BISHOP JOAN ZUMARRAGA

THE FIRST BASQUE SHEEPMAN OF NORTH AMERICA

Many historians have written about Joan Zumarraga, the first bishop and archbishop of Mexico. He was born in Durango, Bizkay in 1476 (not 1468 as in Wikipedia) and died in Mexico City in 1548. He is better known as “Juan de Zumarraga,” but that’s the Castilian version. He said that his name was Joan, and with Basque surnames the Castilian “de” is superfluous.

As the first bishop and archbishop of Mexico, he brought the first printing press to the Americas, he published the first books, and he imported female teachers to teach the Aztec girls, something unheard at the time. Why did he do it going against the Church’s practices? He didn’t trust the friars working with girls. He worked to destroy the native religion and cultural artifacts, but he also imported burros and distributed them among the caciques.

Why was this important? The natives did not have draft animals, and the Spanish forbade them to own horses, so they used the natives as draft animals forcing them to carry heavy loads — including the master himself — which resulted in many deaths. Zumarraga saw this and decided that burros could solve some of the problem. Fifty years ago in the US a burro and a Mexican with a sombrero became the quintesential distillation of Mexican culture. Well, now you know who started the whole business.

What no one mentions is that Zumarraga said that he grew up among apple and chetnust trees and sheep, and he imported all three. Some of the trees died in transit…