Descriptive Summary
Catholic Church
Catholic Church in Mexico Collection
1580-1890
14 inches
29743374
Benson Latin American Collection,
General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin
Materials documenting activities of the Catholic Church in Mexico from 1580-1890, including original official documents and transcripts.
and [code "spalat" not found in ISO 639-2 list].
Historical Note
The Roman Catholic Church established the archbishopric of Mexico in 1546. It encompassed the dioceses of Tlaxcala-Puebla, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Chiapas, and Guadalajara in the present Republic of Mexico, and those of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala in Central America. Until the creation of the archibishopric of Guatemala in 1743, all dioceses in continental Spanish America north of Costa Rica were subordinate to Mexico. The following additional dioceses were created in the archbishopric of Mexico: Yucatán (1561), Guadiana-Durango (1620), Linares-Monterrey (1777), and Sonora (1779). The Church exerted influence on Mexico through the establishment of convents, churches, and hospitals, and by the issuance of decrees, bulls, etc. prescribing behavior and activities.
Scope and Contents
Decrees, proclamations, bulls, indulgences, and circulars illustrate the Catholic Church's role in New Spain and Mexico. Typescripts of research notes contain information on histories of convents, religious orders, churches, and hospitals. Transcripts of correspondence between ecclesiastical and government authorities concern government attempts to acquire revenues from the Church (1847). Materials relating to La Junta Guadalupana consist of various formats. Transcript of José Joaquin Fernández de Lizardi's work, Si el gato saca las uñas se desprende el cascabel, and of responses to it by the Junta Censura Eclesiástica (1832). Ephemeral materials include invitations, solicitations, and anagrams. The collection includes a few manuscript marriage records. A small number of items concern books prohibited by the church.
The documents are primarily in Spanish; some are in Latin.
Organization
The collection is organized into seven series.
Alternative Form Available
The collection is also available on microfilm.
Preferred Citation
Catholic Church in Mexico Collection, 1580-1890, Benson Latin Americam Collection, General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin.
Acquisitions Information
The Catholic Church in Mexico Collection, which forms part of the Genaro García Collection, was purchased by the University of Texas in 1921 from the heirs of Genaro García.
Processing Information
The collection was described by the Benson Latin American Collection's Mexican Archives Project in November 1993.
Prepared by the Mexican Archives Project, November 1994.
Other Finding Aids
The following guide is available in the Benson Latin American Collection Rare Books Reference:
Castañeda, Carlos Eduardo, 1896-1958.
Guide to the Latin American Manuscripts in the University of Texas Library.
Cambridge, Mass. :
Harvard University Press,
1939.
Some items are described in the library's card file and on lists prepared by the project staff.
Publications
Many documents in the collection were published in:
García, Genaro, 1867-1920.
Documentos inéditos ó muy raros para la historia de México.
Mexico City :
Vda. de C. Bouret,
1905-1911.
Related Material
García, Genaro, 1867-1920.
Genaro García Collection, 15-- - 1920?,
Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin.
The Catholic Church in Mexico Collection is comprised of the these former Genaro García Collection wallet numbers:
#15
El Clero
#74-77
La Iglesia
#112-113
Decretos y Proclamaciones de la Iglesia
Index Terms
Subjects (Persons)
Garcia, Genaro, 1867-1920--Archives.
Fernandez de Lizardi, Jose Joaquin, 1776-1827
Subjects (Organizations)
Catholic Church--Mexico--History--Sources.
Franciscans--Mexico--History--Sources.
Jesuits--Mexico--History--Sources.
Carmelites--Mexico--History--Sources.
Subjects
Church and state--Mexico
Crusade bulls--Mexico.
Guadalupe, Our Lady of
Indulgences--Mexico.
Religion--Economic aspects--Mexico.
Religion and culture--Mexico.
Religion and state--Mexico.
Places
Mexico--Church history--Sources.
Mexico--Civilization--Spanish influences--Sources.
Mexico--Religion.
Mexico--Social conditions--To 1810
Series List
The following is only a partial listing of documents in the collection.
I. Series, Decrees, proclamations, etc., 1759-1835.
3 inches plus oversized.
