Cristobal and 2 companions

The martyrdom of Cristóbal occurred at Atlihuetzia around 1527, when he was about thirteen years old. According to the sources, the young boy insistently exhorted his father Acxotécatl to abandon idolatry and drunkenness. Furious, the latter struck him violently, broke his limbs, and then threw him onto a brazier; the child died the following day while praying and, according to the account, forgiving his father. Acxotécatl was subsequently arrested and sentenced to death by the Spanish authorities. Antonio and Juan met their deaths in 1529. When Dominican missionaries, led by Bernardino Minaya, traveled toward Oaxaca, the Franciscan Martín de Valencia, director of the school of Tlaxcala, designated these two boys as interpreters and auxiliaries for them. In Cuauhtinchán, near Tepeaca, the children entered a house to destroy idols there; trapped, they were attacked by hostile natives. Juan was killed first with blows from sticks, then Antonio when he came to his aid. Their bodies were thrown into a ravine. This triple testimony makes them the first recognized martyrs of the American continent.

The spiritual journey of the three children of Tlaxcala is inseparable from the first evangelization of Mexico. Freshly baptized and trained by the Franciscans, they embodied a Christianity received with total enthusiasm: attendance at catechesis, active participation in preaching, and refusal of idol worship. Their young age and indigenous origin give their testimony a particular significance, as they were the first fruits of holiness born from the encounter between the Christian faith and the peoples of the New World. Tradition highlights in Cristóbal filial charity and the forgiveness addressed to his father, his executioner, and in Antonio and Juan the courage to face death rather than deny their faith. The reputation of martyrdom was established at the time thanks to the account of Toribio de Benavente Motolinía, who reported their story around 1539 in his work on the evangelization of New Spain, ensuring the transmission of their memory over the centuries until official recognition by the Church.

The beatification process recognized the martyrdom of the three adolescents. They were beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1990, during his trip to Mexico, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The cause for canonization reached its conclusion under the pontificate of Francis: by a decree on March 23, 2017, the Pope authorized their canonization without requiring a miracle attributed to their intercession, as the martyrdom was considered duly established. The date was set during a consistory on April 20, 2017, and the canonization took place on October 15, 2017, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, during a Mass where Pope Francis also raised other blesseds to the honors of the altar. Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan thus became the first indigenous saint martyrs of the Americas. Their liturgical memorial is set for September 23.

The legacy of the child martyrs of Tlaxcala is deeply linked to the Christian identity of Mexico and the memory of indigenous peoples. Recognized as the first martyrs of the American continent, they have become emblematic figures of the faith of young people and converted natives. The cult is concentrated in the state of Tlaxcala, where their memory is maintained, notably in Atlihuetzia, the site of Cristóbal's martyrdom, and around the diocesan sanctuary dedicated to them. Tradition reports that the remains of Cristóbal were transferred to the Franciscan convent of Tlaxcala, and that Antonio and Juan were buried in a chapel in the Tepeaca region. Presented as models for children and adolescents, they are often invoked as protectors of youth and catechists. A monument erected in their honor in Tlaxcala and the dissemination of their story by Mexican communities testify to the vitality of their devotion, revived by the canonization of 2017.