Quiroga, Vasco De
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QUIROGA, VASCO DE From "Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture" Copyright © 1997 by FITZROY DEARBORN PUBLISHERS Vasco de Quiroga was born in the Castilian town of Madrigal de las Altas Torres, also the birthplace of Queen Isabel I of Castile. The year traditionally given for his birth is 1470, although the documentary basis for that date is not strong. He studied law in one of the Castilian universities, obtaining the degree of licenciado. Like many of the lawyers of his time, he entered the royal service. In 1525-26 he served as a judge of residencia to review the activities of the Castilian royal authorities in the North African enclave of Oran, which Castile had conquered in 1509. In 1530 the Crown named him a member of the Second Audiencia of Mexico, which replaced the disastrous First Audiencia headed by Nuño de Guzmán. The audiencia was a bench of judges who also served in many administrative capacities in the government of the former Aztec Empire and associated regions. Quiroga became enamored of the concepts of social and political organization presented by the English chancellor Thomas More in his book Utopia and proposed to the Crown that the whole of native American society be reorganized on that pattern. The Crown would not accept such a grand overall design, but in 1532 it gave permission for the foundation of some experimental towns. Quiroga put this plan into effect immediately, founding the first of his hospital towns of Santa Fe, just west of Mexico City, on September 14, 1532. In the summer of 1533 the audiencia sent him as a judge-inspector to the former Purépecha Kingdom of Michoacán, which had been brought under Spanish control in 1522. There had been strong complaints from the natives about injustices by the Spanish authorities. Quiroga spent approximately six months there settling local problems. There he founded another hospital town of Santa Fe on the north shore of Lake Pátzcuaro. He also founded a formal Spanish town, called Granada, to be the political center for Spaniards living in the region, but it did not survive for very long. Also in 1533 the Spanish Crown decided to approach the Holy See about the establishment of a diocese of Michoacán. Having first offered the bishopric to a Franciscan friar, who declined the honor, in 1535 they turned to Quiroga, who, although he was an unordained layman, was a religious man and a bachelor, known to be interested in the good of Indians and familiar with the problems of Michoacán. His appointment was made in a papal bull of August 8, 1536. As bishop-elect he continued to act as a member of the audiencia, but in 1538 he visited Michoacán once more to take formal possession of his diocese. Most likely his consecration as a bishop took place in December of that year. Almost immediately he requested and received permission to move his see from the former Purépecha capital of Tzintzuntzan to Pátzcuaro. One of his earliest achievements as bishop was the foundation in Pátzcuaro of a college, which he named San Nicolás after the patron of the church of his hometown in Spain. He hoped that it would become a center for the exchange of knowledge of languages between Spaniards and the native peoples, but by the time of his death it had become basically a seminary for the education of clergy. His tenure as bishop was far from peaceful, and as bishop he continued to act as a lawyer. From the very beginning he had troubles regarding the jurisdiction over his hospital towns and the control of their lands. The city council of Mexico City first tried to interject itself into the control of towns in its vicinity, and toward the end of Quiroga’s life Martín Cortés, son of the conqueror of Mexico, tried to establish his authority over
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Vasco de Quiroga Encyclopedia of Mexico
Transcript of Quiroga, Vasco De
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QUIROGA, VASCO DEFrom "Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture"
Copyright 1997 by FITZROY DEARBORN PUBLISHERS
Vasco de Quiroga was born in the Castilian town of Madrigal de las Altas Torres, also the birthplace ofQueen Isabel I of Castile. The year traditionally given for his birth is 1470, although the documentary basisfor that date is not strong. He studied law in one of the Castilian universities, obtaining the degree oflicenciado. Like many of the lawyers of his time, he entered the royal service. In 1525-26 he served as ajudge of residencia to review the activities of the Castilian royal authorities in the North African enclave ofOran, which Castile had conquered in 1509. In 1530 the Crown named him a member of the SecondAudiencia of Mexico, which replaced the disastrous First Audiencia headed by Nuo de Guzmn. Theaudiencia was a bench of judges who also served in many administrative capacities in the government of theformer Aztec Empire and associated regions.Quiroga became enamored of the concepts of social and political organization presented by the Englishchancellor Thomas More in his book Utopia and proposed to the Crown that the whole of native Americansociety be reorganized on that pattern. The Crown would not accept such a grand overall design, but in1532 it gave permission for the foundation of some experimental towns. Quiroga put this plan into effectimmediately, founding the first of his hospital towns of Santa Fe, just west of Mexico City, on September 14,1532.In the summer of 1533 the audiencia sent him as a judge-inspector to the former Purpecha Kingdom ofMichoacn, which had been brought under Spanish control in 1522. There had been strong complaints fromthe natives about injustices by the Spanish authorities. Quiroga spent approximately six months theresettling local problems. There he founded another hospital town of Santa Fe on the north shore of LakePtzcuaro. He also founded a formal Spanish town, called Granada, to be the political center for Spaniardsliving