-
Document:
- University of New Mexico Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
23 Document [p. 1] Summary investigation concerning the marvel that Our Lady of the Walnut Tree worked for Doña María Francisca Larralde, wife of Sergeant Major Don Antonio Urresti, residents of this city of Monterrey, witnessed and written down by Joseph Ygnacio Treviño, notary public of this aforementioned city (1758). [Editor’s note: This record of inquiry into events, religious convictions, and doubts associated with the surprising recovery and promises made by Doña María Francisca Larralde who was mortally ill in Monterrey, Nuevo León, in the late 1750s came to light recently in a collection of miscellaneous Mexican records in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. Consisting of twenty-eight leaves of unstamped paper filled with script on both sides of most leaves (which I have treated as pages and noted in the translation), it apparently was filed in the cathedral archive of Guadalajara after the matter was considered and settled by the bishop there. Following a title page composed by Joseph Ignacio Treviño, notary public of Monterrey, who recorded and witnessed all the testimony taken there, the first document is an undated petition to the Bishop of Guadalajara by the married couple, Don Antonio Urresti and Doña María Francisca Larralde, followed by the bishop’s acknowledgment of receipt on March 29, 1758, and his order that the record of investigation be reviewed. The bulk of the dossier consists of depositions taken in Monterrey at two stages between January 19 and February 22, 1758, by priests who witnessed the events of Doña María Francisca’s illness and recovery. They are open-ended, rather than responding to a set of questions, and they vary enough to appear less rehearsed or guided than is usual in colonial judicial proceedings , whether ecclesiastical, criminal, or civil. The case concludes with these original records being forwarded to the Bishop of Guadalajara on 24 24 Part I February 23, and his judgment on April 15 after consulting a panel of experts in theology. Toward the end of the record, the case is summarized four times: by the notary public in Monterrey; by or on behalf of the governor and other residents of Monterrey; by the experts in theology; and by the bishop. These summaries of the depositions inevitably are selective , and occasionally embellish a point not found in the testimony. They are interesting for what is left out as well as what is included. This is a full translation except for the notary’s repetitive opening words as he deposed the witnesses. I include his opening for the first deposition , by Don Bartholomé Molano, to suggest the formula he followed, but have omitted it for the others. A strictly literal translation of this document would be difficult to manage, both for the translator and the reader. The depositions and other legal proceedings appear as if they were delivered in a single breath, without periods or punctuation other than an occasional stray comma, random accents, and unusual capitalization of nouns and verb forms. I have broken the text into sentences, added accents to names, where needed, reverted to modern usage for capitalization unless it seems that the author capitalized for emphasis, and I have tried to give a clear sense of the occasional words and phrases for which there is no straightforward literal translation. An occasional word is added in brackets to clarify a particular context, but I have tried not to make too clear what is not perfectly clear in the original Spanish.] [p. 2] Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Sir Don Antonio de Urresti, Sergeant Major of his majesty’s (may God protect him) militia companies of the New Kingdom of León and Doña María Francisca de Larralde, legitimate spouses and residents of the city of Monterrey, prostrate before Your Most Illustrious Lordship, we declare the following. I, said Doña María Francisca, having been gravely ill, as is evident from the proceedings presented to you here, moved by the fear of death, or not being altogether in my right mind because of the severity of the illness, made the vows I am making known to Your Most Illustrious Lordship, to which I, Don Antonio, gave my consent. And [p. 3] being unsure whether they are binding, not knowing whether the illness was natural or preternatural and my recovery miraculous, we appeal to Your Most Illustrious Lordship’s piety as our pastor to guide us, resolving the...