Don Antonio Moreno

Also known as: Don Antonio · Role: host · First appears: Part 2, Ch. 62.1

In Part 2, Ch. 62.1, Don Antonio Moreno, a gentleman of wealth and intelligence, hosts Don Quixote and devises harmless entertainments to display his madness. On Friday, he presents an enchanted bronze head said to answer questions truthfully, and that afternoon has Don Quixote paraded in street costume with the placard “This is Don Quixote of La Mancha.” His servants are ordered to entertain Sancho Panza and keep him in the house, where Sancho tells Don Antonio that he governed Barataria for ten days.

The next day, Don Antonio tests the head before his friends, who include Don Pedro Noriz, and it identifies Don Quixote and Sancho Panza to the astonishment of those present. The head is later exposed as a mechanical amusement, and Don Antonio explains it to the inquisitors, who order him to dismantle it; meanwhile, the city gentlemen arrange a tilting event to gratify him and honor Don Quixote, though it does not take place.

In Part 2, Ch. 63.4, Don Antonio takes Ana Félix and Ricote into his home at the viceroy’s request, offering them its hospitality. Later, at a hostel, Samson Carrasco places his services at Don Antonio’s command after revealing himself as the Knight of the White Moon. Two days afterward, Don Antonio and the viceroy agree on arrangements for Ana Félix and Ricote to remain in Spain, while Don Antonio lends Don Gaspar Gregorio five crowns for his journey to the capital.