Bartolomé de Ledesma, O.P. (died February 16, 1604) was a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
prelate who served as
Bishop of Antequera, Oaxaca
The Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Mexico. The cathedral church is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in the episcopal see of Oaxaca. It was erected ...
Bartolomé de Ledesma was born on February 16, 1604, in
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and ordained a priest in the
Order of Preachers
The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius ...
.
On October 20, 1580,
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...
appointed him Bishop of Panamá (some sources state that he did not accept the nomination). On June 3, 1583, he was consecrated bishop by
Diego de Romano y Govea
Diego de Romano y Govea (1538 – 12 April 1606) served as Bishop of Tlaxcala (1578–1606).Bishop of Tlaxcala (Puebla de los Angeles). As there was no official governor during his term as bishop of Panama, he was instrumental in governing the province with the Audencia Real (high court). He reached out to the
Cimarrónes
Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...
(free blacks) who were living outside of the Crown's jurisdiction and facilitated their incorporation into the colony. In 1581, a treaty was signed between the Cimarrónes which gave them the land which they possessed and allowed them to found and settle the city of
Pacora
Pacora is a town and corregimiento in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by ...
, near
Panama City
Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...
, as a commercial center. He also helped to lessen congestion in Panama City by founding the town of Penonomé and establishing parishes in Natá and
Olá
Olá is a Corregimientos of Panama, corregimiento in Olá District, Coclé Province, Panama with a population of 1,419 as of 2010. It is the seat of Olá District. Its population as of 1990 was 1,255; its population as of 2000 was 1,326.
Refere ...
. In June 1584, Pope Gregory XIII appointed him the third
Bishop of Antequera, Oaxaca
The Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Mexico. The cathedral church is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in the episcopal see of Oaxaca. It was erected ...
. In 1585, he attended the
Third Mexican Provincial Council The Third Mexican Provincial Council was a 1585 provincial council of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Mexico. Unlike the first two Mexican Provincial Councils, it was approved by the Holy See. It called for reform of the system of India ...