Hesburgh Libraries

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Undated blank form banning import of all unlicensed books.

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Public edict by the Archbishop of Mexico stating that while the Inquisition may be extinct, the prohibitions on written works from the Indices expurgatorios are still active. Contains wax seal.

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Extended text for Edict of Faith, requiring denunciations of various heresies; very extensive, mentioning specific Mexican practices, such as peyote use. Space for date left blank.

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Notice to booksellers and book owners that they must comply with inquisitorial expurgation orders.

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Guidelines for questioning witnesses and determining blood purity (limpieza). Space for date left blank.

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Blank form for apprehending and imprisoning enemies of the inquisition, with spaces for names, dates, and places left blank.

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Edict reminding confessors of inquisitorial jurisdiction over various sins and doctrinal errors, which cannot be otherwise absolved.

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Decree notifying local clergy of requirement that citizens declare all property pertaining to seized estates, and anathematizing those who fail to comply. Blank form, with spaces for details to be filled in.

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Edict banning illicit private religious gatherings and other devotional acts. Contains signatures and wax seal.

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Incomplete edict banning various works, including two works that are banned even to those with licenses.

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Edict denouncing a text by José Rojas, resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Contains signatures and wax seal.

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Edict banning fifty-five books and writings (including Gibbon's "Decline and Fall"), twenty-four of which are forbidden even to those with licenses, and expurgating six others. Contains signatures.

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Edict banning a proclamation by Joseph Bonaparte and a Mexican creole tract deemed insulting to the Spanish king Ferdinand VII. Contains signatures.

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Edict banning a proclamation by Joseph Bonaparte, as well as other writings including Nicolás Freret's "Lettres à Eugenie."

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Public edict banning the trade of unlicensed books within the city. Space for place and date left blank.

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Edict banning improper use of painted crosses, along with a book on philosophy. Contains signature.

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Edict banning certain devotional images.

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Ban on several books, including some pertaining to Catalan affairs and to a 1654 auto-de-fe held in Cuenca. Space for date left blank.

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Edict banning devotional objects, images, texts, etc. connected to Luisa de la Ascensión.

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Edict denouncing Joseph Bonaparte's pretensions in Spain and his encouragement of rebels in the Americas, banning all his proclamations and requiring parishioners to denounce clergy who support him.

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Public notice of sentence against Mexican priest and rebel leader Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, signed by inquisitors.

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Inquisitorial trial of Atanasio de la Cruz, Indian of Copándaro, near San Luis de Potosí (Mexico), for having made a pact with the devil. The trial began in Copándaro (1798) but was later moved to the episcopal seat of Valladolid (Mexico). Multiple documents in multiple hands, with signatures of several inquisition officials. De la Cruz was absolved and released in July 1799.

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Trial of Gaspar de los Reyes, a Portuguese muleteer resident at San Luis de Potosí in Mexico, along with his mestiza companion Catelina de Parraga (de la Parra) for iconoclasm. Very extensive, with many witnesses and signatures of officials, including inquisition commissary fr. Lope Izquierdo; Gaspar de los Reyes' signature also appears. His punishment included banishment to Castile, she received two hundred lashes, and both were tortured.

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Publication of a 1792 notice authorizing consumption of meat during Lent, in accordance with a papal indult of 1791. Alms are to be collected for the poor in exchange for this privilege; the rate of payment is divided into four classes. Most Indians, Blacks, Meztizos, day laborers and mendicant friars, etc., are allowed to give prayers in lieu of monetary payment. Contains wax seal and notarial marks.

Scope and Contents Documents relating to Inquisition and law in the New world, ranging from 1717-1797; some apparently copied in the Secretaría de la Cámara de Gobierno, Mexico, for the benefit of an archbishop by Licenciado antonio Dies de Medina, Secretary. 1. Thirty-four articles on Inquisition procedure (Madrid 1747). 2. Royal order to respect the Inquisition (1763). 3. Royal brief for Viceroys (Aranjuez 1744). 4. Royal brief on legal procedure (Aranjuez 1740). 5. Royal brief (Aranjuez 1763). 6. Royal...

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Case brought against Joseph López, of the Order of St. Francis, by Pedro Alexandro Texeda, agent of the Holy Office, for a sermon given by the accused in 1766. Contains the complaint and accusation of Pedro Alexandro, with his signature. Various other related signed letters and documents in several hands, including some by fr. Joseph López. The Franciscan was vigorously defended by his Order, and the accusor was relieved of his duties.

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Translation of the papl bull "Si de protegendis," asserting papal protection of inquisitorial witnesses and recognition of rights pertaining to familiars and officials. Issued in Mexico on the orders of Bartholome de Ledesma, with blank spaces for names of local authorities; rare example of early Mexican printing.

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Trial notes of secretary Diego de Mayorca of a trial against Ana, an "yndia," for the crime of bigamy. Contains signature of inquisitor bishop Fray Juan de Zumárraga of Mexico. Contains signatures.

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Inquisitorial trial concerning alleged witchcraft, with resulting illness and possible possession, by a woman named "San Juana" and her daughter Viviana. Denunciations by Maria de los Santos Tobar and others. The accused do not seem to have been found or interrogated. Testimony describes rural society and beliefs in the region of Potosí (Mexico), including expert opinion of a doctor confirming likely use of sorcery. Case dismissed of rlack of evidence in 1776.