Padre Antonio Jose Martínez of Taos

It is appropriate every now and again that the life and memory of Padre Antonio Jose Martínez, “El Cura de Taos/The Curate(Priest) of Taos,” should be brought forward. Now seems to be one of those times, given the upcoming exposition of the Old Taos Trade Fair on Sept. 24 and 25 at La Hacienda de los Martínez, which was the Padre’s family homestead.

Padre Martínez of Taos (Jan. 16, 1793-July 27, 1867), was the very famous Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish for over 30 years and was a pivotal political influence during the transition of power from Mexican governance to the U.S. in the mid-1800s.

He was a very gifted and powerfully charismatic individual who — as the appointed priest and spiritual leader of the expansive and far-flung region of the Taos Parish and its various mission areas in Northern New Mexico — was the undisputed central religious authority of the vast area.

He was very highly educated and literate, and deeply knowledgeable about the secular political and economic systems of the governing Mexican administration and the Northern Capital of Santa Fe. He was also prophetic about the impending takeover of Nuevo Mejico by “los Americanos.”

He was the leading and most influential Native-born personality of northern and, indeed, all of New Mexico in a traumatic time of earth-shaking changes in the Catholic Church and in the state. He was a personage of tremendous accomplishments, yet he also endured heart-breaking and ironic tragedy in the last years of his life, as the priest of Taos.

His legacy as “the honor of his country,” or “la honra de su pais,” persists to this day, along with some controversial aspects of his exceptional life as the central figure of his times. A very-much larger-than-life bronze statue of him is set in the Taos Town Plaza Center to commemorate his civic and political works. At the same time, he is now rarely mentioned in the realm he loved most, which was the church from which he was excluded in the last years of his life.

Even so, his great works in both church and state are undeniable, even in the face of his personal priestly tragedy, and his influence in both continues.

He was born in Abiquiú as the eldest son of Don Severiano Martínez and Dona Maria del

Carmel Santisteban. In 1804, the family moved to Taos and built their home, La Hacienda de Los Martínez, which is now a regional cultural center and living museum. Antonio Jose loved learning and studying. He married Maria de la Luz Martin of Abiquiú in 1812, but she died in childbirth of their daughter — also named Maria de la Luz, who, in turn, died at age 12.

He decided for the priesthood and entered the Tridentine Seminary of Durango, where his intellectual brilliance shone. He was ordained a priest on Feb. 10, 1822 at age 29 and celebrated his first mass on Feb. 19.

Padre Martínez returned to Taos and preached his first sermon there on April 20, 1823, and then was sent to Tomay and then appointed as the first secular priest at Abiquiú in 1825, and then on July 23, 1826 he became the pastor in Taos, and a great history began.

He proved to be a servantleader of the people and worked zealously to improve their lives in every way and by his spiritual inspiration. He opened a coeducational school for the youth, and a Minor Seminary for boys who might be called to the priesthood, and was instrumental in the formation of several native-born priests.

He acquired “the first printing press West of the Mississippi,” and published one of the precursors to the Taos News, “El Crepusculo” (“The Dawn”), for which the longrunning Spanish section of this paper is named. Martínez printed a variety of Parish sacramentary forms, as well as ministry manuals for use by priests.

He used his political talents effectively as an advocate for all his people, including the pueblo Natives, whom he believed were being mistreated by those in power. He served in the Mexican Departmental Assembly for New Mexico, and then after American assumption of administration in 1848, he headed the United States Territorial Assembly.

He was the influential and central personage who sought the best outcome from these mighty and traumatic geopolitical changes and events, but his most unsettling challenge then arrived.

In 1851, Reverend Jean Baptiste Lamy from France was named by the pope as the Apostolic Vicar of New Mexico, whose ecclesiastica jurisdiction from Santa Fe replaced that from far-away Durango, Mexico, and conflict arose between Padre Martínez and Lamy, who was soon appointed as the bishop.

Padre Martinez had advocated for his Spanish and Native New Mexican people in the face of the immense changes at hand and, as their leader, he came into direct conflict with the agents of change, including Bishop Lamy. This opposition generated an action by the

Bishop to censure, suspend and excommunicate the priest of Taos in 1856 for alleged faults and writings against the order and discipline of the church.

Bishop Lamy chose the view that Padre Martínez had ignored his censure, continuing to say mass and to administer the sacraments and to publish against Lamy’s policies. Lamy said he was therefore forced to excommunicate the padre.

Padre Martínez rejected the validity of the excommunication and continued as a priest until he died on July 27, 1867. This conflict caused deep divisions in the Taos Parochial community, some of which are still evident to this day. He still commands the respect of both sides of the religious issue, however, and his legacy is otherwise good and secure. He is considered as a foundational cornerstone of Taos, and not to be trifled with.

And the fundamental spiritual bedrock of the Taos and Northern region is as solid and nurturing now as it was even before the arrival of Padre Martínez and the subsequent succession of priests and clergy, although he is acknowledged as the most prominent and influential personality.

And, the native and centuriesold spiritual leadership among and arising from the people of our Northern country/El Norté, always remains and holds sway.

Editor’s note: The Taos News is a secular newspaper. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s alone.