Doña Teresa de Aguilera y Roche
Doña Teresa was the aristocratic, educated, and outspoken wife of New Mexico governor don Bernardo López de Mendizábal. Both were accused as sorcerers and judaizers—Christians who practiced Jewish rituals—and brought before the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Mexico City. Arrested in the Palace of the Governors on August 26, 1662, they were forcibly taken from Santa Fe to Mexico City. Held for two years, her husband died in prison, but Teresa, in a spirited defense, exposed her accusers’ malfeasance, saying they had acted out of greed and envy. The case and her testimony give insight into life, society, and the political and religious institutions of colonial Santa Fe. Teresa’s case was suspended in 1664 due to lack of credible eyewitness testimony.