The Inquisition in the south of Gran Canaria was a brave thing. Brave because there was hardly anyone who wanted to be able to exercise the Holy Office in Las Palmas and that is paid, in reals at the time with the inflation of 2021, 7.140 euros per year. It was well paid because in Las Palmas capital a secretary earned 1.020 euros per year. It was well paid but few people in 1791 wanted to take on the responsibility of prosecuting conduct that went against the moral norm of the time. The person who almost necessarily had to take charge of the Inquisition in San Bartolomé de Tirajana was Juan Rodríguez de Vega, who was the priest of the place before assuming the position of "Secretary of the Secret", which was what the position was called. After De Vega, Manuel de Retolaza took charge of the Inquisition, under very unfavorable conditions, Dionisio Treviño, secretary of the Secret, who had been working for 41 years in Las Palmas and due to his advanced age he could not work in the south of Gran Canaria.
But they had work. In 1763, Antonio de Morales el Brujo, from Tirajana, and three women equally 'noted as witches' were sentenced to 200 lashes and eight years of imprisonment in Africa, and the other three to four years of confinement in the royal prison." to remedy (...) the cause of God", and the interrogations of the prisoners were those typical of a cause of faith.
These data are contained in the academic research 'Brief study of the personnel and collaborators at the service of the Inquisition in the Canary Islands at the end of the 18th century' by Professor María Teresa Manescau Martín. The professor explains that "at the time the document was written, as already mentioned, the position of kidnapping secretary was not held by anyone, nor was any comment made, it was simply stated that it was vacant" since " "it could be deduced that the position, until not long ago, had been covered by the priest of Tirajana".
In his opinion, "this circumstance gives an idea, once again, of the limited means that the Canary Islands court had to carry out its work and of the little income that it obtained in this way. If this were not the case, it is quite certain that the position would still be covered, even more so when the person who held it was still alive and active. Exercising control of the Holy Office in San Bartolomé de Tirajana had an extensive area to control under its jurisdiction. This task was not easy due to the orography of the terrain and the size of the territory. These conditions made the work of the inquisitors difficult and it was necessary to have the collaboration of people throughout the district who acted under their orders and following their instructions.
The senior inquisitor continues in his writing by communicating that the kidnapping secretariat had been empty since May 1791, due to the resignation of don Juan de Vega, priest, at that time priest of Tirajana. From the highest levels he was encouraged to look for a person to fill the position, but he had not been found, precisely because it was impossible to support himself with the meager salary with which he was endowed, two thousand one hundred reales. Furthermore, the inquisitor complained that at that time the city of Las Palmas was as expensive as the Indies. The inquisitors, once again, turned to a religious order in search of a solution and help; in this case the order of Saint Dominic. For a time his general preacher, Brother Agustín Manzano, performed the functions of secretary of the Secret, gratifying him for it.
The Inquisition in the south of Gran Canaria was so miserable that the official had to pay for his house. In the south of the island, José Domingo Naranjo, a native of Guía, provided services when it was something extreme; Pedro Tomás de Acedo, priest of Arucas, and José Ponce, commissioner. "Without a doubt, these were the most important population centers in Gran Canaria and in which the Inquisition was interested in having a presence. In Tirajana Juan Rodríguez de Vega was the priest of this place.