COLLECTION GUIDE
Prepared by Ruth Olivera, December 1993; revised April, 1994.
Arrangement of Collection
Box 1: Libro de Actas
Boxes 2 and 3: Legal Documents
Box 3: Church-Related Documents
INTRODUCTION
Danlí is a municipal cabecera in the department of El Paraíso. It had its beginnings in 1667 when the Franciscan friar Fernando Espino founded a town he named San Buenaventura and built a church for the neighboring Indians. The name was later changed to Danlí, which in Nahuatl is Xallili and means "water running over a bed of sand." On 20 September 1820 Danlí was given the category of municipio and on 12 April 1843 the title of ciudad. It was recognized as a military and judicial center on 20 February 1894. Located on a plain surrounded by high hills, Danlí is called the "City of the Hills." By 1989 it had grown to a population of approximately 111,000 inhabitants.
The documents in this collection are concerned with details of the functions of the city government of Danlí as seen first in the "Libro de Actas" from 1820-1839. Continuing documents trace various legal workings of the city relating to the Juzgado de Paz, with bound records of civil and criminal cases and condemnations of unattended livestock. Other documents relate in some way to the Catholic Church, especially in granting dispensations for marriage.
Names of many of the prominent families of Danlí, such as Idiáquez, Gamero, Sevilla, appear throughout the collection. To a certain extent the social conditions and class structure of the times are reflected in the pages.
Box 1
LIBRO DE ACTAS DE LA MUNICIPALIDAD DE DANLÍ, 1820-1839
The Actas are the records of the official proceedings of the ayuntamiento or city council of Danlí, Honduras. They are contained in one handwritten volume of some 313 leaves. The volume consists of four main parts or sections bound together. The first section dates from 24 September 1820 to 14 December 1828; the second section dates from 31 August 1833 to 4 January 1836, and the fourth section begins with the date 16 April 1831 and includes documents from 1832, 1833, and 1836, then covers dates from 1 January 1837 to 1 January 1839. As is obvious, the documents are not always in chronological order and some records may be missing.
The ayuntamiento always met in the Sala Consistorial and proceedings of their meetings are recorded in short summaries and are signed by all the officials present, beginning with the alcalde primero and including the secretary. Summaries are usually of no more than one or two pages.
These records cover the time just preceding independence from Spain, through independence and union with the Mexican Empire under Iturbide and through the time of the united provinces of Central America, until the very beginning of Honduras as an independent republic. The impact of these events is reflected in the records, but not to a marked degree. For instance, in 1820 loyalty to King Fernando VII and the Constitution is professed, and then following a public reading of a proclamation of 15 October 1821 a list of concerns and fears about relations with Guatemala and Mexico is discussed. However, by 22 April 1822 a ceremony of union with the Mexican Empire takes place peacefully. In 1825 allegiance is sworn to the Federal Constitution of the nation of Central America. In 1829 news of victories by Francisco Morazán over Guatemala is cause for celebration, with more celebrations in 1830.
The ayuntamiento concerns itself principally with matters of local importance: elections, financing, commerce and relations with neighboring communities, the public school, and regulations to maintain the safety, order, and health of the town. Of constant occurence are elections. Elections of alcaldes, regidores, and other city officials are held every year, with the new officers installed each January. It is interesting to note that it was mandatory that pardos and mulatos be allowed to vote. The ayuntamiento also determined the selection of deputies and other authorities to the state of Honduras. Public finances and the management of the small amounts of money available are always a concern. Salaries for the jailer and the secretary must be paid and repairs on the church made. Trade with Indians and the English, restrictions on the sale of such commodities as beans and corn to assure the local supply, and approval of measures affecting communities over which Danlí has authority are alll considered. The maintenance of a public primary school is always deemed important, although the funds are limited. At one point in 1835 the funds for the school are exhausted and the teacher is thanked for his services. Public exams of the pupils are held, with the older students being questioned on matters of dogma. Various regulations are enacted from time to time which could be classified as rules for good government. They are aimed at keeping the water supply and the streets clean, limiting cattle and pigs in town, controlling epidemics which are fairly frequent, prescribing proper conduct at church, and preventing loitering and objectionable behaior. The cityfathers were diligent in carrying out their resposibilities.
Box 2
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
Folder 1
1875, February 24. Official copy of the record and circumstances of the
sale of a certain piece of land called Ojo de Agua by Francisco Medina to
his son Angel Medina for 100 pesos, as recorded by the Juez de Paz David
Molina in Danlí. D.S. 2 leaves. 4º.
