Statements of Juan Frescos (Frésquez) and Sebastián González to the Inquisition, 1626

Juan Frescos (or Frésquez) was a Flemish miner who accompanied the wagon-train escort that was carrying the new governor, Don Felipe Sotelo Osorio, from New Spain to Santa Fe in December 1625. He felt the need to “relieve his conscious” by testifying to the Inquisition about an incident that his Portuguese friend Sebastián González had told him about Governor Juan de Eulate eating ham during Lent and having encouraged Sebastián to eat it as well. Although this statement would be hearsay by today’s legal standards, Benavides and his notary diligently recorded it as evidence against Eulate.

Fray Angélico Chávez misread Juan’s signature, indicating that it appeared to spell out the name “Frishz” in his Origins of New Mexico Families. The signature clearly reads, “Frisquez” (see image below). Unfortunately, the error has now been propagated across many genealogy sites on the internet.

It wasn’t until several months later that Benavides summoned Sebastián to corroborate Juan’s story. It seems likely that Juan tipped his friend off about what he had already revealed, as when Benavides asked Sebastián if he knew why he had been summoned to testify, he recounted only the same incident about eating pork during Lent and confirmed that he had told Juan about it. Sebastián’s statement indicated that the military campaign against the Jemez natives took place in 1623, and that Captain Alonso Varela was serving as Don Juan de Eulate’s secretary at the time.

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

---

Statement of Juan Frescos (Frésquez) to Friar Alonso de Benavides

27 January 1626

Santa Fe

In the town of Santa Fe, on the 27th day of the month of January in the year 1626, in the morning, before Father Friar Alonso de Benavides, Commissary of the Holy Office in these provinces of New Mexico, there appeared, without being summoned, and swore formally to tell the truth, a man who said his name was Juan Frescos, Flemish, a resident and inhabitant of this said town, a miner by trade, fifty-five years old.

He, for the relief of his conscience, says and declares that about a month ago, more or less, while traveling from New Spain to this town in the company of the said Father Commissary and Don Felipe Sotelo Osorio, who was coming as governor of these provinces, and many other people, they arrived at a place called Fray Cristóbal, where they encountered some Spaniards from this town with an ox cart and a number of oxen, with which they were going to assist the convoy coming from New Spain.

Among those Spaniards he found a known friend of his, a Portuguese man named Sebastián González, married and a resident of this said town. While discussing various matters with this declarant, Sebastián González said that, while accompanying the governor, who at that time was Don Juan de Eulate, on the campaign against the Jemez Indians, he saw him one day during Lent eating a ham. Surprised by this, Sebastián González said to the governor, “But how can one eat meat during Lent?” To which the said governor Don Juan de Eulate replied, “Come, sit and eat, for I will absolve you.” And so, seeing this, Sebastián González also sat and ate from the same ham.

He did not tell this declarant the names of the other people who were present, but says that when Sebastián González told him these things, it was in the presence of Juan Descalzo, a companion of this declarant, of his same nation (German), and of many other people who were coming and going in the clamor of conversation, and he does not know which of them may have heard it.

This declarant also says that it is publicly know and common knowledge that the said Don Juan de Eulate is a man of bad conscience and an enemy of the ministers of the Church, and that he has been at odds with them throughout his time in office. And this is the truth under the oath he has sworn, and when it was read to him, he said it was well written, and that he did not say it out of hatred. He promised secrecy and signed his name.

Friar Alonso de Benavides {rubric}   Juan {rubric} Frisquez         Witnessed by

Commissary                                                                                    Friar Pedro de Ortega {rubric}

                                                                                                         Notary

Statement of Sebastián González to Friar Alonso de Benavides

1 June 1626

Santa Fe

In the town of Santa Fe, on the first day of the month of June in the year 1626, in the morning, before Father Friar Alonso de Benavides, Commissary of the Holy Office in these provinces, there appeared, having been summoned, and swore formally to tell the truth a man who said his name was Alférez Sebastián González, Portuguese, married and a resident of this said town.

When asked if he knew the reason for which he was summoned, he said he presumed it was for what he was about to declare, which is that about three years ago, more or less, Don Juan de Eulate, who at the time was governor of these provinces, departed from this town to punish the Jemez Indians, taking with him thirty-some soldiers, among whom was this declarant. He recalls it being during Lent and Holy Week. During that time and journey, the said governor and his companions—who were the Maese de Campo Pedro Durán de Chávez, Captain Alonso Varela his secretary, Captain Juan Gómez the interpreter, and others whose names he does not recall but who were part of his ranch—ate meat every day, even on Fridays.

Upon this declarant arriving at the ranch while they were eating, the said governor told him to eat pork with them. To this, the declarant responded, “I do not eat pork on Holy Thursday.” And the said Don Juan de Eulate replied that he could very well eat it, that he would take responsibility for it. And so, this declarant sat down with them to eat it, but only on that one occasion, because the other soldiers were not eating it, nor did this declarant eat it otherwise, as he had brought other food and the journey was short (only seventeen or eighteen leagues) and there was no need for it.

And he says this is publicly known both among those who went on that journey and throughout this town. And this declarant spoke about it with Juan Fresco, a Flemish man, while returning from New Spain. And that this, he presumes, is the reason he was summoned, and he has nothing else to say nor does he recall anything further that he can declare. And this is the truth under the oath he has taken. And when his statement was read to him, he said it was well written and that he did not say it out of hatred. He was charged with secrecy, promised it, and signed his name.

Friar Alonso de Benavides {rubric}   Sebastián González                

Commissary                                                                            Witnessed by

Friar 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. 266r (Image 83391), 316r (Image 83457)

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