Quincentennial Bibliography
 
by David Block
 
in "SALALM Newsletter" (Vol. 18, No. 3, December 1990, pp. 25-29)
 
     Nineteen ninety-two is almost upon us.  And though we are not
quite sure what we are commemorating--discovery, encounter,
holocaust have all been suggested--the flow of published materials
documenting the events now approaches flood tide.  The time has
come somehow to capture this increasing bibliography so that we can
purchase it for our collections and bring it to the attention of
researchers.
     The first stage, and the reason for this compilation, is
acquisition.  Though the United States has yet to establish a high
profile in publishing on the Quincentenary, commissions in Spain
and the Dominican Republic date from 1982, and many works directly
inspired by the commemoration appeared over a decade ago.  I have
begun to work on an essay which examines trends in Quincentennial
publishing.  For now, let me share with you some of its footnotes,
the monographic and periodical works inspired, and often sponsored,
by a commemoration of the events of 1492.  I propose a three-part
compilation.  What you have before you now is an annotated
bibliography of monographic series.  These publications seem to me
the most "at risk" and in need of identification since several
reach back well into the 1980s and others project publishing
schedules reaching beyond 1992.  I intend to submit future pieces
which compile serial titles and monographs.
     The series detailed here show an emerging hierarchy of
publishing activity.  Spain has led the way in celebrating the
events--a world's fair will be held in Seville in 1992--and in
documenting the history of the Quincentennial.  Of 26 series
identified here, 13 are edited in Spain.  In addition to their
number, Spanish series are also conspicuous for their maturity,
many now hold 20 titles or more.  Compare this output with that of
the United States, where the two series enumerated here have
published one volume each.
     Not surprisingly, the large themes expounded by proponents of
the Quincentennial have constructed a wide umbrella for
publication.  Encounter suggests a stream of European migration to
the Americas which began at the end of the 15th century and ceased
at the beginning of the 20th.  Some publishing programs reflect
this chronological and thematic diversity and make classifying
individual works difficult.
     For consideration of space, I will give more attention to the
series themselves than to their component volumes.  Each entry
provides title and imprint, the date of the first volume published
and an annotation which describes the content of the series, using
titles within it as illustrations.
     One final note: before searching these series, I was concerned
that they might not be well represented in U.S. library
collections.  I have been pleasantly surprised to discover that my
fears were largely unfounded.  A number of institutions, especially
the New York Public Library whose series acquisitions are
represented in RLIN, have established standing orders for many of
these series.  And with individual titles in hand, I found that
national data bases reflect strong holdings of Quincentennial items
in collections across the country.  Only the extremely expensive
titles are absent or rarely held at this writing, and perhaps with
heightened awareness of these items, we will be able to assure
their acquisition somewhere in the country through formal or
understood arrangements.  Stay tuned.
 
