to Ovando, 25 Oct. 1574.

19 AGI, Mexico, 343, Romano to Ovando, 10–11 Dec. 1574.

20 AGI, Mexico, 343, Romano to King in Council of the Indies, 20 Mar. 1575.

21 AGI, Mexico, 343, Romano to King in Council of the Indies, 1 Nov. 1579.

22 AGI, Mexico, 343, Romano to King in Council of the Indies, 23 July 1581 and 24 Dec. 1581.

23 Gerhard, Peter, A Guide to the Historical Geography of New Spain (Cambridge, 1973), pp. 57 Google Scholar and 142; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 14, 92 Google Scholar; del Paso, Francisco, y Troncoso, , Papeles de la Nueva España, 7 vols. (Madrid, 1907), vol. 5, p. 262 Google Scholar; AGI, Mexico, 284, Juan Vizcaino.

24 AGI, Mexico, 1064, Libro 2 (F-2), ff. 91v–92, 100v–101.

25 AGI, Mexico, 357, Albuquerque to King in Council of the Indies, 12 Mar. 1577.

26 AGI, Mexico, 374, Medina Rincón to King, 20 Mar. 1576.

27 AGI, Mexico, 374, Medina Rincón to King in Council of the Indies, 4 Mar. 1582 and 3 Nov. 1582.

28 AGI, Guadalajara, 55, Mendiola to King, 3 Ap. 1584.

29 AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 109, Moya to Ovando, 20 Oct. 1574; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, pp. 204–210.Google Scholar

30 AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 118, Moya to Ovando, 22 Ap. 1575; Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 11, pp. 256–261.Google Scholar

31 AGI, Mexico, 19, doc. 151, Enríquez to King, 8 Mar. 1575.

32 Cartas de Indias (Madrid, 1877), pp. 315–322.

33 Hanke, Lewis, ed., Los virreyes (Madrid, 1977), 1, pp. 205–206.Google Scholar

34 The subsequent discussion of the impact of the Ordenanza is based on data found in AAM, Ordenes Sacros, I. This is corroborated, where possible, by data from the Royal Treasury accounts published in Schwaller, Partidos.

35 AGN, General de Parte, 2, f. 167, exp. 717; f. 176, exp. 751; f. 183, exp. 779.

36 Pimentel, Luis García, Descripción del arzobispado de México hecha en 1570 (Mexico, 1897), pp. 317–399.Google Scholar

37 Cartas de Indias, pp. 196–218.

38 Paso, y Troncoso, , Epistolario, 14, pp. 72–101.Google Scholar

39 AGI, Patronato, 183, Num. 1, Ramo 3, “Relacion de los clerigos.”

40 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, 992, exp. 2, “Oposicion de Chiapa.”

41 AGI, Mexico, 217, doc. 34, 17 Ap. 1583.

42 AGI, Mexico, 210, doc. 27; AGI, Mexico, 282, Cristóbal Gil.

43 AGI, Patronato, 183, Num. 1, Ramo. 3.

44 Ibid.; AGI, Mexico, 343, Romano to Villamanrique, 8 May 1586.

45 The papers dealing with these appointments and the ensuing controversy come from: AGI, Mexico, 20, doc. 81; AGI, Mexico, Ramo 2, 26 Oct. 1581; AGI, Mexico, 336-A, doc. 156

46 AGI, Mexico, 1064, Libro 2 (F-2), f. 107v, 29 Ap. 1583.

47 AGI, Mexico, 286, Molina Valderrama; AGI, Patronato, 183, Num. 1, Ramo 3.

48 AGI, Mexico, 214, doc. 12; AGI, Mexico, 215, doc. 14; AGI, Mexico, 284: AGI, Mexico, 287; AGI, Mexico, 289; AGI, Mexico, 293, ail Juan González de Urbina; Cartas de Indias, 220; A AM, Ordenes Sacros, I.

49 AGI, Mexico, 221, doc. 3; AGI, Mexico, 290; AGI, Mexico, 293; AGI, Patronato, 183, Num. 1, Ramo 3, all Juan Bautista Belliza.

50 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, 1044, exp. 13.