In favor of Juan Garcia y la Puente, Granada, Spain, 16 June 1543

This pleito de hidalguia (litigation to prove noble status) was made by Juan Garcia de la Puente of the town of Mora, whose troubles in part stemmed from having changed his residences over time. He was born in Baez, in the valley of Toranco, from which he moved at an early age, though he frequently returned. All ten witnesses to his family's good name are from Baez or from one nearby. Six of them are hijosdalgo themselves, and one is a curate. A compelling proof of his nobility is that Garcia was once imprisoned in Toledo for his debts but quickly released when it was known that he was noble. Moreover, it was recalled that his family never paid taxes or assessments, as did the "buenos hombres pecheros," the solid taxpayers of the community.

Parchment, 38 folios, 350 x 210 (330 x 212) mm, 35 lines, in Spanish, written in a rounded gothic hand.