Tapia Zenteno, Carlos de

[Noticia de la Lengua Huasteca...con Catechismo, y Doctrina Christiana para Su Instruccion Que Ordena el Santo Concilio Mexicano, Enchiridion Sacramental para Su Administracion....]

[Mexico: En la Imprenta de la Bibliotheca Mexicana, 1767]. 4 [of 10]pp. of preliminaries, 84 [of 128]pp. of text. Quarto. Late-19th-century quarter Mexican green sheep and marbled-paper covered boards, gilt spine titles. Spine faded, some abrading to the edges, small library label on front cover. Occasional minor foxing to text, with numerous marginal pencil markings to last several leaves. This copy lacks the following: title page (supplied in manuscript facsimile); two leaves of preliminaries, namely the "Dedicatoria a don Francisco Antonio de Lorenzana" and "Al estudiante aplicado" (both also supplied in manuscript facsimile); pp.59-62 in the dictionary section; and pp.89-128 (the catechism). Fair. Item #2500

An admittedly defective, but substantial portion of an exceedingly-rare and important Mexican linguistic work with a distinguished provenance. Huastec is the northernmost dialect of the Mayan language. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was spoken in Puebla, Veracruz, and San Luis Potosi; it is actually still spoken today by about 150,000 people, primarily in the latter two regions. Works in Huastec of any category are rare, especially this work, which is the first grammar and first dictionary of the language. The language is treated in depth, including pronunciation, cases, declensions, conjugations, and more. The author, Carlos de Tapia Zenteno was not only an important Mexican linguist and professor of Mexican languages at the Royal and Pontifical University, but was also a comisario for the Spanish Inquisition. This work of his is dedicated to Archbishop Francisco Antonio Lorenzana, a man deeply interested in the indigenous culture and especially the conquest of it. He was the man who produced Hernán Cortés's letters in a fine and wonderfully-illustrated edition in Mexico in 1770.

"Huasteca is the northern dialect of the Maya race and used in the Mexican states of Puebla, Vera-Cruz, and San Luis Potosi. The author was the senior professor of Mexican at Mexico University. Pages 48--88 contain a Spanish-Huasteca Dictionary" - Maggs.

The present copy of Tapia Zenteno's work was first gifted by Jose Maria Andrade to Antonio Peñafiel, evidenced by Andrade's gift inscription on page 88. It then passed to Nicolas León (with his bookplate on the front pastedown), and then sold to the John Carter Brown Library in 1909. The JCB deaccessioned the book in 2008; their duplicate stamp is present at the bottom of page 88. A substantial fragment of an important Mexican linguistic work, priced accordingly.
Vinaza 355. García Icazbalceta, Apuntes 73. Medina, Mexico 5187. Sabin 94355. Palau 327486. Maggs, Bibliotheca Americana 4678. Pilling, Proof-Sheets 3801.

Price: $2,250.00