Juan Damián López de Haro y Villarda,

O.SS.T. The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Brumetz, Cerfroid, outside Paris, in the late 12th century. From the ...

(September 27, 1581 – August 24, 1648) was a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as

Bishop of Puerto Rico The term Diocese of Puerto Rico may refer to: * the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico * the Anglican Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico The Episcopal Church Diocese of Puerto Rico () is a diocese of the Episcopal Church (United ...

from 1643 to 1648. He was member of the

House of Haro The House of Haro was one of the most powerful families of Castile during the Middle Ages, which strongly supported the expansionist policies of Alfonso VI of Castile. As a reward, Íñigo López was named the first Lord of Biscay. In the ear ...

and the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. He is known for expressing his disillusionment concerning

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

's dilapidated colony status, and for his poems written to Spanish officials.

Early years

López de Haro was born in

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( ; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla� ...

on September 27, 1581, where he was baptized on the same day. He enrolled in Religious studies in 1599, majoring in philosophy at the convent in Toledo. He later majored in

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

continuing his studies 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 ...

.Interamerican University (in Spanish)retrieved August 2010

Bishop of Puerto Rico

López de Haro was appointed Bishop of Puerto Rico on February 9, 1643, confirmed on June 13, ordained as bishop by García Gil Manrique,

Bishop of Barcelona The Archdiocese of Barcelona () is a Latin metropolitan archbishopric of the Catholic Church in northeastern Spain's Catalonia region. The cathedral archiepiscopal see is a Minor basilica: Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de la Santa Creu i S ...

on February 14, 1644, and installed upon his arrival to Puerto Rico on July 13, 1644.Catholic Hierarchy.org: "Bishop Damián Lopez de Haro y Villarda, O.SS.T."
retrieved August 2010 ''(in Latin)'' Upon his arrival, López de Haro began to express his overall dislike with the conditions of the

Colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

of Puerto Rico at that time and convened a

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

. In his final years as Bishop, López de Haro began visiting annexed regions of the diocese in what is now

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. He found that the churches were extremely poor. He considered that the church was not getting the proper share of tithes, and directed that they should be paid in the cathedral to avoid abuses.

Gregorio de Castellar y Mantilla Gregorio is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Gregorio Aglipay (1860–1940), Filipino revolutionary and first supreme bishop of the Philippine Independent Church * Gregorio Conrado Álvarez (1925–2016), Uruguay ...

, Governor and Captain-General of Cumaná, and

Francisco de Santillán y Argote Francisco de Santillán y Argote was a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator who was governor of the Province of Margarita from 13 April 1643 to 23 March 1649. He was succeeded by Fernando de Mendoza Mate de Luna. Captain Francisco de Santil ...

, Governor of

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the north west coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

, joined in opposing the decision, which they saw as a violation of the currently accepted property rights, and wanted to continue to collect tithes. Don Damian died in Margarita on 20 September 1648 after a ship carrying plague arrived from Puerto Rico. Two hundred other people died, according to Santillan's report to the court.

Literature

During his tenure, López de Haro wrote extensively maintaining correspondence with numerous dignitaries. Of the most notable are King Philip IV, and Juan Diez de la Calle, a clerk of the secretary of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

of the Council of the Indies (in Madrid). In his letters to King Philip were descriptions of the state of the diocese on both the Island of Puerto Rico, City of San Juan Bautista, and annexes.Pio Herrero Medrano, Don Damián López de Haro and Don Diego de Torres Vargas, two figures of the Baroque Puerto Rico, San Juan, Ed Plaza Mayor, 1999. In his letters to Juan Dias de la Calle, López de Haro is seen expressing his dissatisfaction with colonial conditions of Puerto Rico, and his distaste of white settlers' chivalrous hypocrisy. López de Haro has also written some of the first recordings of

Taíno The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...

folk talestopuertorico.org retrieved August 2010
/ref> and his writings are the only known historical description of Puerto Rico in the mid-seventeenth century.

References

External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez De Haro, Juan Damian 1581 births 1648 deaths Trinitarian bishops Clergy from Toledo, Spain University of Salamanca alumni 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Puerto Rico Spanish Roman Catholic bishops in North America House of Haro Roman Catholic bishops of San Juan de Puerto Rico

Early years

Bishop of Puerto Rico

Literature

See also

References

External links and additional sources