Ms. codex

Title page written in Spanish and Latin; the last two sets of initials at foot of title page are unintelligible

Authorship, date and place of publication of this manuscript, according to JCB catalogue of manuscript codices, is questionable. It is possible that it is a copy of an earlier work by Benito de Villacañas, a Dominican priest who was on a mission in San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala, beginning in 1568. However, a letter from René Acuña, professor of philology at the Centro de Estudios mayas at the Universidad nacional autónoma de México, dated 1977, suggests that this work is not by Benito de Villacañas and was not composed in Guatemala. He, rather, suggests that it was written by an anonymous Franciscan friar who lived at the first half of the 18th century and was published in Zapotitlán, Mexico. He cites references to fray Diego de Ocaña and to some notes by him on p. 294, 310, and 347. In addition to this evidence he cites a number of references to Tzamaya3 (p. 27, 166, 457, and 551) and to Santa María Pa Che (p. 187 and 280), and a "vissita de Xelahuh [i.e. Quetzaltenango]" which seem to point to this work being compiled in Zapotitlán, Mexico. His most intriguing evidence, however, is his claim that this work is a word-for-word copy of the manuscript entitled "Vocabulario en lengua cakchiquel, quiché y zutuhil," known as "Vico's Cakchiquel-Quiché dictionary" written by Domenico de Vico, a Dominican priest, in 1555, which is held by the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris

A number of works on the Cakchikel and Quiché languages are recorded by Berístain de Sousa and Pilling as having been composed in the 16th century but none have been properly published

The vocabulary is comprised of words and phrases, entered alphabetically, in the Cakchikel language. Those valid also for the Quiché language are marked with a cross in the margin

John Carter Brown Library copy has an autograph at head of p. 589 reading "Fr[ay] Fran[cis]cus Alvarez legit 12 vices". It is possible that this is a provenance or that Father Alvarez is responsible for the composition of this work

John Carter Brown Library copy bound in full 19th century red morocco; original end papers, possibly removed in 1884, are recorded as having been housed in the JCB bibliographical file but are now wanting; the letter by René Acuña, professor of philology at the Centro de Estudios mayas at the Universidad nacional autónoma de México, dated 1977, is housed in the JCB bibliographical file

Provenance of the John Carter Brown Library copy: E.G. Squier, 1884, José Gregorio Rosales, cura of San Lucas, Sacatepequez, Guatemala, and Henry Cruse Murphy: information from JCB catalogue of manuscript codices; Harold Brown: bookplate on recto of second front flyleaf

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews