Folio, (285 x 205 mm). 4 ff., 16 ff., 3 full page woodcuts; text framed within a typographic border. Contemporary vellum, stained and with loss on the spine. Mild damp staining throughout, title page dirty, tear to lower margin; engraving of Saint Peter Martyr with two tears not causing loss, small paper loss on folio 15 at the lower margin, affecting only the printed border.

As part of its religious, social, and political mission, the personnel of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Mexico was organized into the Cofradía de San Pedro Mártir, the patron saint of the Inquisition. It was the Inquisitor of Seville and Visitor of Cartagena, Don Pedro Medina Rico, who, seeking to instill professionalism among the staff of the Tribunal of the Holy Office of Mexico and promote responsible behavior, advocated for the reactivation of the Cofradía de San Pedro Mártir to encourage morality, brotherhood, and control over the bureaucracy of the Inquisition. He ordered a general meeting so that all personnel could hear the reading of the Constitutions of the Cofradía and be informed of the privileges granted to the Cofrades in service of the Holy Office. In January 1659, the annual meeting of the Cofradía de San Pedro Mártir was held, and the rules and constitutions were distributed among the members. The present documentis one of the copies printed in 1659. It was printed at the press of the Viuda de Calderón, which had been chosen as the press for the Inquisition in 1649.

The Cofradía offered considerable prestige and benefits to its members. The organization administered a pension fund for widows and orphans of its members, providing security for their families. Over time, members had access to medical services and assistance for the sick or disabled. Additionally, they offered a one-time dowry of 500 pesos for the daughters of members when they married or became nuns. Members also had other collective benefits and obligations, such as helping the sick, officiating at funerals, and participating in pious works of the Tribunal and the Cofradía. Upon joining the Cofradía, a member received a plenary indulgence and would be absolved, provided they had received Holy Communion. Current members "at the moment ofdeath, if they truly confessed and received communion," would receive a forty-year indulgence.

For those working in the apprehension or transfer of heretics, an additional forty days of penance was granted; all “Cofrades” (members of the Cofradía) who attended the Autos de Fe and who worked on the conversion and instruction of prisoners, as well as those who denounced heresy, were granted an additional forty days of penance.

The Hermano Mayor was responsible for administering the Cofradía de San Pedro Mártir and was elected by the members each year on January 7. He assumed the chair of honor at conclaves and was invested with his office's ritual paraphernalia, banners, and trappings. He was obliged to appoint a major domo in charge of the most important annual festival of the Cofradía, celebrated on the feast day of Saint Peter Martyr. All officials of the Inquisition had to be adequately certified in their positions, which required submitting a "Probanza de Méritos y Servicios" (a kind of curriculum vitae) as well as proof of "Limpieza de sangre," demonstrating that they had no Jewish or Moorish ancestry.

The election procedures, seating arrangements, formularies for conducting meetings, and record-keeping were established in the Constitution. The Hermano Mayor was responsible for covering all costs of the festivities from the treasury of the Cofradía. Once in office, he would audit the previous year's accounts, requesting the Real Fisco of the Inquisition Tribunal to inspect assets and expenditures. The Hermano Mayor was authorized to levy assessments to balance the accounts and to purchase anything necessary for the Chapel of San Pedro Mártir. All the wealth of the Cofradía and its chapel was to be recorded in the ledger, along with statements of dues paid by members and initiation fees for new “Cofrades”.

One of the primary functions of the Cofradía was to organize attendance and serve as pallbearers at the funerals of members and their families. The Hermano Mayor was responsible for providing the bereaved family with insignias of the Cofradía to drape the coffins and graves of the deceased. He was also required to inform the brothers of the time and place of burial so that all ministers of the Holy Office could attend.

Medina, Mexico, 863; Sabin, No. 68896. Palau was the only bibliographer who saw or knew of a complete copy and described it as requiring three woodcuts. In contrast, Medina thought there were only two plates, and Sabin vaguely describes it as containing ‘engravings’. Being an Inquisitorial publication, printed for and by the Holy Office, the edition was minimal. The few available copies are incomplete in one way or another.

We locate copies at Berkeley (only 2 woodcuts), Mexico Instituto Tecnológico (only 2 woodcuts), BNE, Columbia, and BNF (not mentioning woodcuts).

The Inquisition Brotherhood: Cofradía de San Pedro Martir of Colonial Mexico. Richard E. Greenleaf. The Americas, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Oct. 1983), pp. 171-207.