Folder 2
1877-1878, 1886, 1887-1888, 1898 and 1899. Sets of bound notes and a few
loose leaves directed to the Juez de Paz of Danlí by various persons. The
notes cover a range of subjects. Many acknowledge receipt of certain
documents; others relate to legal protocol, to tenure in office, or to
particular cases in the court. There is a list of the authorized documents
and transfers of real estate for 1889 through September. Most notes are
very short, but a few are longer, such as one document of six leaves dated
1877 concerning the petition of a young women to manage her own property
and another of two pages dated 18 February 1889 that gives details of a
criminal attack. There is one printed note, and a few pages are blank.
Ds.S. 168 leaves, 4º. 2 leaves, 8º.
Folder 3
1882, January 3. Document signed by Rafael M. Lainez in which twelve men
are asked to serve as Consejeros for Danlí in the coming year.
Each accepts. D.D. 2 leaves, 4º.
Folder 4
1885, December 31-1893, October 3. "Indice de los documentos y enseres
pertenecientes a este juzgado 1889". Bound records of civil and criminal
cases presented in the Juzgado de Paz of Danlí from 1885 to 1889, as well
as an inventory of documents deposited in the archives of the Juzgado
going back as far as 1858. Also included are records of the frequent
transfers of the position of office of Juez de Paz, along with possession
of the archives from one person to another up to 1893. Ds.S.42 leaves,
4º.
Folder 5
1897, June 18-1899, September 28. Set of 15 denuncias or public
condemnations of bull or cows of unknown ownership, addressed by the
Síndico Municipal of Danlí to the Juez de Paz. In each case testimony is
taken to affirm that the animal or animals have been living unattended for
a prolonged time, and someone is appointed to take temporary charge of
them. If there is a brand, an investigation is made to try to determine
whose it is. In some cases the owner is discovered and must pay the costs
incured in order to reclaim the animal. Usually no owner is found, and
the animal is sold at public auction, with the proceeds, minus expenses,
going into the municipal treasury. Coupons representing the auction value
of the animal are attached to the end of the document. These documents are
written on fragile, lined paper. Ds.S. 91 leaves, 4º, 13 leaves, 8º.
Several small pieces.
Folder 6
1897. Bound collection "Juicios Civiles. Tomo 1", the records of civil
suits brought before the Juez de Paz of Danlí. They consists mostly of
small claims for the recovery of money loaned, money spent for services
not rendered, goods charged and not paid for, or for animals delivered but
not paid for. There is also a demand to cancel a contract to sell land and
one to evict a man from a rented house. Ds.S. 107 leaves, 4º, 13 leaves,
8º.
Box 2
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
Folder 1
1898. Bound collection of demandas with no title
page, civil suits brought before the Juez de Paz of Danlí, similar in
content to those in Box 2, Folder 6. The first document includes records
of a criminal case involving the smuggling of whiskey tied in with a civil
case aimed at recovering possession of a horse. Bound with the 1898
records are two civil suits from 1908 and 1909. Some of the pages are
worm-eaten. Ds.S. 194 leaves, 4º. 14 leaves, 8º.
Folder 2
1899. Bound collection "Juicios Civiles Tomo 1", similar in
content to those in Box 2, Folder 6. Included is one civil suit begun in
1897, but concluded in 1899. Many pages are badly worm-eaten. Ds.S. 91
leaves, 4º, 12 leaves, 8º.
Folder 3
1909. Bound collection of the records of civil cases with no title page,
brought before the Juez de Paz de lo Civil of Danlí, similar in content to
those in Box 2, Folder 6. They consist entirely of amall claims for the
recovery of money spent for goods not delivered or for nonpayment of
services or purchases. Some claims are settled quickly, while others
extend over several years. The plaintiff usually wins the settlement, but
in one case the defendant is justified. Ds.S. 79 leaves, 4º.
Folder 4
1911, April 28-1912, February 22. Bound pages of the nearly-complete
record of a criminal case brought before the Juzgado de lo Criminal of
Danlí. It consists of the testimony taken to determine whether anyone is
to blame for the death of Atanasio Escobar Herrera from a gunshot wound
and includes the 500-peso bond posted for Rafael Almenares, plus various
birth certificates. It is decided that the death was in effect accidental.
Ds.S. 16 leaves, 4º.
Folder 5
1912, March 6. Letter to Rafael Medina Raudales in Danlí from Francisco
Zavala L. Written in the penintentiary of Tegucigalpa. It concerns a civil
dispute over the property called "Apalí" near Danlí and contains details
on the background of the title to the property and alludes to class
conflict in Danlí. A.L.S., 4 leaves 4º.
