fray Antonio Castilblanco

Brief Biography: 
Fray Antonio Castilblanco was born circa 1499. A secondary source suggests that he was from the modern province of Córdoba. He arrived in New Spain in 1538. At forty-one he was one of the oldest participants on the Expedition. He was a Franciscan priest in Toluca, Mexico just prior to the departure of the Expedition. He broke his leg while on the Expedition, was sent back some distance to recover, and finally caught up with the main body of the expedition to continue on to Tiguex. He later served as a priest in Lima, Peru in the 1550s. By 1585 he was dead and had been buried in the large Franciscan convent in Mexico City.
Gender: 
Male
Title (Y/N): 
No
Date of Birth: 
ca. 1499
AGE-1540: 
41
Age Set: 
35-45
Date of Death: 
before 1585
Death Details Known?: 
No
Died on the Expedition?: 
No
Last Known Location: 
Mexico City
European Social Status: 
Religious
Position on Expedition: 
Religious
Injured on Expedition: 
Yes
Residence After Expedition: 
Lima, Peru; Mexico City
References-Documentary: 

1530-1540:

Chávez, Coronado’s Friars [p.9:says Castilblanco and Vitoria left Spain together in Sept 1538 (reference:Orozco, p.147), both from the Province of Los Ángeles, ref. Contratación 4676]; (Province of Los Angeles located near Hornachuelos, Cordoba in the Sierra Morena, reference- http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1527-iii.htm]; Castilblanco de los Arroyos [there is a place called this just north of Sevilla and slightly southwest of Hornachuelos, he could be from here]       

AGI, Justicia, 265, Pieza 1, N.1 [Question 205: residing in Toluca]

1540-1550:

Castañeda in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 28 [fol. 29v:fray Antonio Vitoria "...broke a leg.  In order that he might recover, he was sent back along the route, and later he traveled with the [main] expedition." (Castañeda is conflating Francisco de Vitoria with Antonio Castilblanco)

AGI, Justicia, 265, Pieza 1, N.1 [upper left hand corner] [Suchimilco, 24 Feb. 1547, witness, #125, guardian, Franciscan, known Mendoza for 8 1/2 years, 48 more or less, no signature; Question 9: dixo que sabe que el dicho don Antonio de Mendoza visorrey es persona muy çiafiado templado y de mucha pasiencia y tal le a hallado este testigo porque le a tratado y conversado y no a visto cosa en contrario y por tal le tiene notado porque como dicho tiene le a tratado asy en esta dicha ciudad como yendo con el al Jalisco con el exercito de Francisco Vásquez que fue un camino muy largo donde a visto en el todo lo que dicho tiene e hazello e hagallo no solamente con los espanoles pero aun con los indios e que este testigo a tratado y trata con muchos yndios naturales de esta nueva espana por que entiende en la conversion de ellos y a colegado y a de ellos dichos naturales que estan muy bien con el dicho visorey e le quieren mucho e que le tienen en lugar de padre por el buen tratamiento que les hize y muy piadoso acogimento que en el hallan quando con el van a negociar en las cosas que se les ofrecer e que nunca este testigo a sabido ni oydo decir que el dicho visorey despues que estar en esta nueva espana al palabra como en esta pregunta se contiene aya dicho a ninguna persona yndio ny espanol antes sabe este testigo que por qual dicho visorey suyo viavez que sobre cierta difirencia e averguacion de ella cierta persona abia dicho a unos yndios principales que mentran el dicho visorey vio este testigo que pesandole de ello y pareciendole mal dixo fue muy mal dicho y pesame a mi de ello; Question 73: he knows don Juan de Cuyuacan; Question 74: know Hernando de Tapia; Question 75: knows Luis de León since he too went to Cibola; Question 121: he saw Indians in the house of a Spanish painter being paid to paint certain things and they worked for a platero; Question 127: he knows the armada of Vázquez de Coronado did not cause any damage in Michoacan; Question 130: the expedition passed through Jalisco and the pueblos de Avalos; Question 205: residing in Toluca; Question 206: dixo que dize lo que dicho tiene en la pregunta antes de estar a que se refiere e que es ciertos pueblos por donde yba y pasava el dicho exercito para Cibola vio este testigo que avia puestos espanoles para el efeto que la pregunta dize de que redandava el beneficio en ella contenido];

AGI, Justicia, 266, Quaderno 4 [Pedro de Moxica] [sacerdote, Franciscan, didn't testify]

1550-1560:

Canedo "New Data” [Commissary in Lima-reference: AGI, Contaduría, 1680, fol. 21, "Descargo" of the treasurer of Lima, Alonzo de Almaraz]

1560-1570:

Chávez, Oroz Codex [p.147: Antonio de Castilblanco, is already dead and buried in the Convento Grande for the Franciscans in Mexico City, from the Province of Los Ángeles (Sierra Morena, p.134)]; 

Other Info:

Chavez, Coronado’s Friars [p.30:fray Antonio de Castilblanco and fray Francisco de Vitoria were together in Nueva Galicia when the expedition got under way] [which one was it that went with the expedition, since Castañeda seems to combine both names into one?] [Chavez is conjecturing based on Motolinia that he was in Culiacán, but he himself says he was in Toluca] [dead by 1559, another conjecture based on Oroz Codex, p.148];

AGI, Justicia, 267, N.3, “Proceso de Francisco Vázquez” [witness Vázquez de Coronado talked with fray Antonio de Castilblanco]