Writings of Alonso de la Vera Cruz, The Original Texts with English Translations [Five Volumes]

Rome and St. Louis: Jesuit Historical Institute, 1976. Hardcover. Very good. Vols III, IV, V. XI, and XII of the Sources and Studies for the History of the Americas series. Volume I, Spanish Writings: I, Sermons, Counsels, Letters, and Reports; Volume II: Defense of the Indians, Their Rights I: Latin Text and English Translation; Volume III, Defense of the Indians, Their Rights, II: Photographic Reproduction and Index; Vol. IV: Defense of the Indians: Their Privileges; Vol. V: Spanish Writings: II, Letters and Reports. Uniformly bound in three-quarter red leather over red buckram, gilt lettering on spines. Pages lightly rippled on Vols. I and III, Volume V stamped "N.O. Prov. Archives" on title page. A few bumped corners, but overall a nice, clean set. Fray Alonso de la Vera Cruz was an Augustianian friar, theologian, philosopher, and educator, and one of the most influential missionaries of the first century of Mexican colonization. "An indefatigable proponent of education for the Indians, he 'was largely responsible for many of the best efforts made in the field of education in sixteenth century Mexico' (Ennis, p. 48). He was instrumental in the establishment of the first university of the New World, the University of Mexico, formally founded in 1553, and modeled after the University of Salamanca, where Veracruz had studied and taught. In his actions and writings Veracruz demonstrated an unusually enlightened view of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. While defending 'the rights and powers of both King and Pope in the New World, his sympathy lay very much with the Indians in the sufferings which many of them had to endure in the course of the conquest' (op. cit, p. 61)" (Christie's catalogue, Sale 2622).