Bernardo López de Mendizábal

Bernardo López de Mendizábal (1620–1664) was a colonial governor of New Mexico between 1659–1660.

Early years

López de Mendizábal was born about 1620 in the town of Chietla, in Puebla (present Mexico). His father was a Basque that occupied the work of legal representative. He and his wife had a hacienda in Chietla. Bernardo's family was also imperial functionaries. López studied in Jesuit college at Puebla, but finished his study at the university in Mexico City. So, López, occupied many government posts in Nueva Granada, Cuba, and New Spain, while bureaucratically amounted. López was also alcalde mayor, or royal administrator in Guayacocotla, on the Sierra Madre Oriental, northeast of Mexico City.

Government in New Mexico

López de Mendizábal was appointment as New Mexico´s governor in 1620 to succeed Juan Manso de Contreras. So, López and his wife arrived to Santa Fe late in 1658. In this times, He also worked as custos, or religious administrator, for the Franciscans in this province. López and fray Juan Ramírez, that arrived with him to New Mexico, were faced for his ideas on the limits of civil and religious jurisdiction. Also, López was alleged to have made a statement that comparing himself with the Eucharist. This a statement that the Holy Office of the Inquisition later considered it a serious exception. After this, López he wanted not to give to Ramírez a formal welcome in Santa Fe. There were several major disagreements between Lopez and the Franciscan missionaries in New Mexico, mainly relating to the payment of taxes by the Indians working in the Franciscan missions. Thus, Lopez believed that these natives should pay taxes like other residents of New Mexico, while the missionaries thought that Amerindians who worked for the Church would be penalized if they paid tribute. In addition, López prohibited corporal punishment of Amerindians that worked in the missions, a punishment that the Franciscans exercised at times when they were believed needed. He was also charged of developing the struggles against the Apaches to kidnap some members of this people and sell them as slaves. they began making records collected habits and customs of Lopez and his wife, Teresa, of which they suspected was not a Christian: The time in which they read and slept and their baths on Fridays, which were occasional, were few. However, Lopez also recorded the sexual indiscretions carried out by the clergy, whose members had sex with women especially in their parishes. However, in reality, Lopez himself was also carrying on that activity, something recognized by the Franciscans. Lopez allowed the preservation of the ceremonial dances of the Pueblo Indians who exercised Christianity, comparing with dances such as the zarambeque, often performed in Spain, without banning the church. In fact, he and his wife attended these dances. However, this official permission to maintain their party was nothing but the Franciscans rejected, as long as the missionaries tried to indigenous customs were exclusively Christian. Because of their support of his favorites, the groups supporting such action by the governor and those who rejected it sent formal written charges to the City of Mexico. In 1660, the missionary priests had agreed to leave the province by the rejection of the governor and his difficulty in exercising their religious works because of the laws in New Mexico, however, ended up staying. Former Governor Manso, who had been held captive while Lopez ruled New Mexico escaped and emigrated to Mexico City, where he led a revolt against Lopez.

The charges against Lopez led to the appointment of a new governor in the province in 1660, Diego de Peñalosa.^[1]

Charges in his against and last years

In November 1661, when there was missing no time to abandon their residence in the governor's house, Lopez bribed Peñalosa with 6,000 pesos to rule out or at least to minimize the charges made against him. However, Penalosa did not accept a bribe less than 10,000 pesos. Due to opposition by Lopez that amount, the governors did not reach an agreement. It was in this same month that Penalosa abolishes the law of Lopez that forced the Amerindians of misisones to pay tribute. In December of these year, Peñañosa gave the result of the prosecution of Lopez for 33 counts of malfeasance exercised during his tenure. While at the same time, Juan Manso returned to the province with the charged of alguacil mayor of the Inquisition and led an arrest warrant for Lopez and his wife. However, before the arrest was effected, Penalosa offered them his help to flee of the province in exchange for the acquisition of some of their land. Lopez, however, rejected this acquisition, so Peñalosa confiscated property of marriage which would no longer own or the Inquisition In the summer of 1662, came the final determination regarding Lopez´s residencia, prohibiting him from holding civil offices for eight years and forced him to pay a fine of 3,000 pesos. Later, they arrested Lopez and his wife, leading to the prison of Santo Domingo Pueblo. When Lopez arrived in the Mexico city was suffering from an ailment. The judgments of marriage dragged on and López died in September 1664, because to ailment.

After his death

Despite of his death, Lopez remains a prisoner, now accused of being Crypto-Jew. He was buried in a pen near the prison. Three months later, his wife's judgment was suspended and was released from confinement. Teresa pressed for that her husband to be exhumed and in April 1671, the Holy Office dropped the case and his body was exhumed and then reburied in the Church of Santo Domingo (Puebla), or the city center in Mexico City.^[1]

Personal life

In Cartagena, before of his appointment as governor of New Mexico, he met and married Teresa de Aguilera y Roche.^[1]

References

External links

• http://newmexicohistory.org/people/lopez-de-mendizabal-bernardo Mendizabal, Bernardo Lopez de - New Mexico Office of the State
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/kcc/chap5.htm The Shadow of the Inquisition, 1659–1680