Juan Roque (Zape Confraternity) facts for kids

Juan Roque was an African man who lived in Mexico City a long time ago, during the time of New Spain (when Spain ruled Mexico). He passed away in 1623. Juan Roque left behind a special document called a will. This document is very important because there are not many wills from African people who lived in colonial Latin America.

His daughter, Ana María, and a special group he belonged to, called a confraternity, also had documents. These papers describe a court case about Juan Roque's final wishes for a house. The house was in a neighborhood called San Hipólito, near a market.

Africans in New Spain

Africans played a big part in the Spanish Conquest of the Americas. Many people think Africans were only slaves during this time. But this is not always true. In the early 1500s, Africans and mulattos (people of mixed African and European heritage) were active. Some even became conquistadors, who were Spanish explorers and soldiers.

For example, Juan Garrido, Juan García, and Juan Valiente were successful conquistadors. They became part of the Spanish communities.

By the 1600s, Africans in colonial Latin America had their own groups and communities. They mixed African traditions with Spanish laws and customs. In New Spain, Africans from places like modern-day Sierra Leone started a brotherhood in Mexico City. This group became known as the Zape confraternity. Old documents show how some Africans went from being enslaved to becoming important members of their communities.

Juan Roque's Life and Wealth

Juan Roque was brought to New Spain as a slave before the year 1600. But when he died, he left a detailed will. This will shows how important confraternities were to the African community in Mexico City. It also shows that some Africans could become very important and wealthy.

Juan Roque wrote his will before he died in 1623. He asked for a grand and expensive funeral. His will also listed valuable properties he owned. These properties helped the Zape confraternity continue for many years after his death.

His expensive, Catholic funeral showed that Africans could become respected members of society. He wanted to be buried in the church of the Hospital of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception or the Santísma Veracruz Church. He was a member of both churches.

Juan Roque also asked that the brotherhoods he belonged to, like the Zape confraternity, walk with his body to the burial. He wanted 55 Masses (special church services) sung for his soul in different churches. He also asked for 20 Masses for his deceased wife, Isabel de Herrera.

A historian named Nicole von Germeten studied confraternities in New Spain. She noted that Juan Roque was a rich and important African man in Mexico City. His fancy funeral and his membership in the Zape group showed that African men could be highly respected in colonial Latin America.

Juan Roque stated that his deceased wife was a free black woman. When he left his valuable properties to his daughter, Ana María, he made sure to say she was his legal daughter. He said she was from his marriage "according to the Most Holy Church" to Isabel de Herrera. This meant Ana María was also a free black woman. Calling these Africans free gave them a special place in the community. It also helped the Zape confraternity. They later used this information to try and get the income from the houses around San Hipólito after Ana María died without children.

What are Confraternities?

Before she died, Ana María talked to members of the Zape Confraternity. She confirmed that her father wanted the brotherhood to receive the money from his properties in San Hipólito.

In colonial Latin America, confraternities were groups that helped Africans. They gave them a sense of community after they were taken from their homes through the slave trade. These brotherhoods also helped Africans become Catholic. They offered a place to worship, a Christian community, and money to help pay for members' funerals.

Confraternities provided social help for Africans in New Spain. They even offered some health care. This was important because Africans were often not allowed to get help from other places.

The court papers about the Zape Confraternity's fight for Juan Roque's houses clearly show how important these groups were for helping their members financially. Juan Roque had described the exact location of his houses in his will. He did this to make sure his daughter, and later the confraternity, would get the benefits from these properties.

Several people said that Ana María was very firm. She insisted her father wanted the houses to go to the brotherhood if she died without children. Even when an older member of the confraternity told her to agree with her husband and sell the houses, Ana María refused. She said her father "charged her that if she did not have children she should not dispose of the houses, but give them the Brotherhood of the Immaculate Conception (the Zape Confraternity), of which he was a member and founder, so that the blacks of the Zape nation would administer them and take care of their earnings."

See also

In Spanish: Juan Roque (Cofradía Zape) para niños