Gillow y Zavalza, Eulogio Gregorio, Bp.: Episcopal Candidate
Letters, Jan. 21, 1887 - March 25, 1890
COLLECTION GUIDE
Prepared by Ruth Olivera, April 1986; revised by Devin Dittfurth,
August
1998.
When Vicente Fermín Márquez, bishop of Oaxaca, died in December 1886,
Porfirio Díaz, the President of Mexico, took the opportunity to install a
man
of his own choosing in the vacant see. At the time, the civil and
religious leaders of Oaxaca were quarreling over the goals of the Roman
Catholic Church in regards to education and political involvement. Díaz
sought to placate the rivals in order to mold the political ethos of
the state, so that it would be a more amiable entity. His choice for the
diocese was
Monsignor Eulogio Gillow, an outsider, whom he hoped would help
develope the state's economy and solidify a unity among church leaders.
The documents in the collection relate to the maneuvers leading to the
appointment of Gillow as bishop of Oaxaca in 1887. They consist of
photocopies of correspondence between President Porfirio Díaz, Monsignor
Gillow, the Archbishop of Mexico Antonio Pelagio Labastida y Dábalos, and
the Ambassador of Mexico in Rome Sánchez Azcona. The Consul of Mexico in
the Vatican Enrique Angelini is prominently mentioned in the letters.
Along with the photocopies are computer printout transcriptions of
most of
the documents as well as transcriptions of a few additional documents not
included, which were prepared by José López. Two letters written in 1890
between Labastida and Díaz show the two's concern with the Archbishop's
efforts to
regain possession of the Palacio Arzobispal.
The originals of the documents are found in the Colección Porfirio
Díaz at the University Ineroamericana in Mexico D.F.
The following is a key to the identification symbols of the documents:
C.P.D - stands for Colección Porfirio Díaz, under the care of
Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, D.F.
L. - stands for LEFAJO (bundle of documents), followed by its
number.
C. - stands for CAJA (the box where the bundle is located), followed by
its number.
DOC. - stands for DOCUMENTO (Document), followed by its number.
Unless otherwise noted by the author of the letter, letters without
signatures were written by the personal secretary of Porfirio Díaz, Mr.
Rafael Chousal. These are called "cartas borradores." Many of these
appear in bound form under another Legajo sent out by the "Secretaría
personal" of Díaz. When Díaz received a letter, the secretary affixed the
date of the response on the same corner. This date should not be confused
with the date on which the correspondent wrote to Díaz.
Latin American
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Last updated: August 17, 1998