Martín Ocelotl (1496 – 1537?) was an

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

priest (

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

) who was put on trial during

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 ...

’s

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

. He was ultimately banished to

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 ...

Biography

Early life

Ocelotl was born into a powerful family from the town of Chinanta ( Chinantl) located in

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. J. Jorge Klor de Alva, ''Martín Ocelotl'', 1981 His last name Ocelotl, means

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

. His father was a successful merchant while his mother was a well known and effective priestess. It is also believed that because he came from a powerful family, he was considered to be a religious prodigy at young age.

Conversion

After the downfall of the Aztec Empire, Ocelotl took up residence in the nearby and former alliance state of Tetzcoco ( Texcoco). It was there that Martín was able to continue his practice of being a successful

in the town. He also tried to establish a religious school in which many of the

could be able to continue out their daily religious rituals. However, because the conquest had occurred many indigenous started to convert to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in order to avoid the

. At the age of twenty-nine in 1525, Ocelotl converted to the Roman Catholic faith and was baptized. He was given the Spanish name Martín. Although Martín was now baptized, he continued to practice the old ways. Rumors about Ocelotl's power spread and many of the priests feared his influence over the converted indigenous community. He was also very wealthy and was able to share with many members within his area. Eventually, he would be accused of using

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

and practicing idolatry.

Trial and banishment

In the fall of 1536, he was placed on trial before the Inquisition. According to several witnesses, they were able to recall how Martín Ocelotl used his power and was able to predict when rain was going to occur. Another witness brought up the fact he was the child of powerful sorcerers and claimed to be a more powerful witch. He was also accused of transforming into a tiger and a cat. Although there was plenty of evidence to find Martín Ocelotl guilty, he claimed that he was innocent because he believed that he had done nothing wrong. His case was eventually given to the Bishop

Juan de Zumárraga Juan de Zumárraga, OFM (1468 – June 3, 1548) was a Spanish Basque Franciscan prelate and the first Bishop of Mexico. He was also the region's first inquisitor. He wrote ''Doctrina breve'', the first book published in the Western Hemisphe ...

(Mexico) who made the final decision on what would happen to Martín Ocelotl. On February 10, 1537, Martín Ocelotl was publicly humiliated in front of everyone and was accused of using witchcraft. Martín Ocelotl was also banished from his home and forced to live life imprisoned in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

Habsburg Spain Habsburg Spain refers to Spain and the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy, also known as the Rex Catholicissimus, Catholic Monarchy, in the period from 1516 to 1700 when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. In t ...

under the watchful eye of the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

. Unfortunately, according to records the ship that carried Martín Ocelotl to Spain disappears. No one knows what happened to him after his departure.

References

*J. Jorge Klor de Alva. "Martín Ocelotl: Clandestine Cult Leader." Edited by David G. Sweet and Gary B. Nash. ''Struggle & Survival in Colonial America''. Los Angeles:University of California Press. 1981. *Patricia Lopes Don. "Franciscan, Indian Sorceres, and the Inquisition in New Spain, 1536–1543." ''

Journal of World History The ''Journal of World History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that presents historical analysis from a global point of view, focusing especially on forces that cross the boundaries of cultures and civilizations, including large-scale popula ...

''. Vol. 17 Issue 1(March 2006). {{DEFAULTSORT:Ocelotl, Martin 1496 births 1530s deaths Nahua people Nahua nobility Mexican Christians People from Puebla Converts to Roman Catholicism from pagan religions Converts to pagan religions from Christianity