SIR FRANCIS DRAKE'S ENGLISH PIRATES
Arrest Warrant For English Pirates Signed By The First Inquisitor of New Spain in 1573
Remarkable arrest warrant, signed by the Inquisitor of New Spain, directing the arrest and capture of 5 accused heretics, including two English Pirates, who had recently completed a daring jail break from prison in Mexico City.
This is an official arrest warrant, dated March 9, 1573, ordered by Pedro Moya de Contreras (c. 1528-1591), first inquisitor of the newly founded Mexican Inquisition, addressed to Don Alonso Sánchez de Miranda, Dean of Guadalajara.
Moya de Contreras arrived in New Spain in 1571, as the newly appointed inquisitor, thereafter rising to the office of Archbishop of Mexico City and finally Viceroy of New Spain (1584-1585). This two-fold letter is part of the legacy of the Inquisition in the New World, aimed at ecclesiastical authorities and their flock to raise awareness of the rampant menace of Lutheran… Read More