Guillen de Lombardo, in Part II, escaped from the prison of the Spanish Inquisition in Mexico city on December 24, 1650. (Part I, in case you missed it.)
Source: Pixabay
Part III
Set Free
William Lamport, now known as Guillen de Lombardo and Guillen de Lampart to the Criollos of New Spain, was a free man after 8 years imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisition. Guillen did not flee the city, instead he spent the next 3 nights within the City of Mexico. He sought refuge in the homes of old friends. Unfortunately for Guillen, many of his old friends and acquaintances had passed away or were taken away by the Inquistion. He learned that the love of his life had been taken away by the Inquisition, tortured until she implicated her family, and at last was never heard from again. This furthered Guillen's resolve to revolt against the injustices of the Spanish Crown. He would not leave to hide, he would stay to expose the Inquisition of all its injustices, and with his supporters, would free the New World from its oppressor.
By night, Guillen would sneak out of hiding, and would plaster the city with his plans for rebellion, as well as denounce the atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition. Guillen would continue his efforts for 3 nights endearing him to lower class people as well as to those that were mistreated by the Spanish Crown and its Inquisition. His escape was fantastic, and inspirational, but his fearlessness and selflessness became legendary. Guillen and his hiding place were extremely close to the offices of the Inquisitor's during his abscondence. Sadly, on the fourth Day of his freedom, Guillen was betrayed, and arrested by the authorities, who now had more evidence against Guillen.
Guillen was again tried and sentenced by the authorities of the Spanish Inquisition. Guillen would vigorously defend himself against his accusers. His schooling and great knowledge challenged the authorities and their right to torture and kill. Guillen spent the next 9 years imprisoned in Mexico City.
During this time, he wrote over 800 psalms and treatises. Guillen would use the soot from a candle mixed with water and honey for his ink, and he would use cigarette paper glued together, or even his bedsheets to write. This would help him preserve some semblance of sanity. Despite Guillen's effort to write to the authorities, including the King of Spain, he remained jailed. The King sympathized with Guillen, since Guillen had garnered much favor with the Spanish Court, but the Inquisition stood steadfast. Guillen was not only a threat to the sovereignty of Spain's monarchy, but also a threat to the religious fervor that was the Spanish Inquisition. Guillen de Lombardo was found guilty and sentenced to death by burning.
The plaque says "In front of this place was the quemadero (burning place) of the Inquisition. 1596–1771"
Source: Wikimedia
Guillen spent a total of about 17 years imprisoned, except for his 3 day escapade. The decision to stay and not flee would ultimately cost Guillen his life, but not his legend. On November 19, 1659 Guillen de Lombardo was paraded onto the grounds of the Convento de San Diego. He was tied to the stake and set on fire to die. Guillen escaped from his ropes and hung himself by the shackle around his neck before the searing agony of the flames could consume his flesh, setting free his indomitable spirit.
Statue of Guillen Lampart located inside
the Angel of Independence Monument - Mexico City
Reserved for Heroes of Mexico
Source: mexicomaxico.org
The Spirit of Independence
The name of Guillen Lampart would carry on the whispers of the oppressed and abused of New Spain. The hope of freedom and independence inspired by the words and life of Don Guillen Lampart would carry far in Mexico and the rest of the New World. In 1661, in Nicaragua, a Franciscan Fray, Diego de la Cruz was sentenced and imprisoned for publicly praising the acts of Don Guillen Lampart.* In 1662, in Mexico city, an investigation into the allegations by Guillen was carried out, and some of the inquisitor officials were found guilty for some of the crimes that Guilllen had accused them of committing. Then in 1666, African slave and others joined in a Rebellion that started in the same location where Guillen had posted his first pamphlets denouncing the atrocities of the Inquisition and social injustices of Spanish rule. One slave yelled that the Archbishop was burning in hell as the church burned, just as Don Guillen Lampart had wished in his Last Will and Testament.
The Spirit of Independence would not rest in the New World. Guillen Lampart's message of freedom would carry on with many others. During English and Irish tensions, many Irish had come to the New World, and many were Freemasons. Many of them believed in the same ideals as Guillen Lampart, having experienced similar conditions in Ireland under English rule. It would be runaway slaves, crypto-Jews, displaced Irishmen, discontented Criollos, mestizos and Indians that would embody Guillen Lampart's ideals of freedom and independence.
Many uprisings and subversive acts would continue in the New World throughout the rest of the 1700's against Spanish rule. In 1865, as the inaudible whispers of those legends began to fade, Author Luis G. Inclan, wrote his book:
"Astucia, el jefe de los Hermanos de la Hoja: o Los charros de contrabando."
Translated, the title means:
Astucia (which is a nickname of the main character, but also means wise or slick), Chief of the Brotherhood of the Leaf: or Contraband (Mexican) Cowboys .
A Modern Front Cover of Luis Inclan's Book,
Astucia, El Jefe de los Hermanos de la Hoja
Source: editorialdreamers.com
In Luis Inclan's book, the protagonist, Astucia, is the leader of a secret group that circumvents the government in their business transactions in order to avoid paying taxes to foreign rulers. Astucia and his band of Mexican cowboys are not criminals but rather men of courage, valor and honor, in the tradition of men like Guillen Lampart. This fraternity of men would conduct blackmarket business in spices, tobacco leaf, wine and other products without paying royalty to the Crown. This group would wear the opposite color of the Inquisition, and so dressed in black. When these men of daring bravado would attack or capture Aristocrats or soldiers, they would mark them with the letter "Z." In their fraternity, it represented the Biblical word for "Ziza," which means Enlightenment or Shining.
Full $teem Ahead!
My Top Blogs
- Pancho Villa
- Geronimo
Signature Logo Created by @czar
if you need one, he is steem dollars reasonable!
Sources:
wikipedia.org
wikimedia.org
google.com(translate)
http://www.irlandeses.org/dilab_lamportw.htm
http://www.wexfordzorrofest.com/history.html
http://www.canaldelmisterio.com/tag/william-lamport/
http://familylambert.net/History/bios/william.html
https://visitwexford.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/wexford-celebrates-roots-of-zorro-with-mexican-festival-2/
https://archive.org/details/LamportZorro2
http://www.coppercanyontours.com.mx/los_mochis.html
https://www.taringa.net/post/apuntes-y-monografias/12997883/La-historia-real-y-verdadera-del-zorro.html
http://www.historyireland.com/early-modern-history-1500-1700/the-man-behind-the-mask-of-zorro/
The Human Tradition in the Atlantic World, 1500–1850 - Cline
http://bdmx.mx/detalle/?id_cod=25
https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/mexico/news-and-events/2015/400-years-since-the-birth-of-william-lampart/
http://elpais.com/diario/2005/11/27/eps/1133076411_850215.html
http://thesis.haverford.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10066/1192/20?sequence=1
http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Masons/Misc/SRdegrees.html
http://www.mexicoarmado.com/historia-de-mexico-arte-y-cultura/99262-guillen-de-lampart-el-verdadero-zorro.html
*Historia del tribunal del Santo oficio de la inquisición en México - pgs 322/323 - Medina
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hnlgdt;view=1up;seq=11;size=75
Astucia, el jefe de los Hermanos de la Hoja: o Los charros contrabandistas de la rama - Inclan