RUIZ DE MONTOYA, Antonio (1585-1652). Conquista espiritual hecha por los religiosos de la Compañia de Jesus, en las Provincias del Paraguay, Parana, Urugay, y Tape. Madrid: Imprenta del Reyno, 1639.

RUIZ DE MONTOYA, Antonio (1585-1652). Conquista espiritual hecha por los religiosos de la Compañia de Jesus, en las Provincias del Paraguay, Parana, Urugay, y Tape. Madrid: Imprenta del Reyno, 1639.

The first edition of a rare early work on the Portuguese bandeirantes, Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas's copy. Ruiz de Montoya was a Jesuit born in Peru, where he witnessed the depredations of the bandeirantes—slavers from the coast who came inland to kidnap natives. When his mission became a target, Ruiz de Montoya organized the movement of around 15,000 natives to a safer location. In addition to this work, he was a scholar of Guarani, the native language of his congregation. A manuscript translation of the present book into Guarani survives in the Bibliotheca Nacional in Rio de Janeiro. Borba de Moraes, p.587; Palau 282092; Sabin 74029.

Quarto (187 x 132mm). Woodcut Jesuit device on title (top margin slightly cropped). 19th-century calf, edges red (surface losses to spine; front joint repaired). Provenance: Thomas George Baring, First Earl of Northbrook (1826–1904; bookplate) – Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (1828-1897; historian and Prime Minister of Spain; bookplate) – Juan Manuel Sánchez Fernández (b. 1874; bookplate).

Pre-Lot Text
PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR IN ARGENTINA