Tomás Manso (c. 1604-1659) 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 ...

priest who worked in New Mexico as a missionary from 1629 until 1656 and served as Bishop of Nicaragua in 1658 and 1659. ''(in Latin)'' Tomás Manso was the older half-brother of

Juan Manso de Contreras Juan Manso de Contreras (c.1628 – 1671) was the Spanish governor of New Mexico between 1656 and 1659. In 1662 on orders from the Inquisition, he arrested his successor as governor, Bernardo López de Mendizabal, and escorted him to Mexico City ...

who was the governor of New Mexico from 1656 to 1659.

Biography

Tomás Manso was born in Santa Eulalia de

Luarca Luarca (Ḷḷuarca in Asturian language, Asturian and coofficially) is a parish and the principal town in the Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Valdés, Asturias, Valdés in Asturias, Spain. Luarca (town) is a fishing and pleasure port. L ...

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 ...

about 1604. His father was Sebastián Manso and his mother was Maria Méndez. He may have been of noble ancestry. Manso professed as a member of the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...

of the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

on 12 July 1624. In 1629, Manso arrived in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

as a Franciscan missionary to the American Indians, especially to the town-dwelling

Puebloan The Pueblo peoples are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited Pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the ...

people inhabiting the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

valley. Edited by Jerry R. Craddock In 1631, Manso became the "procurador general" in charge of the supply service to the Franciscan missions in New Mexico. Manso organized and led the mule-drawn caravans which left

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

every three years and followed the

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (), also known as the Silver Route, was a Viceroyalty of New Spain, Spanish road between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, San Juan Pueblo (''Ohkay Owingeh''), New Mexico (in the modern U.S.), that wa ...

(Royal Road of the Interior) for to the Spanish colony of New Mexico. The caravans were the lifeline of the isolated New Mexican settlement. Manso served as procurador general for 25 years, making nine round trips between Mexico City and New Mexico. During his time with the supply service, Manso was in business in Mexico, whether for his benefit or that of the Franciscans is uncertain. He sold clothing manufactured in New Mexico and livestock which accompanied the caravans. In 1641, Manso journeyed back to Spain to settle the affairs of a closed Franciscan mission 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, returning to Mexico by 1644. On 14 December 1656, Manso was selected by the king of Spain as Bishop of Nicaragua and confirmed on 29 April 1658 by

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, and he held various d ...

. In 1659, six months after his arrival in Nicaragua, he died in the city of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

References

External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) {{DEFAULTSORT:Manso, Tomas 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nicaragua Bishops appointed by Pope Alexander VII 1659 deaths Franciscan bishops Roman Catholic bishops of León in Nicaragua Franciscans Franciscan missionaries 17th-century Spanish Roman Catholic priests 1600s in New Mexico Spanish Franciscans History of New Mexico Pre-statehood history of New Mexico Roman Catholic missionaries in New Spain Year of birth uncertain