Nicolas de Aguilar
Encyclopedia
Nicolas de Aguilar a Mestizo
, was a Spanish
official in New Mexico
. He was tried for heresy and found guilty by the Inquisition
.
. His grandfather was one of the Spanish conquistadors of the province. His grandmother and mother were probably P'urhépecha
Indians. When Aguilar was 18 he left home to live near the northern Mexican city of Parral, Chihuahua
where he worked as a miner and soldier.
Aguilar quickly demonstrated stubborn courage. Claim jumpers attempted to intimidate the 18 year old miner by pulling down a support pillar and caving in his mine tunnel. He appealed to local legal authorities, brought charges against four men and won his case. Years later in 1654 he was involved in a shooting incident. Aguilar was charged with kidnapping three women and taking them to a hideout in the mountains. A 16 man posse was organized to rescue the women. Surrounded, Aguilar shot and killed a member of the posse, the father of one of the women he had allegedly abducted. He then escaped by horseback and was seen no more in Parral. Aguilar is next heard of in New Mexico where he served as a soldier, becoming a sergeant, an adjutant, and as an inspector of trade caravans between New Mexico and El Paso
. He married Catalina Marquez and the couple had four children. When newly appointed governor Bernardo Lopez de Mendizabal arrived in New Mexico in 1659 he appointed Aguilar Magistrate (Alcalde Mayor), the chief civil official, of the region of Las Salinas. Las Salinas consisted of several Tompiro
Indian Pueblo
s on the eastern border of the New Mexico colony. The ruins of these Pueblos are today preserved in the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
. The Salinas Pueblos were exposed to Apache
raids, but earned a precarious livelihood by trading salt and agricultural products for buffalo meat and skins.
missionaries lived among the Salinas Pueblos. During Governor Lopez’s inspection of Las Salinas in October 1659, he detected several abuses of Indians by the Franciscans. He established the policy the Aguilar was to use his powers to enforce civil law and not permit the Franciscans to punish religious infractions by Indians. Aguilar carried out this policy so enthusiastically that the Franciscans were soon calling him “Attila.”
The Franciscans often demanded that the Indians work for them without pay. Aguilar enforced a prohibition against Indians working for the Franciscans without pay, including as members of the choir in the churches or as volunteers. Moreover he decreed that Indians were not to be flogged or punished in any way for offenses against the church. On one Sunday Aguilar and a priest clashed during a church service and Aguilar ordered all the Indians to leave. On another occasion Aguilar ordered Indians not to gather firewood for the friars. His rationale was that it was dangerous for the Indians to go into the mountains for firewood given the proximity of Apache Indians. On a third occasion he had an Indian Church official whipped for disciplining two Indian girls accused of being concubines. The issue, however, that truly infuriated the missionaries was Governor Lopez’s permission to the Pueblos to practice their traditional dances and ceremonies, believed by the Franciscans to be idolatrous. This was a direct swipe at the authority of the Church. Aguilar further inflamed the situation by ordering Christian Indians to participate in the dances. Lopez charged that the Franciscans were not observing their vows of poverty and chastity.
The Franciscans duly noted all the offenses against them by Lopez, Aguilar, and other officials. In May 1662, Lopez, his wife, Aguilar and three other Lopez appointees were arrested and turned over to Inquisition authorities. The men were chained and sent to Mexico City for trial. Aguilar was accused of simple heresy; the governor and his wife were charged with the more serious crime of “Judaic practices.”
dances.” Aguilar gave a spirited defense of himself, denying all charges. His trial lasted 19 months and he was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to undergo a public auto de fe and banned from residence in New Mexico for ten years and holding government office for life. One of the four judges dissented from the ruling and the punishment was lenient considering the charges. Governor Lopez died during his trial.
The defeat of Aguilar and Governor Lopez by the Franciscans probably was the last opportunity of the Spanish regime in New Mexico to reduce the animosity of the Indians under its control. Spanish officials after them knew not to run afoul of the Fransciscan priests. In 1680 the Pueblos
revolted, expelled the Spanish, and with special animosity slaughtered most of the priests in New Mexico. The Salinas Pueblos were abandoned in the 1670s as a result of Apache raids, famine, and drought.
Nothing is known of the life of Aguilar after the conclusion of his trial. His wife and children apparently remained in New Mexico and the children took her last name of Marquez.
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
, was a Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
official in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. He was tried for heresy and found guilty by the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
.
Early life
Aguilar was born in Yuriripundaro in the Mexican state of MichoacanMichoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
. His grandfather was one of the Spanish conquistadors of the province. His grandmother and mother were probably P'urhépecha
P'urhépecha
The P'urhépecha, normally spelled Purépecha in Spanish and in English and traditionally referred to as Tarascans, are an indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of the Mexican state of Michoacán, principally in the area of the cities of Uruapan and Pátzcuaro...
Indians. When Aguilar was 18 he left home to live near the northern Mexican city of Parral, Chihuahua
Parral, Chihuahua
Hidalgo del Parral, is a city and seat of the municipality of Hidalgo del Parral in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is located in the southern part of the state, 220 km from the state capital, the city of Chihuahua, Chih....
where he worked as a miner and soldier.
