The Guanches of Tenerife: The Holy Image of Our Lady of Candelaria and the Spanish Conquest and Settlement [Second Series, No. XXI]
London: Printed for The Hakluyt Society, 1907. First edition. Hardcover. Quarto. [12], XXVI, [2], 221, [1]pp. Uncut and unopened copy! Original gilt-, and blind-stamped blue cloth, with gold lettering on spine. Tissue-guarded frontispiece. Decorative head-, tailpieces and initials. Alonso de Espinosa was a Spanish priest and historian of the sixteenth century, and also the first official historian of the island of Tenerife. Little is known of his early life. He is first heard of towards the end of the 16th century in Guatemala where he had become a Dominican. It was while he was in Central America that he first heard of the reported miracles of Our Lady of Candelaria, an image of the Virgin and Child that had been among the Guanches of Tenerife since long before their conversion to Christianity, and had been venerated not only by the Guanches, but later by their conquerors, the Spanish. Inspired by the fame of this image, Espinosa resolved to research and write a history of the image and its miracles. The result was his "Guanches of Tenerife," originally published in Seville in 1594. Although the author's main purpose was to record the history of Our Lady of Candelaria, the work is also a captivating account of the Guanches; he also gives a good account of the conquest and settlement of the Canary Islands by the Spanish. He divides his work into four books, in the first of which he describes the island of Tenerife, gives its early history, and an account of its inhabitants, their customs, food and dress, marriages, training for war, and mode of interment. The second book gives a detailed history of the image, from its mysterious appearance, on the east coast of the island, to Espinosa's own time. The third book is devoted to the invasion, conquest, and settlement of the island by the Spanish. The fourth and last book contains an enumeration of various cures and other alleged miracles performed by the image. This work is complete with its plates and folded maps. Minor shelf wear. Front corners slightly bumped (not affecting pages). Binding in overall good+, interior in very good condition. g+ to vg. Item #39243
Price: $100.00