Arranged chronologically in one group including both manuscript and printed documents, the series includes, in addition to assorted decrees, proclamations, indulgences, and circulars (1801-1835), the Collectanea de Bulas..., items relating to the the Bula de la Santa Cruzada (1759-1817), and bandos from 1820-1821.
Contents of Oversized Folders
Decrees, Proclamations, etc.
Puebla;
Holy see; summary of obligations and indulgences assigned to the Slaves of St. Joseph, a confraternity of Puebla; signed by the Bishop of Puebla.
1677
Escalante y Mendoza, Dean, Cathedral of Mexico City; edict cancelling all previous indulgences in favor of the Pope's proclamation of 1700 as Holy Year.
9 February 1700
Manuscript, 3 leaves, apparently a copy of similar printed items meant for public display, concerning prohibited books; from “Nos los Inquisidores Apostólicos,” forbidding the reimpression in Spanish of banned books and warning of dangers from the sects of the Mohammedans, Quietists, Deists, Epicureans, and Atheists.
21 October 1726
Manuscript, 1 leaf, concerning removal from circulation of prohibited books; signed apparently by Holy Office.
9 November 1726
De Hoyos Mier, Subdelegate Commisar of the Holy Crusade; proclamation giving increased amounts of contributions for all citizens under the current Bull of the Holy Crusade.
18 February 1760
Rubio y Salinas, Archbishop of Mexico; edict allowing private masses to be said early, so that the faithful can attend mass. for the feast of St. Joseph, which this year would fall in Holy Week.
8 March 1761
De Hoyos Mier; proclamation outlining the reduced contributions for the Holy Crusade and emphasizing its benefits for the dead. Two copies of this document.
26 February 1762
Rubio y Salinas; edict announcing the removal to the Cathedral of Mexico City of the image of the Virgen de los Remedios, in petition for deliverance from the current epidemics of smallpox and fevers and from the ravages of the European war. Two copies of this document.
24 July 1762
Lorenzana, Archbishp of Mexico; edict concerning fast and abstinence and reinforcing Pope Clement's request that the catechism be taught in Sunday sermons.
6 August 1767
De Hoyos Mier; edict explaining the newly revised Bull of the Crusade, with contributions to be made in honor of God and in support of the King.
20 December 1767
Lorenzana; pastoral letter exhorting curates to see that moderation and decorum are observed in all religious celebrations and processions.
18 March 1769
Rocha y Mazón, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Mexico; edict limiting the number of candles on all altars because of the high price of wax.
30 April 1772
Núñez de Haro y Peralta, Archbishop of Mexico; provision moving the vigil of the feast of St. Matthew, since it falls this year on the Tuesday before Lent.
20 January 1773
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict clarifying regulations and prohibitions concerning marriages. Two copies of this document.
10 January 1775
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict reprinting and endorsing the royal order against any public discussion of the Jesuit expulsion.
26 August 1776
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict requiring curates to attend the seminary at Tepotzotland and re-establishing parish Moral Conferences.
18 December 1777
Holy see; summary of indulgences for the Holy Name of Jesus, a confraternity at the Church of San Francisco in Mexico City. Unsigned.
177-
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict allowing dispensation(s) from fast and abstinence, at the request of the Viceroy, during the remainder of Lent, due to the scarcity of fish, oil, and flour.
12 February 1782
Ruiz de Conejares, Vicar General of the Archbishopric of Mexico; edict requesting alms for the upkeep of the Holy Places in Jerusalem, restricting the unauthorized sale of related religious articles, and excommunicating “persons withholding anything belonging to these Places.”
14 January 1788
“Nos los Inquisidores Apostólicos”; letter listing prohibited publications and giving instructions for the expurgation of others.
3 July 1790
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict allowing dispensation(s) from fast and abstinence, at the request of the Viceroy, during the remainder of Lent, due to the scarcity of fish, oil, and flour.
17 March 1791
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict dispensing Catholics from Lenten rules concerning use of meat, eggs, and milk products, because of the poor nutritional level of available foods.
16 February 1792
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict concerning obligatory reception of communion.
