«A very strong column of the altar and the throne»: Pedro Gutiérrez de Cos, bishop of Huamanga and Puerto Rico (1750-1833)

Abstract

Pedro Gutiérrez de Cos has not been sufficiently studies in Peruvian historiography and is scarcely mentioned once he left Perú, due to this it has not been possible to conduct an in-depth study about his option for independence, position which prevailed among his thinking and acting until his death in Puerto Rico. This articles aims to lim three aspects in Gutiérrez de Cos: his academic and professional performance, from his beginnings in Peruvian higher education centers, until the obtention of tthe most important titles in the Hispanic-American ecclesiastic sphere; the political conservative ideas, pillars of the monarchic government and his performance in their respective ecclesiastic destinations; and, among all of these, the independentist political unrest in Perú. The monarchical spirit of Gutiérrez de Cos enabled him to acquire another bishopric beyond this ocean.