in the region, but it did not survive for very long.Also in 1533 the Spanish Crown decided to approach the Holy See about the establishment of a diocese ofMichoacn. Having first offered the bishopric to a Franciscan friar, who declined the honor, in 1535 theyturned to Quiroga, who, although he was an unordained layman, was a religious man and a bachelor, knownto be interested in the good of Indians and familiar with the problems of Michoacn. His appointment wasmade in a papal bull of August 8, 1536. As bishop-elect he continued to act as a member of the audiencia,but in 1538 he visited Michoacn once more to take formal possession of his diocese. Most likely hisconsecration as a bishop took place in December of that year. Almost immediately he requested andreceived permission to move his see from the former Purpecha capital of Tzintzuntzan to Ptzcuaro.One of his earliest achievements as bishop was the foundation in Ptzcuaro of a college, which he namedSan Nicols after the patron of the church of his hometown in Spain. He hoped that it would become acenter for the exchange of knowledge of languages between Spaniards and the native peoples, but by thetime of his death it had become basically a seminary for the education of clergy.His tenure as bishop was far from peaceful, and as bishop he continued to act as a lawyer. From the verybeginning he had troubles regarding the jurisdiction over his hospital towns and the control of their lands.The city council of Mexico City first tried to interject itself into the control of towns in its vicinity, and towardthe end of Quirogas life Martn Corts, son of the conqueror of Mexico, tried to establish his authority over
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them. In Michoacn an equally aggressive landholder, Juan Infante, tried to prove that the hospital townthere fell within his area of control.The division of the new dioceses was also an issue of severe contention. Quiroga undertook lawsuitsregarding boundaries and rights to tithes with both the bishop of Mexico City and the bishop of Compostela.In regard to the latter he strongly resisted the proposal to move the diocesan see to Guadalajara, which heconsidered too close to his own see.Another issue of contention was the founding by resident Spaniards, with the backing of Viceroy Antonio deMendoza, of a new town that they wished to name City of Michoacn. Quiroga proved before the courts thathe had gained prior rights to that name for his see city, and the Spaniards had to accept the native name ofGuayangareo. He resisted pressures to move his see from Ptzcuaro to the new city, but his secondsuccessor did make that move, and the name of the city was changed to Valladolid (now Morelia).Quiroga returned to Spain in 1547 and remained there until 1554. Not much has come to light about thisperiod of his life, except that he tried to advance the lawsuits that he had appealed before the Council of theIndies.Upon his return to the New World as an old man, he found that the religious orders had expanded into areasthat he found unacceptable, and he allowed his secular (i.e., non-order) clergy to attack them in ways thatlater were judged to be illegal. This involved him in legal controversies with both the Augustinians andFranciscans. Particularly during this last period he put great effort into the construction of a proposed grandcathedral of five naves. It was incomplete at the time of his death, and the decision to move the see left it inabeyance. One nave was completed later and survives as the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health inPtzcuaro.Quiroga wrote his will on January 24, 1565, dedicating the major part of it to instructions regarding hiscollege and his hospital towns. The traditionally accepted date of his death is March 14, 1565. There is alsoa tradition that he died in Uruapan while on an episcopal visitation, but contemporary documentationindicates that he died in Ptzcuaro. He is greatly venerated in Mexico as a defender of poor and oppressedpeople.Select Bibliography
Lacas, M. M., A Social Welfare Organizer in Sixteenth-Century New Spain: Don Vasco de Quiroga,First Bishop of Michoacn. The Americas 14 (1957-58).
Martn Hernndez, Francisco, Don Vasco de Quiroga (protector de los indios). Salamanca, Spain:Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, 1993.
Meaney, John W., The Bishop of Utopia. Records of the American Catholic Historical Society ofPhiladelphia 60 (1972).
Ramrez Montes, Mina, La catedral de Vasco de Quiroga. Zamora and Mexico City: Colegio deMichoacn, 1986.
Warren, J. Benedict, Vasco de Quiroga and His Pueblo-Hospitals of Santa Fe. Washington, D.C.: n.p.,1963.
Warren, J. Benedict, Fray Jernimo de Alcal: Author of the Relacin de Michoacn? TheAmericas 27 (1971).J. Benedict Warren
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Copyright 1997 by FITZROY DEARBORN PUBLISHERS
Persistent URL to the Entry: http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routmex/quiroga_vasco_de/0
APAWarren, J. (1998). Quiroga, Vasco De. In Michael S. Werner (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mexico: History,Society & Culture. Retrieved from http://www.library.rochester.edu/ezproxy.php?dbredirect=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Froutmex%2Fquiroga_vasco_de%2F0
MLAJ. Warren. "Quiroga, Vasco De." Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture. Ed. Michael S.Werner. London: Routledge, 1998. Credo Reference. Web. 14 October 2014.
ChicagoJ. Warren, "Quiroga, Vasco De". In Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture, edited byMichael S. Werner. London: Routledge, 1998. http://www.library.rochester.edu/ezproxy.php?dbredirect=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Froutmex%2Fquiroga_vasco_de%2F0 (accessed October 14, 2014.)
HarvardWarren, J., 1998, "Quiroga, Vasco De" in Michael S. Werner (ed), Encyclopedia of Mexico: History,Society & Culture, Routledge, London, United Kingdom. Accessed: 14 October 2014, from CredoReference
