Relaciones históricas

xxi+179 pages. Octavo (8" x 6") bound in original publisher's wrappers. Selected with a prologue and notes by Manuel Romero de Terreros.

Don Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora was one of the first great intellectuals born in the New World - Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain (Mexico City). He was a criollo patriot, exalting New Spain over Old. A polymath and writer, he held many colonial government and academic positions. Sigüenza is considered the da Vinci mexicano ("Mexican da Vinci").

He studied at the Real y Pontificia Universidad de México (Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico) following his dismissal from the Jesuits, and excelled at mathematics and developed a lifelong interest in the sciences. When a faculty position in Mathematics & Astrology (when he held it he taught mainly astronomy) was available, Sigüenza sought to compete for it, although he did not hold a doctoral degree in the subjects. It was not clear that he could even be eligible to compete, but Sigüenza argued successfully to do so. Selection for university posts was via oposiciones or competition between candidates. A question was posed and the candidate had to complete a response within 24 hours to be judged by a panel. Ghost writers or ringers sometimes completed the exercise and Sigüenza successfully argued that his chief rival for the position, and the person who vociferously argued that Sigüenza had no standing to even compete, had to be kept under surveillance during the competition to prevent cheating. On July 20, 1672, he was named to the chair of Mathematics and Astrology. His record as a professor was marred because he was frequently absent from the classroom due to his researches on various topics and to the pressing of other obligations he took on for fiscal reasons.

Condition: Edge wear with chips and bumped corners else very good.