Licenciado Diego Lucero, a priest who also identified himself as Bachiller Diego Lucero de Godoy, brought charges before the Inquisition in May 1674 against Diego Romero, (also known as Diego Pérez), for having two wives, one in Guanajuato and the other, his niece, doña Catalina de Zamora y Godoy, in New Mexico. Bachiller Diego Lucero de Godoy stated he was a brother of Maestre de Campo Pedro Lucero de Godoy (ONMF: 59). In his testimony, Diego Lucero declared that he was fifty years old (born circa 1624), and stated that he lived next to the church of Santa Catalina Mártir in Mexico City.
Diego Pérez had married with María Rodríguez, mestiza, in the parish church of Llanos de Silas near Guanajuato on 13 November 1673. His name was recorded as Diego Pérez de Salazar and he declared he was the widower of doña Catalina de Zamora, falsely identifying her as a native of Tescuco and a vecina of Pueblo de los Ángeles where he claimed she died. In actuality, Diego had been previously exiled from New Mexico and doña Catalina had refused to leave New Mexico to join him in New Spain. She was still living at the time of Diego's second marriage.
The case against Diego Romero, son of Gaspar Pérez and María Romero (ONMF: 87), was brought to New Mexico in which testimony was gathered at Santa Fe in May 1675 from various members of the Lucero and Romero families as well as from witnesses to the marriage of Diego Romero and doña Catalina de Zamora, daughter of Pedro Lucero de Godoy and Petronila de Zamora (ONMF: 59). The witnesses included: Sargento Mayor Juan Lucero de Godoy; doña Francisca Gómez Robledo (española); Capitán Juan de Mondragón (español), vecino of Santa Fe; Maestre de Campo Pedro de Leyba (español), age sixty, vecino of the jurisdiction of the Tanos; Diego González Bernal, age forty-nine, blacksmith, vecino of Santa Fe and married with Felipa de Ortega; Maestre de Campo Juan Griego (mestizo); and Capitán Hernán Martín (mestizo), age forty-nine, married with María de Madrid.
Inquisition officials requested a copy of the marriage record of Diego Romero and doña Catalina de Zamora. However, the oldest book of marriages for the Santa Fe Convento began on 1 January 1648, and the couple had been married earlier than this date.
The first to testify at Santa Fe on 28 May 1675, was Juan Lucero de Godoy, vecino of the jurisdiction of Sandia, age fifty-one (born circa 1624), and married with doña Juana de Carabajal (Carvajal). He declared he was first married with Luisa Romero and that the wedding occurred in the Palace of the Villa de Santa Fe. On the same day and also at the Palace, Juan's father, Pedro Lucero de Godoy, was married with doña Francisca Gómez Robledo, and Juan's sister, doña Catalina de Zamora, was married with Diego Romero. The presiding priest was fray Juan de Vidana. All the witnesses in this case declared this to be true, and confirmed that doña Catalina de Zamora was still living.
The actual day of the marriage of these three couples is not given by witnesses, but later testimony seems to indicate that the marriages took place in 1641.
The case was still in progress years later. On 9 July 1679, fray Juan Bernal provided a response for Inquisition officials in which he mentioned that don Diego de Guadalaxara and his wife doña Josefa de Zamora, were the padrinos for the marriage of Diego Romero and doña Catalina de Zamora.
Researcher: José Antonio Esquibel
Source: Archivo General de la Nación, Inquisición, 629, exp. 2, ff.93-195.