Aguilar quickly demonstrated stubborn courage. Claim jumpers attempted to intimidate the 18 year old miner by pulling down a support pillar and caving in his mine tunnel. He appealed to local legal authorities, brought charges against four men and won his case. Years later in 1654 he was involved in a shooting incident. Aguilar was charged with kidnapping three women and taking them to a hideout in the mountains. A 16 man posse was organized to rescue the women. Surrounded, Aguilar shot and killed a member of the posse, the father of one of the women he had allegedly abducted. He then escaped by horseback and was seen no more in Parral. Aguilar is next heard of in New Mexico where he served as a soldier, becoming a sergeant, an adjutant, and as an inspector of trade caravans between New Mexico and El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. He married Catalina Marquez and the couple had four children. When newly appointed governor Bernardo Lopez de Mendizabal arrived in New Mexico in 1659 he appointed Aguilar Magistrate (Alcalde Mayor), the chief civil official, of the region of Las Salinas. Las Salinas consisted of several Tompiro
Tompiro Indians
The Tompiro Indians were Pueblo Indians living in New Mexico. They lived in several adobe villages east of the Rio Grande River Valley in the Salinas region of New Mexico. Their settlements were abandoned and they were absorbed into other Indian tribes in the 1670s.-Origin and Language:Very...
Indian Pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
s on the eastern border of the New Mexico colony. The ruins of these Pueblos are today preserved in the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico, near Mountainair. The main park visitor center is in Mountainair.-History:...
. The Salinas Pueblos were exposed to Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
raids, but earned a precarious livelihood by trading salt and agricultural products for buffalo meat and skins.
Aguilar and the Franciscans
In the New Mexico colony, the Franciscan missionaries had set up a theocracy among the Pueblo Indians. Several FranciscanFranciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
missionaries lived among the Salinas Pueblos. During Governor Lopez’s inspection of Las Salinas in October 1659, he detected several abuses of Indians by the Franciscans. He established the policy the Aguilar was to use his powers to enforce civil law and not permit the Franciscans to punish religious infractions by Indians. Aguilar carried out this policy so enthusiastically that the Franciscans were soon calling him “Attila.”
The Franciscans often demanded that the Indians work for them without pay. Aguilar enforced a prohibition against Indians working for the Franciscans without pay, including as members of the choir in the churches or as volunteers. Moreover he decreed that Indians were not to be flogged or punished in any way for offenses against the church. On one Sunday Aguilar and a priest clashed during a church service and Aguilar ordered all the Indians to leave. On another occasion Aguilar ordered Indians not to gather firewood for the friars. His rationale was that it was dangerous for the Indians to go into the mountains for firewood given the proximity of Apache Indians. On a third occasion he had an Indian Church official whipped for disciplining two Indian girls accused of being concubines. The issue, however, that truly infuriated the missionaries was Governor Lopez’s permission to the Pueblos to practice their traditional dances and ceremonies, believed by the Franciscans to be idolatrous. This was a direct swipe at the authority of the Church. Aguilar further inflamed the situation by ordering Christian Indians to participate in the dances. Lopez charged that the Franciscans were not observing their vows of poverty and chastity.
The Franciscans duly noted all the offenses against them by Lopez, Aguilar, and other officials. In May 1662, Lopez, his wife, Aguilar and three other Lopez appointees were arrested and turned over to Inquisition authorities. The men were chained and sent to Mexico City for trial. Aguilar was accused of simple heresy; the governor and his wife were charged with the more serious crime of “Judaic practices.”
Trial before the Inquisition
Nicolas de Aguilar was no fawning supplicant before the much feared Inquisition officials. He was described as a 36 year old man of “large body, coarse, and somewhat brown.” He dressed in crudely-woven and well-worn flannel trousers and a wool shirt. His total worldly belongings fit into a small box containing an extra set of clothing, several religious books, and a few good luck charms and medicinal herbs. He was charged with “obstructing the missionary program, inciting hostility toward the Franciscan friars and disrespect for the church and its teachings, undermining mission discipline, and encouraging native KachinaKachina
A kachina is a spirit being in western Pueblo cosmology and religious practices. The western Pueblo, Native American cultures located in the southwestern United States, include Hopi, Zuni, Tewa Village , Acoma Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo. The kachina cult has spread to more eastern Pueblos, e.g....
dances.” Aguilar gave a spirited defense of himself, denying all charges. His trial lasted 19 months and he was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to undergo a public auto de fe and banned from residence in New Mexico for ten years and holding government office for life. One of the four judges dissented from the ruling and the punishment was lenient considering the charges. Governor Lopez died during his trial.
Legacy
Aguilar is described by most historians in terms such as an “unscrupulous lackey” with a “devilish fury.” Recent scholars, however, have shown a grudging admiration for his brave and uncompromising stand against the Franciscans. As a mestizo, ranking low on the social ladder of Spanish society, he may have had a sincere sympathy with the plight of the Indians and resentment of the dictatorial rule over them by the Catholic priests. His forthright defense of himself before the Inquisition can be admired as most defendants were reduced to pitiful pleading of their case.The defeat of Aguilar and Governor Lopez by the Franciscans probably was the last opportunity of the Spanish regime in New Mexico to reduce the animosity of the Indians under its control. Spanish officials after them knew not to run afoul of the Fransciscan priests. In 1680 the Pueblos
Pueblo Revolt
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, or Popé's Rebellion, was an uprising of several pueblos of the Pueblo people against Spanish colonization of the Americas in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.-Background:...
revolted, expelled the Spanish, and with special animosity slaughtered most of the priests in New Mexico. The Salinas Pueblos were abandoned in the 1670s as a result of Apache raids, famine, and drought.
Nothing is known of the life of Aguilar after the conclusion of his trial. His wife and children apparently remained in New Mexico and the children took her last name of Marquez.