16 January 1793
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict refuting the sermon of Fr. Servando Mier giving fanciful origins of the cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
25 March 1795
Mier y Villar, Commisar of the Holy Crusade; edict specifying penances, prayers, contributions, and indulgences for this latest “crusade.”
25 November 1795
Mier y Villar; edict giving new guidelines for observing the current Bull of the Holy Crusade. Two copies of this document.
25 November 1797
Núñez de Haro y Peralta; edict forbidding all nocturnal excursions of men and women, under the pretext of praying the Stations of the Cross at the various Calvary chapels, which are hereafter to be opened only during daylight.
24 January 1799
Mier y Villar; edict reaffirming and extending participant guidelines for the Bull of the Holy Crusade. Two copies of this document.
1 December 1799
Gamboa, Commisar for the Holy Crusade; edict specifying indulgences and contributions for the “crusade” of 1802-1803.
29 November 1801
Gamboa; edict updating amounts of contributions and corresponding indulgences. Two copies of this document.
16 April 1802
“Nos los Inquisidores Apostólicos”; edict renewing that of 31 October 1766, forbidding the songs called “chuchumbé,” and adding prohibitions against women's publicly immodest dress and against the dance “Jarabe Gatuno.”
4 December 1802
Gamboa; edict establishing a collections system for the 263,169 pesos newly levied on the Church in Mexico. Three copies of this document.
19 June 1804
Jarabo, Subdelegate Commisar for the Holy Crusade; edict giving amounts of current assessments. Two copies of this document.
12 November 1805
Lizana y Beaumont, Archbishop of Mexico; edict banning Catholics who have not made their annual confession and communion from entering churches and from being buried in consecrated ground.
2 December 1805
Lizana y Beaumont; copy of a royal order of 22 May 1809, announcing the continued authority of Spain over its colonies and stressing the need for reform of their public institutons.
14 August 1809
González del Campillo, Bishop of Puebla; pastoral letter debunking the Cross of Huaquechula and forbidding further pilgrimages to it.
16 April 1810
Lizana y Beaumont, Archbishop and Viceroy; provisions against the circulation in Mexico of Napoleon's proclamations of himself as King of Spain, with exhortations to all the faithful to show their loyalty to Fernando VII as their religious duty.
25 April 1810
Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral of Mexico City; edict denouncing the newspaper Ilustrador Nacional, published in Sultepec. Two copies of this document.
3 June 1812
Bergosa y Jordán, Archbishop-elect of Mexico; pastoral letter warning the faithful that although the Inquisition has been suppressed, religious and civil punishments for those who offend remain in force.
10 June 1813
Bishop of Oaxaca; circular letter, concerning the relocation of secular clergy who speak Indian languages, to parishes away from the city of Oaxaca.
4 September 1813
Flores, Apostolic Inquisitor; edict announcing the re-establishment of the Tribunal of the Holy Office by Ferdinand VII.
21 January 1815
Dean and Chapter, Cathedral of Mexico City; edict condemning the Constitution, decrees, and calendar issued by the Congress of Apatzingan, and excommunicating those who keep written versions of any of them.
26 May 1815
Gamboa; edict specifying indulgences attached to contributions, for each social group, under the Bull of the Crusade.
December 1815
Anniversary list of deceased priests serving the Cathedral of Mexico City, with arrangements for a commemorative service.
14 January 1817
“Nos los Inquisidores Apostólicos”; letter listing prohibited publications, with directions for expurgating others.
7 June 1817
Flores Alatorre, Canon of the Cathedral of Mexico City; edict prohibiting lascivious pictures, symbols of freemasonry, and all of the books and pamphlets listed.
13 November 1822
Dean and Chapter, Cathedral of Mexico City; edict requiring parishioners to return or restore whatever they have taken which was not theirs, under penalty of excommunication.
7 December 1828
Dean and Chapter, Cathedral of Mexico City; exhortation to all members of the diocese to remain firm in their faith during times of political uncertainty. Two copies of this document.
24 August 1829
President and Chapter of the Cathedral of Mexico City; exhortation to the faithful to gain Jubilee indulgences.
2 October 1830
President and Chapter of the Cathedral of Mexico City; pastoral edict establishing a solemn triduum of thanks for delivery from politico-religious turmoil, by the sudden arrival of “that brilliant star,” President López de Santa Anna.
