XIMENEZ, FRANCISCO. - Born at the end of the 15th century or at the beginning of the 16th in Villa de Luna (Aragon), he entered the Franciscan Order.
Not yet a priest, under the direction of Fr Martín de Valencia, he set sail for Mexico among the celebrated “12 Apostles,” arriving there on 13 May 1526. X. was the first priest ordained in Mexico by Bishop Julián Garcés, who in 1527 had taken possession of the first Mexican diocese, erected in 1526 at Tlaxcala. Known as a canonist, he signed, together with other Franciscans, a series of letters to Carlo V; he was the first to learn the language of the Indians and composed a brief catechism, a grammar, and a vocabulary in that language. He compiled the biography of the head of the “12 Apostles”: Vida del ven. p. Fr. Martín de Valencia. When Paolo III erected the diocese of Antequera (today Oaxaca), Carlo V presented X. as its first bishop. X., however, declined the dignity. His death is commonly dated to 31 July 1537, but it is certain that he signed the joint letter of the Franciscans of 15 May 1544.