The auto de fe was a public ceremony where the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition made its sentences visible before the novo-Hispanic society. These acts mixed religious fervor, the theatricality of power and the harsh repression of any thought considered heretical. One of the most famous was the general auto general held on November 19, 1659, in which the Inquisition took to the scaffold several convicts accused of heresy, apostasy and minor crimes.
Among them stood out a singular character, Guillén de Lampart, an Irishman of audacious ideas who dreamed of liberating New Spain from peninsular control and proclaiming himself monarch of an independent nation.
The shadows of the Holy Office
Although the court was going through a period of visits and internal reforms since the middle of the 17th century, its activities never stopped. Already in 1649 another general auto general had been celebrated in which Tomás Treviño de Sobremonte was burned, and during the following years the public ceremonies of faith continued.
The auto of 1659 stood out for its magnitude and drama. On that occasion eight defendants were sentenced to death, among them the clergyman Bruñón de Vértiz, who died before the act. His statue was taken out in procession, stripped of its clerical insignia and burned together with his unearthed bones, in a ritual charged with symbolism.
One of the most commented cases was that of Francisco López de Aponte, declared an apostate heretic. The chroniclers reported that the man showed a haughty and defiant behavior on the stage, which caused a scandal among the attendees. His attitude, described as “shameless”, was seen by many as a manifestation of madness or desperation in the face of inevitable destiny.
Guillén de Lampart: the Irishman who dreamed of freedom
But the name that immortalized the auto de fe of 1659 was that of Don Guillén de Lampart, also known as Guillén Lombardo de Guzmán. Of Irish origin and refined education, he claimed to belong “to the most enlightened blood of Hibernia”. He arrived in New Spain around 1640 in the retinue of the viceroy Duke of Escalona and, soon after, he began to draw up a plan that today is considered a precursor of the independence ideas.
His project consisted of liberating the viceroyalty from the dominion of the Crown of Castile, falsifying royal dispatches that would grant him authority and proclaiming himself Marquis of Cropali, with the support of the Royal Audience. With these actions he sought to establish a Novo-Hispanic monarchy under his command.
However, it was denounced in 1642 by Captain Felipe Méndez, who revealed the plans to the authorities. The Holy Office, taking advantage of a minimal reference to an alleged indigenous sorcerer involved, took on the case – even though the crime did not fall under its jurisdiction – and turned it into an exemplary process.
Seventeen years of confinement and delirium
During seventeen years of imprisonment, Guillén de Lampart lived a slow Calvary. He tried to escape, wrote political and religious manifestos, and according to chroniclers, showed a progressive mental unbalance. In spite of this, the Supreme Council of the Inquisition in the peninsula had ordered to save his life and send him to Spain, but the inquisitors in Mexico decided to continue the process.
The night before his execution, Lampart was visited by a priest named Corchero, who tried to convince him to confess his guilt in order to avoid the stake. The prisoner, however, claimed to communicate with invisible beings in his cell. The next day, he marched in the procession looking at the sky, convinced that a supernatural force would come to his rescue. It did not happen: according to the stories, before reaching the fire he let himself fall, choking on his own cord, in a desperate act that witnesses interpreted as a last gesture of delirium or freedom.
The memory of the auto de fe
The 1659 auto was remembered for decades as one of the most impressive of the seventeenth century. Although other similar acts were later celebrated, the case of Guillén de Lampart acquired a symbolic dimension that transcended time. With the passing of the centuries, some chroniclers described him as a “precursor of national independence”, recognizing in his ideas an early echo of the emancipation that would later inspire Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos.
Even so, its end summarizes the rigor of the Holy Office and the fragility of ideals in an era dominated by fear and orthodoxy. The fire of the auto de fe not only consumed bodies; it also attempted to extinguish thoughts that challenged the viceregal order.
Conclusion
The auto de fe of 1659 in New Spain not only represented a display of inquisitorial power, but also a reflection of the clash between obedience and free thought. Guillén de Lampart, with his mixture of madness and lucidity, embodied the yearning for an identity of his own within the viceroyalty. His story, between tragedy and myth, left a deep imprint in the memory of New Spain: that of a man who dreamed of freedom in times when dreaming was a crime.
Questions and clarifications on The Auto de Fe of 1659 in New Spain
What was an auto de fe in New Spain?
The auto de fe was a public ceremony organized by the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition to announce the sentences against those who had been prosecuted for religious crimes. These acts combined judicial, ritual and symbolic elements: parades, readings of condemnations, prayers and, in some cases, the handing over of the accused to the secular arm for execution.
Where did the auto de fe of 1659 take place?
It took place in Mexico City’s Plaza Mayor, a space that served as the main stage for the viceroyalty’s public ceremonies. Crowds gathered from balconies, temples and corridors to witness punishments and absolutions.
Who was Guillén de Lampart, also called Lombardo de Guzmán?
Guillén de Lampart, or Guillén Lombardo de Guzmán, was a cultured and visionary Irishman who arrived in New Spain in the 17th century. He elaborated a plan to free the viceroyalty from the dominion of the Crown of Castile and proclaim himself monarch of an independent nation. He was arrested by the Inquisition in 1642 and remained imprisoned for seventeen years before being executed in the auto de fe of 1659.
Why is he considered a precursor of independence?
Although his political project was the product of a mixture of idealism and delirium, several historians have recognized him as a symbolic precursor of Mexican independence. His writings contain ideas of freedom, sovereignty and justice that centuries later would resonate in the insurgent movements led by Hidalgo and Morelos.
How did Guillén de Lampart die?
According to the testimonies of the time, Guillén de Lampart died before reaching the stake. During the procession of the auto de fe, desperate and convinced that supernatural forces would come to save him, he let himself fall and drowned with his own rope. It was considered an act of madness or of liberation, according to each chronicler’s point of view.
What did the burning of statues or remains symbolize?
When an accused died before sentencing, the Inquisition performed a symbolic ceremony: a statue of the defendant was made, publicly degraded and then burned with his remains. This gesture represented the “purification” of the crime and served to reaffirm the authority of the court even over the dead.
What impact did this auto de fe have on New Spain society?
The auto de fe of 1659 caused a great impression in the viceregal society. Not only did it reaffirm the power of the Holy Office, but it also left in the collective memory the figure of Guillén de Lampart as a man who challenged the political and religious structures of his time. With the passing of the centuries, his story went from the inquisitorial file to patriotic myth.