28 June 1834
Public notice of a novena in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
30 November 1836
Posada y Garduño, Vicar, Archdiocese of Mexico; edict reaffirming the feast of St. Joseph as a holy day of obligation, and specifying Advent fasts and ways of scheduling feasts of patron saints.
29 November 1839
Barrientos, Canon of the Cathedral of Mexico City; circular letter to the curates of the State of Mexico, deploring the unauthorized publication of the charges levied against parishes and seeking the protection of the Governor, Mariano Rivas Palacio.
10 September 1849
Barrientos; proclamation banning Abraham López' Calendar for 1851, as offensive to public morals.
9 November 1850
de la Garza y Ballesteros, Archbishop of Mexico; edict endorsing Pope Pius IX's condemnation of Vigil's book, Defensa de la autoridad...contra las pretensiones de la Curia romana.
11 November 1851
Labastida y Dávalos, Archbishop of Mexico; edict announcing a month of “jubilee,” with plenary indulgences.
29 September 1865
Bishop of Tulancingo; pastoral letter, declaring the jubilee every 25 years, as decreed by Pope Pius IX.
16 May 1875
Labastida y Dávalos; circular concerning the protest of the revolutionary journalist Terrazas, that the Church should not have denounced him as a public sinner for the periodical El Mañana, and upholding his condemnation.
5 June 1889
Labastida y Dávalos; pastoral letter soliciting contributions for the completion of the Colegiata of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
5 October 1890
Decrees, Proclamations, etc. (Non-Church Materials)
De Croix, President of the Real Audiencia; order requiring removal from all the dominions of Spain of all Jesuit priests, brothers, and novices, during which all public discussion or demonstrations are forbidden.
25 June 1767
Proclamation listing no source authority but threatening with excommunication anyone found slaughtering cattle still able to reproduce, or aged and sterile cattle, without the necessary licenses.
1781
Royal Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture; announcement of awards to students and teachers.
23 August 1782
Agreda; invitation to the installation of his nephew J. M. Aguilar Bustamente as a canon.
12 July 1805
Rodriguez de León, chaplain to Viceroy; birthday anagram in honor of Viceroy's wife.
21 January 1806
Rodriguez de León; birthday acrostic in honor of Viceroy's wife.
1807
Rodriguez de León; birthday acrostic in honor of the Viceroy, Don José de Iturrigaray.
19 March 1807
Agreda; invitation to the installation of his godson J. M. Garayalde y Sau as a lawyer.
21 August 1807
Rodriguez de León; rhymed encomium in honor of Doña Inés de Jaúregui y Arostegui, wife of the Viceroy.
21 January 1808
Agreda; invitation to the reception of his godson Manuel J. Flores y Heras as Doctor of Medicine at the University.
9 June 1809
Lizana y Beaumont, Archbishop & Viceroy; copy of royal order urging the secure re-establishment of Spanish rule in Mexico. Three copies of this document.
14 August 1809
Agreda; invitation to the reception of his godson J. M. Vásquez y Dávalos as doctor of sacred theology.
18 February 1810
Lizana y Beaumont, Archbishop & Viceroy; proclamation announcing the formation of the Council of Regency in Spain.
7 May 1810
Real Audiencia; proclamation ordering the immediate election of provincial deputies.
16 May 1810
Real Audiencia; proclamation concerning the 20 million pesos Spain's Fernando VII has asked Mexico to contribute.
29 May 1810
Real Audiencia; regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages in an effort to decrease public drunkenness.
5 June 1810
Agreda; invitation to the pre-graduation philosophical discussion at the University, in which his godson Manuel Martinez y Rojo will take part.
16 August 1810
Venegas, Viceroy; copy of decree by the Council of Regency naming interim regents.
4 February 1811
Agreda; invitation to the pre-graduation disputation of his godson Bernardo Gárate, at the Seminary.
16 September 1811
Arredondo Mioño, “Commander of the 4 Eastern Provinces”; royal order requiring the teaching of the constitution in all Mexican schools.
