Vasco de Quiroga

Venerable
Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga, member of the second Audiencia and first bishop of Michoacán
Born
Vasco de Quiroga

1470 or '78
Died14 March 1565 (aged 86–94)
Burial placeBasílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
NationalityCrown of Castile
Alma materUniversity of Salamanca[1]
Occupation(s)Bishop, judge, bureaucrat
TitleBishop of Michoacán
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseMichoacán
SeeMichoacán
Appointed18 August 1536
Term ended14 March 1565
PredecessorNone
SuccessorAntonio Ruíz de Morales y Molina, O.S.
Orders
Consecration5 January 1539
by Fray Juan de Zumárraga, O.F.M.
RankBishop
Sainthood
Feast day14 March
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Title as SaintVenerable
Judge of the Real Audiencia of Mexico
In office
10 January 1531 – 16 April 1535
PresidentSebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal
Preceded byNuño de Guzmán of the first Audiencia
Succeeded byAntonio de Mendoza, Viceroy of New Spain

Vasco de Quiroga (1470/78 – 14 March 1565)[2] was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico, and one of the judges (oidores) in the second Real Audiencia of Mexico – the high court that governed New Spain – from January 10, 1531, to April 16, 1535.

Coming from a background as a lawyer and a judge he was appointed to be a judge in the second Audiencia after the first Audiencia's failure. As an oidor he took a strong interest in restoring order to the Michoacán area which had been ravaged by rebellions and unrest. He employed a strategy of congregating indigenous populations into congregated Hospital-towns called Republicas de Indios, organized after principles derived from Thomas More's Utopia. The purpose of this policy was to teach the Indians a trade and to instruct them in Christian values and lifestyles. He established multiple such hospitals: Santa Fé de México close to the town of Tacubaya in the Valley of Mexico, and Santa Fé de la Laguna close to Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, and Santa Fe Del Rio close to La Piedad, Michoacan.

Because of his contribution to the protection of the Indians, Vasco de Quiroga's legacy is recognized in America and Spain, and even venerated in the Catholic Church.[3][4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference uvaq2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Wood, Stephanie (1996), "Vasco de Quiroga", Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, vol. 4, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 515
  3. ^ Vatican News (22 December 2020). "Pope advances causes for canonization with publication of Decrees". Vatican News. Retrieved 13 Feb 2021.
  4. ^ Forbes staff (2020-12-22). "Papa abre camino a beatificación de Vasco de Quiroga". Forbes Mexico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-18.

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