The illumination of an hidalgo: a sixteenth-century document reveals a portrait of a New World nobleman while reflecting conditions in the Old World.
Americas (English Edition) › Vol. 49 Nbr. 3, May 1997
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Summary
Peruvian resident Francisco Quintano de Villalobos' petition for noble status - Includes related article on the document - Cover Story
Peruvian citizen Quintano de Villalobos underwent the time-consuming and expensive process of petitioning King Philip II of Spain for noble status, which he was granted in 1597. The document, Carta de Hidalguia, is at the Denver Art Museum in Colorado.See the full content of this document
Extract
The illumination of an hidalgo: a sixteenth-century document reveals a portrait of a New World nobleman while reflecting conditions in the Old World.
In the year 1597 the bitter adversaries Queen Elizabeth of England and King Philip II of Spain were nearing the end of their long reigns, the Turks continued to ravage the coasts of the Mediterranean, and the Spanish were consolidating their empire in America. In the world of the arts, Shakespeare at thirty-three had just established himself as England's foremost playwright, Rubens was serving his apprenticeship, and Monteverdi busied himself composing the first proto-operas. In October of that same year, the king of Spain granted noble status to Francisco Quintano de Villalobos, a resident of Potosi and Porco in colonial Peru.
Petitions to the Spanish monarch for nobility were commonly undertaken on both sides of the Atlantic. However, for this Peruvian citizen to attain the coveted station in life he sought was a painstaking, expensive, and time-consuming process. The prerogatives of nobility, however, were substantial. Hidalgos were exempt from p...See the full content of this document
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