Decretos del concilio tercero provincial mexicano (1585) (review)

It can be argued that the Third Mexican Provincial Council of 1585 was one of the most important religious events in the history of Mexico. Summoned by Pedro Moya de Contreras, the all-powerful archbishop, visitador, and later viceroy, it was one of many such councils held in Spain and its dominions in the aftermath of the Council of Trent. It not only enacted a comprehensive code of canon law for New Spain but also commissioned important works such as a uniform catechism and ceremonial. One of the most important of these was the directory for confessors, a lengthy summary of moral theology, canon law, and pastoral practice designed to compensate for the poor education of the clergy. It is an invaluable source for the social, economic, and religious life of sixteenth-century New Spain.

The work of the council met determined opposition on both the civil and religious front. Because of this, the decrees were not published until 1622, the ceremonial was never completed, and the catechism and directory fell into oblivion. The decrees, however, had a remarkable staying power. They were extended to the Philippines in 1626 and were retained by Guatemala when it became an independent ecclesiastical province. They were the code of canon law for the province of Mexico until 1896 and other parts of the country until 1917.

The working papers of the first three provincial councils (1555, 1565, 1585) were in the archives of the archdiocese of Mexico as late as 1746. In 1869 they were sold at auction in London and were purchased by Hubert Howe Bancroft for his library. Knowledge of them seems to have been lost, and it was only in 1958 that Ernest Burrus, S.J., rediscovered them.

In recent years the Colegio de Michoacán in Zamora, Mexico, under the direction of Alberto Carrillo Cázares, has undertaken the Herculean task of publishing every document relating to the Third Council. The present two volumes are a critical study and edition of the decrees, together with an analysis of their sources and their various manuscript sources, all done by Martínez Ferrer. Of particular value is the first volume, which surveys the history of the decrees, their sources, and roles played by various participants in the Third Council. It is far more detailed and informative than any other work dealing with this important subject.

In some ways these two volumes may be more useful as reference works than as something to be read from beginning to end. They are an invaluable contribution to the social, religious, and governmental history of colonial Mexico.