Folder 6
1929, May 8. Letter to the Juez de Letras from Angel Mena in Danlí. It
concerns the asseetion that the inventory of the property of the late
Angel Francisco Morazán was not legal and suggests the action which should
be taken. A.L.S., i leaf, 4º.
Folder 7
1929, July 23. "Sumaria", or preliminary proceedings heard in the Juzgado
de Paz de lo Criminal of Danlí in the case against Lásaro Martínez and
Manuel Murillo who are accused of wounding each other in a fight with
machetes. Witnesses testify, including a doctor who describes the nature
of the wounds. Ds.S. 6 leaves, 4º, 1 leaf, 8º.
Folder 8
1938, March 16. "Summaria" or preliminary proceedings heard in the Juzgado
de Paz de lo Criminal of Danlí in the case against Medardo Pérez who is
aceussed of raping 18-year old Emérita de Jesús Martínez. There is
conflicting testimony, but Pérez id to be confined in the municipal jail.
Ds.S. 5 leaves, 4º, 1 leaf, 8º.
Folder 9
n.d. Loose leaves signed by R.M. Lainez and others in recording the
measurement or the transfer of certain parcels of land (near Danlí?), most
of which has to be occupied within a prescribed lenght of time. Two leaves
are blank. D.S 4 leaves, 4º.
CHURCH RELATED DOCUMENTS
Folder 10
1816, November 20. Authorized copy of the record, issued by the office of
the Alcalde Mayor of Danlí, of the loan of 200 pesos at the 5% interest to
Lázaro Alvarado made available through a capellanía in the Parish.
Various properties are mentioned as collateral. The transaction is
approved by the Juez de Capellanías. D.S.2 leaves, 4º.
Folder 11
1819, April 10-19. Request for a loan of 700 pesos each by Simón Díaz and
Vicente Ferrer Idaquez from a capellanía in Danlí. Various
properties are mentioned as collateral. The transaction is
approved by the priest Bruno Medina and the Juez de Capellanías.
Folder 12
1871, August 9. Power of attorney conferred in Guatemala upon Leopoldo
Gamero of Danlí by his brother Luis, a Jesuit priest originally from
Honduras. Official seals. D.S. 2 leaves, 4º.
1878, December 10. Authorized Copy, issued in Tegucigalpa, of a document by which the Jesuit priest Luis Antonio Gamero, 35 years of age, on 14 October 1876 renounced all inheritances in favor of his mother María Encarnación Medina de Gamero. D.S.2 leaves, 4º.
Folder 13
1877, October 10-17. Petition for dispensation for marriage between
Francisco Gamero and Rosa Gamero of Danlí in spite of the double
impediment of consanguinity of the 2nd and 4th degree. Witnesses are
questioned through the Juzgado Eclesiástico, a genealogical tree
is included, and 1876 evidence from Guatemala where Francisco lived for
several years is presented to show he has never married. Inasmuch as the
bride has no dowry and is of advanced years (more than 29) and permission
to marry has been pursued for 12 years, hte marriage is approved bythe
Bishop of Comayagua. Ds.S.8 leaves, 4º.
Folder 14
1879, September 24-October 17. Petition for dispensation for marraige
between Jacobo Castillo and Luisa Sevilla of Danlí in spite of the
impediment of consanguinity of the 3rd and 4th degree. Witnesses
are questioned through the Juzgado Eclesiástico, and genealogical tree
is included. The bishop in Comayagua refuses permission on the grounds of
insufficient reason. Witnesses then testify that Sevilla has an inadequate
dowry would likely never marry if not to Castillo, and permission is
finally granted. Ds.S.6eaves, 4º.
Folder 15
1883, December 27-1884, JAnuary 5. Petition for dispensation for marraige
between Modesto Gallardo and Juana Sevilla, both 26 of Danlí in spite of
the impediment of consanguinity of the 4th degree. Witnesses
are questioned through the Juzgado Eclesiástico, and genealogical tree
is included. As most families in thier social class are related and there
are no other opportunities for marriage, the dispensation is granted. The
document is incomplete.Ds.S. 4 leaves, 4º.
Folder16
1889, May 23-30. Petition for dispensation for marriage between the
mulatto José Antonio Rodríguez, 60, a widower of Danlí, and Antonia Josefa
Ramírez, 50, in spite of sonsanguinity of the 4th degree through
illegitimacy. HE wants to marry to have help in his old age and illness
and to relieve the indigence of Ramírez. A genealogical tree is included,
and the priest Bruno Medina says he examined witnesses. The dispensation
is granted in Comayagüela, but with certain penances. Ds.S. 2 leaves,
4º.
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Last updated: October 31, 1996