Statement of Captain Francisco de Madrid to the Inquisition, 1626

Captain Francisco de Madrid came forward voluntarily to denounce Governor Juan de Eulate to Friar Alonso de Benavides regarding his statement on the veneration of the Cross, based on a second-hand account from his brother-in-law Pedro Márquez. This is how we know that Madrid was married with a member of the Márquez family  by 1626 (though the name of his wife is not given in this statement).

A paleographic transcription of Madrid’s testimony in Spanish is available in the Cibola Project’s “Cross vs. Crown in New Mexico, 1626.”

---

Statement of Captain Francisco de Madrid to Friar Alonso de Benavides

30 January 1626

Santa Fe

In the town of Santa Fe, on the 30th day of the month of January in the year 1626, in the morning, before Father Fray Alonso de Benavides, Commissary of the Holy Office of these provinces of New Mexico, there appeared, without being summoned, and swore in due form to tell the truth, a man who said his name was Captain Francisco de Madrid, a married man and long-established resident of this town, aged 32 years. For the relief of his conscience, he states and denounces that about four or five years ago, while this declarant was on one of the streets of this town conversing with Pedro Márquez, also a resident of this town and this declarant’s brother-in-law, the said Pedro Márquez told him that he had heard Don Juan de Eulate, who at that time was governor of these provinces, say that the cross of Christ Our Lord was not to be adored but only revered.

This declarant said to him: “Is it possible he said that?” And the said Pedro Márquez replied, “Yes, I heard it from him myself.” And that this is the truth, and he does not know whether anyone else understood this. He states he does not say it out of hatred. He promised secrecy, and after his statement was read to him, he said it was well written and signed his name.

Fray Alonso de Benavides {rubric}    Francisco Madrid {rubric}         Witnessed by,

Commissary                                                                                      Fray Pedro de Ortega {rubric}

                                                                                                             Notary

---

Sources:

Viridiana Rivera Álvarez and Jerry R. Craddock, “Cross vs. Crown in New Mexico, 1626” UC Berkeley Research Center for Romance Studies, Cibola Project, 2019. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xq1g5b3 

Archivo General de la Nación 

Inquisición, Volumen 356, Expediente 107, fol. 268r, (Image 83395)

Available at: https://repositorio.agn.gob.mx/