1626. Carta de Luis Álvarez del Águila para Juan Guillén.

Letter from Luis Álvarez del Águila to Juan Guillén.

The author informs Juan Guillén he has received the money thanks to the good harvests and he lets him know he is sending wine.

In 1627 the rectory tribunal at the University of Alcalá de Henares had to settle the accounts and the debts left by the clergyman Juan Guillén, a resident of Santa Olalla and administrator of Luis Álvarez de Águila´s perpetual benefit in the parish of San Julián. Juan Guillén´s niece, Isabel Ruiz, who was also his heir, had to face the lawsuits brought by her brother, the solicitor Fernando Ruiz Guillén, and by Luis Álvarez del Águila´s nephews and heirs: the captain Juan del Águila Álvarez and Francisco del Águila. Fernando Ruiz Guillén claimed 200 ducats from a payment letter as well as 20 ducats from a foal that Juan Guillén had taken from him. Luis Álvarez del Águila´s heirs claimed the money from the benefit accounts gap between 1609 and 1625. Isabel Ruiz´s claim must be added to all the aforementioned ones, given that she argued she was damaged by her uncle´s management and she claimed certain sums from the heritage. She alleged that having served in his uncle´s house for over forty years, she should have earned 30 ducats per year; likewise, she claimed the payment of the rent from the house she inherited from her parents, in which Juan Guillén had stayed. She calculated the aforementioned rent in 6 ducats per year. Finally, she wanted to be compensated with 500 ducats for his uncle´s appropriation of several properties, her dowry and the heritage that her sister María Ruiz left her. She also defended herself from the litigations brought by Luis Álvarez del Águila´s heirs by alleging the payments made by her uncle throughout the previous years, of which she was aware of from the correspondence the two men kept and also from the accounts and payment letters. The letters were contested by Luis Álvarez del Águila´s heirs, given that they doubted their veracity. The tribunal sentenced that the parties had to meet and settle the accounts and Isabel Ruiz had to bear her uncle´s debts and to pay her brother 220 ducats.

In the letter transcribed in here, there is the following information on the envelope: Luis Álvarez del Aguila´s payment letter for 2250 reals. Juan Garrido received forty reals for taking the money to Yepes. It is owed to me 2000 maravedis and two "cahíces"(measure for grain) of bread, half wheat and half barley".