Juan de Tovar.
Historia de la benida de los yndios apoblar a México de las partes remotas de Occidente.… [History of the arrival of the indians that populated remote partes of western Mexico.…].
Handwritten manuscript transcribed by Elizabeth, Lady Phillips, of Middle Hall, England, ca. 1862.
Ink and watercolor on paper.
Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (98.1–98.4)
Tovar’s History of Mexico
Juan de Tovar, born in Mexico of conquistador stock, became a Jesuit missionary. He was fluent in Nahuatl, the Aztec language, and became an avid collector of Aztec codices, conferring with natives about their meaning. His studies resulted in a multi-volume work about the history and culture of pre-Hispanic Mexico (ca. 1585). The images on display are copies from Tovar’s original drawings and include depictions of Aztec gods, rulers, and ceremonies of the Pre-Columbian period. The original manuscript is now at the John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.