First edition of this title, and the first separately issued history of Mexico, “the first history of Mexico printed” (Wagner); the first edition of this work appeared in Zaragoza in 1552, this is the eight in total, printed only two years after the impossibly rare first. “[A]lmost all historians and bibliographers assert that when this work appeared, it was suppressed” (Wagner, Vol. 1, p. 81).
The Historia de Mexico, here offered, is dedicated almost solely to Mexico, Cortes´ life, his voyages and expedition to Cuba, Santo Domingo, and Honduras, and the conquest of Mexico. Furthermore it includes valuable details on the life in America, native languages, ethnographical material, and as Wagner notes, is of exceptional importance for the history of California and the Southwest: records Cortés’ expeditions to the western coast; the discovery and naming of California; Ulloa’s voyages along the coast of Upper California; the preliminary journey to Cibola of Fray Marcos de Niza; and the expedition to the fabled Seven Cities by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. “Including the expeditions of Cortés in 1535, Francisco de Ulloa in 1539, and Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542” (Mathes).
“It is generally stated that Gómara’s object was to recount the feats of Cortés, in whose employ he is said to have been for some time; but it is forgotten that he also composed a history of conquest of Peru, which Cortés had nothing to do. As a matter of fact, the book is a general account of the conquest of Peru and Mexico and was the first history of Mexico printed” (Wagner, Vol. I, p. 87).
Cortes´ biography is tightly linked t the history of Mexico; Gomara´s work was swiftly supressed (1553, by order the Crown), possibly due to Cortes´ family opposition and claims to their rights in Mexico–which naturally included copious details of the Conqueror´s life. Despite this prohibition, this early chronicle of the new Continent was re-printed several times in the 16th century, and translated into Italian, English, French, and other languages. Lopez de Gomara (c.1511 – 1559) was secretary to Cortes upon his return to Spain, and praises him much –looked upon as a valiant men, and a hero- a position that allowed him access to otherwise secret and first-hand sources of information. It was in fact, the most frequently cited history of the American territories, even when defending Spanish actions in the colonization process.
“Gómara’s history is a good history; he derived his information from the highest sources, and he wrote with an elegant brevity and a sense of arrangement that contrasted favorably with the rambling incoherencies of many of his contemporaries. Small wonder it was a favorite book of the time” (Boies Penrose).
After the appearance of Lopez de Gomara’s seminal chronicle of the Indies in 1552, a number of editions appeared almost immediately, including the Antwerp “pocket” editions; these Antwerp editions divided in two parts Lopez de Gomara’s work, which dealt with different aspects of the earliest decades of the conquest, the first, which deals with history of the conquest and the subjugation of Peru and a second part which deals specifically with the history of Mexico, these parts were separately issued and treated independently bibliographically by Sabin, Palau, Medina, etc., and were in fact published by different printers.
As explained by Church, it is the account of the Conquest of Mexico that gained Lopez de Gomara notoriety:
“The first part relates to the subjugation of Peru. The second part gives an account of the Conquest of Mexico, and is that portion of the work by which its author is best known. It was translated into most of the European languages, and was constantly reprinted during the sixteenth century.
Gomara was one of the earliest and at the same time one of the ablest of the Spanish historians of the New World. In 1540 he was the chaplain and secretary of Cortés, his connection with whom gives value to his work, especially as he had access to many documents which have since disappeared.” (Church, 97)
Provenance: Swann Galleries, New York.
Sabin, 27731; Palau, 141143; European Americana 1554/32; Medina, Hispano-Americana, 168. JCB (to 1599) I, pp. 180-181. Mathes, California Colonial Bibliography 1n (for the first edition); Wagner, Spanish Southwest 2j, 2i.