3 January 1821
Arredondo Mioño; royal order concerning the re-establishment of Spain's constitutional monarchy.
16 January 1821
Arredondo Mioñio (sic); decree restoring the court system under (Spain's) constitutional monarchy.
13 March 1821
López Teniente, “Commander of the 4 Eastern Provinces”; decree from the Regency concerning taxation.
28 November 1821
Governor of Querétaro State (unnamed); decree of state Congress establishing Our Lady of Pueblito as state patroness.
5 June 1830
Newspaper, Diario del Gobierno de la República Mexicana, No. 583; describes the General Congress' extraordinary session of 25 November 1836.
3 December 1836
Newspaper, Diario del Gobierno de la República Mexicana, No. 590; describes the General Congress' extraordinary session of 1 December 1836.
3 December 1836
II. Series, Literary productions, 1591-1822.
1.5 inches plus oversized.
Typescripts of research notes contain information on histories of convents, religious orders, churches, and hospitals. Included are items concerning Michoacán (1701-1788) and El Colegio de Pachuca (1773-1774); a valuó del Monasterio de Santa Catalina (1859); and miscellaneous literary productions.
Garcia Archives 74(1)
1. Fundación del Convento de San Juan de Diós. Sacada de la crónica esta Religión en las Indias...
1602
2. Fundación del Convento de Santa Isabel.
1600
3. Fundación del convento de San Juan de la Penitencia. Sacada del Teatro Mexicano, escrito por el R.P. Fray Agustín de Betancour.
1591
4. Fundación del convento de Santa Catarina de Sena. Sacada de la segunda parte de la Crónica de Santo Domingo, que guardan manuscrita en el Archivo del Convento de Santo Domingo de México.
1583
5. Fundación del Real convento de Jesus María. Sacada del libro, Paraiso Occidental, por Don Carlos de Siguenza y Góngorra.
1580
6. El Clero de la Nueva España. Book review or advert.
n.d.
7. Santa Custodia de Conversión de San Pablo. Sacada de una carta enviada por Fr. Alonso Benavides a los religiosos de Santa Custodia...
1631
2 copies.
8. San Hipólito y el Espiritu Santo. Sacada del próximo evangelio, que es historia de esta orden y su fundador. Written 1652.
1652
9. Fundación del Convento de San José de Gracia. Sacada de los papeles originales del archivo de este convento.
1661
10. Fundación del Convento de Señoras Religiosas Capuchinas. Sacada del libro, Trono Mexicano, por Fray Ignacio de la Peña.
1666
11. Fundación de Betlemitas. Sacada de la Historia Betlemitica (1723).
1675
12. Fundación del Convento Antiguo de San José de Carmelits Descalzas. Sacada de la Crónica de los Carmelitas y Corregida...por D. Carlos de Siguenza y Góngorra en Parciso Ocidental, ch. 12 & 13, v.1.
1676
13. Fundación del Colegio de San Ildefonso. Extraida de la Crónica del Padre Florencia y de la Historia manuscrita de la Provincia de la Compañia de Jesus de Nueva España.
[1573] 1700?
14. Info from the Archivo Público de la Nación, sec. de historia re church, cathedral, hospital. La Iglesia de Michoacan / Valladolid; administered by San Juan de Dios. Certificate. Decree. Ciudad de Valladolid, obispado de Michoacan (896).
15. Ditto 14. Santa Iglesia Cathedral de la Ciudad de Valladolid. Santa Iglesia de Valladolid Michoacan; Obispo de Valladolid de Michoacan, 1701-1799.
III. Series, Correspondence, 1847.
1 folder.
Transcripts of communications between ecclesiastical and government authorities concern government attempts to acquire revenues from the Church.
IV. Series, La Junta Guadalupana, d. 1831-1837,
1 folder.
V. Series, José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, 1822.
1 folder.
Transcript of
Fernández de Lizardi, José Joaquín, 1776-1827.
Si el gato saca las uñas se desprende el cascabel
and responses to it by the Junta Censura Eclesiástica (1822).
VI. Series, Ephemera, 1720-1841.
1 folder.
Contains invitations, solicitations, and anagrams.
VII. Series, Marriage records, 1730, 1795.
1 folder.