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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Varela

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/8/06

HB 593

SHORT TITLE NMHU Padre Antonio José Martinez Symposium

SB

ANALYST Lewis

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

65.0 Non-Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 593 appropriates $65,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico Highlands University for a symposium on Padre Antonio José Martinez.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $65,000 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall

revert to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to

Father Juan Romero, who has written and spoken about Padre Martinez since the

mid 1970s,

Padre Antonio José Martinez (1793-1867), Cura de Taos, was a towering figure of

19th century history. His life spanned the transcendent epoch of New Mexico history as part of

Spain, Mexico and the United States. He was an

educator (primary school, seminary and law school);

publisher (New Mexico’s first press, newspaper, book and treatises on topics of education,

philosophy, theology and politics); and

politician (on New Mexico’s Legislative Assembly six times under Mexican government and

seven times under the United States).

(

http://journals.aol.com/juanrvi/PadreAntonioJosMartinezCuradeTao/

)

House Bill 593 – Page

2

According to Lasting Impressions: the Private Presses of New Mexico, Padre Antonio José

Martínez was born in Abiquiú, studied for the priesthood in Durango, Mexico, and was entrusted

with the curacy of Taos in 1826. He was one of the most influential figures of 19th century New

Mexico. He was a champion of the poor and a pioneer in the field of education. He was respon-

sible for producing the first printed books in the territory during the volatile period of transition

from Mexican to American rule.

Lasting Impressions adds that Padre Martínez acquired New Mexico's first press in 1836, within

a year of its arrival in Santa Fe, and moved it to Taos. Under his direction, printer Jesús María

Baca produced Spanish language material. For a little more than a decade the press poured out

primers for use in the Martínez schools, along with religious tracts and political and autobio-

graphical works penned by the priest.

(

http://www.privatepress.org/exhibition/padre_martinez.html

)

ML/mt