Blessed Cristobal
Blessed Cristóbal of Tlaxcala (born c. 1514 AD in Atlihuetzia, Tlaxcala, Mexico; died June 22, 1527 AD in Atlihuetzia, Tlaxcala, Mexico) was a Mexican child martyr of Tlaxcala, killed by his own father Acxotécatl, a Nahua chieftain, for refusing to renounce the Christian faith he had received from the Franciscan missionaries. He was the first child martyr of the Americas. Together with his companions Juan and Antonio, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1990, during the papal visit to Mexico. His feast day is September 23.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Cristobal, Blessed Cristóbal
| Blessed Cristobal | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 23 |
| Profession | Child; son of a Nahua chieftain; catechumen and baptized Christian; first child martyr of the Americas |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; early colonial Mexican Catholicism; Franciscan mission tradition; indigenous Mexican Christianity; child martyrs of Tlaxcala |
| Patronage | Child martyrs; indigenous Catholic children of Mexico; Tlaxcala; those who suffer persecution within their own families; the first peoples of Mexico; youth who defend the faith |
| Attributes | Child martyr; indigenous Mexican dress; fire (his instrument of martyrdom); palm of martyrdom; Franciscan missionaries; the Mexican eagle and serpent (Nahua heritage) |
| Birthplace | Atlihuetzia, Tlaxcala, Mexico |
| Death Place | Atlihuetzia, Tlaxcala, Mexico |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; killed by his own father Acxotécatl, a Nahua chieftain of Tlaxcala, because Cristóbal destroyed his father's idols and refused to allow him to continue polygamous practices and the worship of traditional Nahua gods; his father beat him severely and threw him into a fire; he died of his injuries on June 22, 1527; he was approximately 12-13 years old; he was the first child martyr of the Americas |
| Primary Shrine | Tlaxcala, Mexico — Chapel of the Third Order and Cathedral; feast September 23; beatified JPII May 6 1990 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; September 23 feast in Mexico and the Franciscan Order; feast shared with Blessed Juan and Blessed Antonio of Tlaxcala |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Cristóbal was born around 1514 in Atlihuetzia in Tlaxcala, Mexico, the son of Acxotécatl, a Nahua chieftain. The Tlaxcalans had allied with Hernán Cortés during the conquest of the Aztec empire (1519-1521), and when the Franciscan missionaries arrived in 1524, the Tlaxcalan nobility's children were among the first to receive Christian catechesis.
Cristóbal received the faith with deep seriousness. When he discovered that his father continued to practice polygamy and worship traditional Nahua deities despite public baptism, he confronted him, destroyed his idols, and refused to let the matter pass.
His father, enraged, subjected him to a severe beating and threw him into a fire. Cristóbal survived the fire but died of his injuries on June 22, 1527, at approximately twelve or thirteen years of age. He was the first child martyr of the Americas.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1990, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, together with his companions Juan and Antonio of Tlaxcala. His feast day is September 23.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Atlihuetzia, Tlaxcala, Mexico, Zapotlán el Grande, Jalisco, Mexico
Death location: Atlihuetzia, Tlaxcala, Mexico, Colotlán, Jalisco, Mexico
Notable location: Place of martyrdom; execution 25 May 1927 (Colotlán, Jalisco, Mexico)
Notable location: Birthplace (Zapotlán el Grande, Jalisco, Mexico)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Cristóbal of Tlaxcala have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Feast day
September 23
Veneration
Blessed Cristóbal of Tlaxcala (c. 1514–1527) was the first child martyr of the Americas — a Nahua boy of Tlaxcala killed by his own father for destroying his father's idols and refusing to abandon the Catholic faith received from the Franciscan missionaries; beatified John Paul II at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, May 6, 1990. Feast September 23.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.