Provenance: Bookplate (early 19th-century) of Dr. Don Victoriano de las Fuentes.

•  Burrus & Grajales 295 & 296; Medina, Mexico, 9428; Palau 89823. Contemporary acid-stained sheep, round spine gilt extra, marbled endpapers. Two small stains in lower margins of leaves, not touching text. Small piece cut from bottom blank areas of title-page and a text leaf. A very good copy.

•  Grajales & Burrus, Bibliografía guadalupana, 325; Medina, Mexico, 11486; Palau 104079; Sabin 27768; Garritz, Impresos novohispanos, 2980. 20th-century half sheep with raised bands and gilt ruling on spine. Very good copy.

The work ends with a list of subscribers, making this one of the few colonial Mexican books with such a list.

•  Medina, Mexico, 11897; Palau 111216; Garritz 3593.   Mid-19th-century sheep, nicely gilt-tooled; leather a little dry and rubbed. Faint 19th-century stamps of an ecclesiastical library. Without the Montes de Oca plate; else, a very good copy.  (23969)

The work begins with one of the most famous colonial-era engravings—signed by Zapata—showing St. Ignatius above a tableau representing the peoples of the world. This, along with the volume’s detailed title-page and beautiful full-page woodcut coat of arms, is present and spotless. The printer has also employed various handsome woodcut head- and tailpieces at different points in the text.

•  Viñaza 344; García Icazbalceta, Lenguas, 57; Medina, Mexico, 4568; León-Portilla, Tepuztlahcuilolli, 2082; Sabin 58575; De Backer-Sommervogel, VI, 211–212; Burrus & Grajales 206. 20th-century quarter sheep, leather worn and stained but the volume solid. Small amount of worming to about 6 leaves, being only a thin line costing no sense and few letters; one of these pages soiled. A rather nicer copy of this rarity than these notes would lead one to understand!

contrasted and compared with the Virgin of Guadalupe

Printed in the “remote” town of Guadalajara, where the first printing press was not established until 1793, this would have had a smaller print run than if it had been printed in Mexico City. But, still, the list of subscribers, an uncommon feature in any colonial Spanish American book, shows 146 subscribers pledging to buy 207 copies.

Because of the attention paid to the painting of Nuestra Señora de la Pobreza and to the silver and gold and other ornaments and decorations in her chapel in Cartago, this is an important source for art historians. Itself, it has three fine copper etchings: one of Nuestra Señora de la Pobreza signed “G.A.”; one of the Virgin of Guadalupe signed by Francisco Agüera (one of Mexico’s most accomplished engravers); and a folding plate of Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá that is unsigned.

An attractive Guadalajara imprint, in a contemporary binding.  Rare.   OCLC locates only five copies.

•  Medina, Guadalajara, 44; Palau 41362. Contemporary speckled calf, ornate gilt spine, maroon gilt morocco label. Bookseller's description adhered to front pastedown. Blind ownership stamp on title and third leaf. Contemporary ownership signature on front fly leaf. Folding plate torn cleanly and now repaired. Very good.