Martyrs of Cajonos facts for kids

Juan Bautista and Jacinto de los Ángeles were two Mexican men who lived in the 1600s. They were Roman Catholics and worked to protect the good values and beliefs of their town, San Francisco Cajonos. They wanted to make sure their faith was safe from old tribal practices. This led to trouble with some people in their town. These people decided to hurt them after Juan and Jacinto stopped a special ceremony and took away some items used in it. The two men were killed after being caught in a local Dominican church. They bravely told their attackers they would not give up their faith.

Many years after they died, people remembered Juan and Jacinto. The Catholic Church began a process to recognize them as saints, called a beatification cause. This process stopped for a while but started again in the late 1980s and 1990s. Juan and Jacinto were officially recognized as "Blessed" on August 1, 2002. This happened in Mexico City when Pope John Paul II visited the country.

Who Were Juan and Jacinto?

Their Early Lives

Juan Bautista was born around 1660. He married a woman named Josefa de la Cruz, and they had a daughter named Rosa.

Jacinto de los Ángeles was also born around 1660. He was married to Petrona, and they had two children, Juan and Nicolasa. Jacinto came from a family of important tribal leaders.

Both Juan Bautista and Jacinto de Los Ángeles were born in San Francisco Cajonos. They were part of the Zapotec Indians group. They also worked as catechists, which means they taught people about the Christian faith.

Their Important Work

When they were children, Juan and Jacinto helped out at their local church as altar servers. They often assisted the priest with his duties. As they grew up, they got jobs to help keep good values and beliefs strong in their town of San Francisco Cajonos.

On September 14, 1700, Juan and Jacinto found out about a special ceremony planned for that evening. It was going to happen at the home of a local man named José Flores. The two men told the Dominican priests about it. Everyone agreed that Juan and Jacinto should go and stop the ceremony.

They went to Flores' home and got inside without being seen at first. Their presence surprised everyone there because Juan and Jacinto were well-known in the town. Juan and Jacinto, along with the Dominicans who arrived, started telling the people why what they were doing was wrong. The people at the ceremony blew out their candles and ran out of the house, covering their faces. Juan and Jacinto took all the items used in the ceremony and brought them to the Dominican church.

The Attack and Their Death

On the morning of September 15, the head Dominican priest for the Oaxaca area learned what had happened the night before. Around noon, Juan and Jacinto found out that the people from the ceremony were planning to get revenge. This made both men run to the church to hide.

But the angry group found out where they were. Around 8:00 PM, they broke into the church. They had clubs and spears, and their faces and feet were covered so no one could recognize them. The group ordered the priests to hand over Juan and Jacinto. They threatened to kill everyone else in the church if they didn't. But the priests, Gaspar and Alonzo, refused. The angry group then threatened to burn down the church. Some of them broke a door to get back their items that had been taken. They also set fire to Juan's home, which was close to the church.

Juan and Jacinto realized that if they stayed hidden, many innocent people in the church would be hurt or killed. So, they bravely stepped forward to face the angry group. Jacinto asked a priest to hear his confession and give him Communion. He said he wanted to "die for love of God and without using weapons." The two men were whipped out of the church. One of them called out to the priests, "Fathers, please pray for us!"

The angry group beat and hurt Juan and Jacinto. They tried to make them give up their faith. But both men were strong and kept saying they believed in God. The group took the men away for more harm. On the morning of September 16, they moved them to San Pedro village and then to Tanga Hill.

That afternoon, Juan and Jacinto were thrown down the hill. Then they were beaten with clubs and cut with machetes. They were killed, and their bodies were badly harmed. Their remains were thrown into a pit. Later, their bodies were found and kept safe in the church at Villa Alta. In 1889, their remains were given to the Archbishop of Oaxaca, who moved them to the main church there.

Becoming Blessed

The process to make Juan and Jacinto "Blessed" started with some early steps in the 1970s and 1980s. This was to see if there was enough information to begin a formal process. The process then stopped for a while.

But on January 25, 1991, a special group in the Catholic Church, called the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, said there were "no objections" to starting the process. Juan and Jacinto were then called "Servants of God." The local church investigation began a month later, on February 21, and finished on December 12. The main group in Rome approved this investigation on November 20, 1992.

The people in charge of the cause gathered all the information and sent it to the special group in 1999. A group of historians approved it on December 7. On May 22, 2001, religious experts confirmed that the two men were killed "in hatred of the faith." This means they died because people hated their beliefs. The special group also agreed with this on June 11. Finally, Pope John Paul II approved their cause and their beatification on July 7.

Pope John Paul II officially recognized Juan and Jacinto as "Blessed" on August 1, 2002. This happened during his visit to Mexico. Many Mexican people from Oaxaca who lived in Los Angeles came to see this special event.

See also

In Spanish: Mártires de Cajonos para niños