Földvári Books

Mining in Peru and Other Chapters of American Interest

Peñalosa y Mondragón, Benito de

Libro de las cinco excelencias del español que despueblan a España para su mayor potencia y dilatacion. Ponderanse para que meior se aduierta[n] las causas del despueblo de España, y para que los lugares despoblados della, se habiten, y sean populosos. Por el M. Fr. Benito de Peñalosa y Mondragón, Monge Benito, Professo de la Real Casa de Nagera. Dedicado al Rey nuestro Señor Filipo IIII. Con Licencia.

[Pamplona] Impresso en pamplona: por Carlos de Labàyen, Impressor del Reyno de Navarra, Año 1629. First edition. Woodcut coat of arms on title page. In 18th century leather. Gilt spine, with red title vignette, marbled endpapers, tinted edges. ff. [8] 178 [6] (several misnumbered). Sign. [par.]⁸ A-Z⁸. Spine slightly worn, panels slightly rubbed, corners bumped. Pages tanned, browned due to aging. Staines occasionally. Lower outer corner of I1 missing, not affecting the text. Closed tear to T8 upper margin. Tiny wormholes at the lower margin in quires R, and X. Late 18th century marginal notes in quires R, Y, and Z. Overall in very good condition.

Curious economic-demographic treaties, with interesting references to America.

Benito Peñalosa de Mondragón’s (1580–1646) important work dealing with the depopulation of Spain, with several chapters of American interest. Besides the numerous references throughout the text, Benito Peñalosa justifies the Spanish conquest of America by planting the Catholic faith in the New World (ff. 38–42), describes the Spanish possessions in America (ff. 65–67), and the ecclesiastic and administrative structure of the Indies (ff. 67–68), dedicates a long section on the rich mineral and other resources (gold, silver, and quicksilver mines) of the West Indes, with particular focus on the mining in Potosi, the last chapters are dealing with the wines of Peru (and its effects on the miners) and the good government (ff. 114–149).

With interesting details on slaves, such as their unusual route to Arica from the distant port of Buenos Aires, or the contagious diseases brought by the Africans spread among the indigenous slaves in the vineyards in Peru, and the impact on the profit of the encomenderos. (Díaz Araya 2019)

Due to its chapters on mining in Peru, a copy was exhibited at the 2015 exhibition Subterranean Worlds: Under the Earth in the Early Americas at the John Carter Brown Library (no. 19).

Scarce on the market, no records on RBH in the last forty years.

Sabin 59635; Palau 217642

Literature: Díaz Araya, A. et al. (2019) Afrodescendientes en Arica. Registros Coloniales para una Historia Regional. In : ...Y Llegaron con cadenas... Las poblaciones afrodescendientes en la Historia de Arica y Tarapacá (Siglos XVII–XIX), Universidad de Tarapacá. pp. 29–65.

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Price: €10,000.00