Twice Told

Documents

Benavides, Memorial (Madrid, 1630): the miraculous conversion of the Xumana nation

Language
Spanish
Read from
images 85 to 88 of the John Carter Brown Library scan (signature L2 to L3)
Reading
transcribed from the page image
Translation
ours
Retrieved
10 October 2026

The chapter of the printed Memorial in which Fray Alonso de Benavides tells how the Xumana (Jumano) asked for friars. It names the nun in the portrait, Luisa de Carrión, and no one else. The transcription stops at the sentence where the Xumana come out to meet the friars in procession; the text goes on with that scene, the baptisms and the cures.

Conuersion milagrosa de la nacion Xumana.

DExando pues toda esta parte Occidental, y saliendo de la villa de Santa Fè, centro del nueuo Mexico, que està en 37. grados, atrauessando por la nacion Apache de los Vaqueros por mas de ciento y doze leguas al Oriente, se va a dar en la nacion Xumana, que por ser su conuersion tan milagrosa, es justo dezir como fue. Años atras, andando vn Religioso llamado fray Iuan de Salas, ocupado en la conuersion de los Indios Tompiras y Salineros, adonde ay las mayores salinas del mundo, que confinan por aquella parte con estos Xumanas: huuo guerra entre ellos, y boluiendo el Padre fray Iuan de Salas por los Salineros, dixeron los Xumanas, Que gente que boluia por los pobres, era buena, y assi quedaron aficionados al Padre, y le rogauan fuesse a viuir entre ellos, y cada año le venian a buscar, y como estaua tambien ocupado con los Christianos, por ser lengua, y muy buen Ministro, y no tener Religiosos bastantes, fui entreteniendo a los Xumanas, que le pedian, hasta que Dios embiasse mas obreros, como los embiò el año passado de 29. inspirando a V. Magestad, mandasse al Virrey de la Nueua-España, que nos embiasse treinta Religiosos, los quales lleuò, siendo su Custodio el P. F. Esteuan de Perea, y assi despachamos luego al dicho Padre con otro compañero, que es el P. F. Diego Lopez, a los quales iuan guiando los mismos Indios; y antes que fuessen, preguntando a los Indios, que nos dixessen la causa por que con tanto afecto nos pedian el Bautismo, y Religiosos que los fuessen a dotrinar? Respondieron, que vna muger como aquella que alli teniamos pintada (que era vn retrato de la Madre Luisa de Carrion) les predicaua a cada vno dellos en su lengua, que viniessen a llamar a los Padres, para que los enseñassen y bautizassen, y que no fuessen perezosos; y que la muger que les predicaua, estaua vestida, ni mas, ni menos, como la que alli estaua pintada, pero que el rostro no era como aquel, sino que era moça y hermosa: y siempre que venian Indios de nueuo de aquellas naciones, mirando el retrato, y confiriendolo entresi, dezian, que el vestido era el mismo, pero que el rostro no, porque el de la muger que les predicaua era de moça y hermosa.

Viendo el demonio, enemigo de las almas, que aquellos Religiosos iuan a librar de sus vñas las que alli gozaua, quiso defenderse, y vsò de vn ardid de los que suele, y fue, que secò las lagunas del agua que bebian, a cuya causa tambien se auyentò el mucho ganado de Sibola que por alli auia, de que todas estas naciones se sustentauan; y luego, por medio de los Indios hechizeros, echò la voz, que mudassen puesto, para buscar de comer, y que ya no vendrian los Religiosos que embiauan a llamar, pues en seis años que los auian esperado, no iuan, y esta vez se tardauan ya tanto, que no auia que esperarlos, y assi mandaron los Capitanes, que alçassen tiendas para irse al otro dia de madrugada; y al amanecer les hablò la Santa a cada vno dellos en particular, y les dixo, que no se fuessen, que ya los Religiosos a quien ellos embiauan a buscar, iuan cerca; y confiriendolo todos entre si, embiaron a doze Capitanes de mas satisfacion a ver si era assi, y a tercer dia toparon con los Religiosos, a los quales pidieron les mostrasse el retrato de la muger que les predicaua; y mostrandole el Padre vno de la Madre Luisa de Carrion, dixeron, que como aquella estaua vestida, pero que era mas hermosa y moça; y al punto fueron a dar nueua a los suyos de la venida de los Padres, y les salieron a recebir en procession con dos Cruzes por delante, como tan bien industriados del cielo,

Translation

The miraculous conversion of the Xumana nation.

Leaving all this western part, and setting out from the town of Santa Fe, the centre of New Mexico, which lies at 37 degrees, and crossing the nation of the Apache Vaqueros for more than a hundred and twelve leagues to the east, one comes to the Xumana nation. Because their conversion was so miraculous, it is right to tell how it happened. Some years ago a friar named Fray Juan de Salas was busy converting the Tompira and Salinero Indians, where the greatest salt flats in the world lie, which on that side border these Xumanas. There was war between them, and when Fray Juan de Salas stood up for the Salineros, the Xumanas said that people who stood up for the poor were good people. So they grew fond of the Father and begged him to come and live among them, and every year they came to look for him. He was also busy with the Christians, being an interpreter and a very good minister, and there were not enough friars, so I kept putting off the Xumanas who asked for him until God should send more workers. He sent them last year, 1629, by moving Your Majesty to order the Viceroy of New Spain to send us thirty friars, whom Fray Esteban de Perea brought as their custodian. So we sent the said Father at once with a companion, Fray Diego López, and the same Indians went with them as guides. Before they left, we asked the Indians to tell us why they asked us for baptism, and for friars to instruct them, with such feeling. They answered that a woman like the one we had painted there (which was a portrait of Mother Luisa de Carrión) preached to each one of them in their own language, telling them to come and call the Fathers, so that the Fathers would teach and baptize them, and not to be slow about it. The woman who preached to them was dressed exactly like the one painted there, but her face was not like that one: she was young and beautiful. And whenever Indians from those nations came newly, looking at the portrait and talking it over among themselves, they said the dress was the same but the face was not, because the face of the woman who preached to them was that of a young and beautiful woman.

The demon, enemy of souls, seeing that these friars were going to free from his claws the souls he held there, tried to defend himself, and used one of his usual tricks. He dried up the lagoons of the water they drank, and because of this the many buffalo that lived there, which all these nations lived on, also went away. Then, through the Indian sorcerers, he spread the word that they should move to find food, and that the friars they had sent for would not come, since they had waited six years for them and they had not gone, and this time they were so late that there was no point in waiting. So the captains ordered tents to be struck to leave early the next morning. At daybreak the Saint spoke to each one of them separately and told them not to go, because the friars they had sent to find were already near. They talked it over among themselves and sent twelve captains they trusted most to see whether it was so, and on the third day they met the friars. They asked the friars to show them the portrait of the woman who preached to them, and when the Father showed them one of Mother Luisa de Carrión, they said she was dressed like that, but was more beautiful and young. At once they went to tell their people that the Fathers were coming, and they came out to receive them in procession with two crosses in front, so well taught by heaven.

Notes

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