                              Spain
     "Biblioteca de viajeros hispanicos."  Madrid: Miraguano.  1- . 
1983?- .  The series has now reached five volumes and reproduces
diaries and other accounts of Spanish exploration.  Included to
date are editions of Sarmiento de Gamboa's "Historia de los Incas"
(1988) and Elcano's "La primera vuelta al mundo" (1988).
     "Biblioteca del nuevo mundo."  Barcelona: Tusquets, 1- . 
1984- .  Four volumes published to date center on textual analysis
of accounts from the colonial period such as Sahagun's "Historia
general de las cosas de Nueva Espana" (1985) and on literary
criticism such as Jose Miguel Oviedo, "La edad de oro" (1986).
     "Biblioteca del V Centenario."  Madrid: Ediciones Cultura
Hispanica.  Comision Nacional para la Celebracion del V Centenario
del Descubrimiento de America.  Unnumbered.  1983- .  This series
has been devoted to publishing the papers of a series of seminars
on the native peoples of the Americas.  To date, the Taina (1983),
and the Indians of Patagonia (1984) and of the Andes (1985) have
appeared in three publications, all beginning with the phrase
Seminario sobre la situacion...
     "Catedra V Centenario."  Salamanca: Universidad Pontifica. 
Unnumbered.  1987- .  Concerned with the juridical and
administrative implications of the encounter.  Three titles
published to date, the latest "La proteccion del indio" (1989).
     "Coleccion ciudades iberoamericanas."  Madrid: Instituto de
Cooperacion Iberoamericana.  Unnumbered.  1986- .  A series longer
on illustrations than text.  "La Habana" (1986), "Lima" (1986) and
"Quito" (1989) published to date.
     "Coleccion colombina."  Madrid: Instituto de Cooperacion
Iberoamericana.  Ediciones de Cultura Hispanica.  Unnumbered. 
1988- .  I have been able to locate only one title in this series,
the 3-volume "Los Pinzones y el descubrimiento de America" (1988).
     "Coleccion encuentros."  Madrid: various publishers. 
Unnumbered.  1988- .  A complex bibliographic structure (three
subseries: "Catalogos", "Seminarios", "Textos") and an equally
broad subject matter.  To date this series holds nine titles. 
"Arte en Iberoamerica" (1989), "La cultura Taina" (1989), and
"Culturas de la costa noroeste de America" (1989) among them.
     "Coleccion tierra nueva e cielo nuevo."  Madrid: Consejo
Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, and a number of co-
publishers.  1- .  1981- .  Twenty-five titles published to the end
of 1989.  Combines finding guides, "Catalogo de las expediciones y
viajes cientificos espanoles a America y Filipinas" (1984),
documentos, "Descripcion de las costas de California" (1981), and
historical monographs on the Indies and the age of discovery, "Don
Diego Colon, almirante, virrey y gobernador de las Indias"
(1982- ), "Epoca, genesis y texto de las "Noticias secretas de
America" de Jorge Juan y Antonio de Ulloa" (1985).  Some of the
volumes also bear the note "Medio Milenario del Descubrimiento de
America".
     "Cuadernos colombinos."  Valladolid: Casa-Museo de Colon and
co-publishers.  1- .  1974- .  One of the longest running series. 
All publications concern Columbus.  Latest of 15 titles published
to date include "La primera noticia de America" (1986) and "La
primera tierra americana descubierta" (1988).
     "Cronicas de America."  Madrid: Historia 16.  1- .  1984- . 
Now numbering in the 40s of titles, this series presents new
editions by prominent specialists of standard sources of the
discovery and conquest including Leon-Portilla's "Vision de los
vencidos" (1985), "Chilam Balam de Chumayel" (1986), Fernando alva
de Ixtlilxochitl's "Historia de la nacion chichmeca" (1985) and
Cristobal de Molina's "Fabulas y mitos de los Incas" (1989).
     "Publicacion conmemorativa del V centenario del descubrimiento
de America."  Unnumbered.  1983- .  Titles in this series appear
within a parent, "Publicaciones de la Escuela de Estudios Hispano-
Americanos" and within its numeration.  Titles published to date
include a guide to holdings of the AGI, "Cartas de cabildos
hispanoamericanos" (1985- ) and the proceedings of the "Jornadas de
Andalucia y America" (1983- ).
     "Serie V centenario."  Madrid: Fundacion Universitaria
Espanola.  Unnumbered.  1988?- .  A series within the long-running
"Publicaciones de la Fundacion Universitaria Espanola. 
Monografias."  I have only been able to tease out one title,
Francisco Sanchez-Castaner's "Don Juan de Palafox, virrey de Nueva
Espana" (1988).
     "Serie V centenario del descubrimiento de America."  Seville:
Excma.  Diputacion Provincial de Sevilla.  1- .  1983- .  Now ten
titles covering Spanish colonial history from "Los mayas de las
tierras altas en el siglo XVI" (1985) to "Analisis de una sociedad
de frontera: Santa Cruz de la Sierra en log siglos XVI y XVII"
(1988).
 
                              Italy
     "Letterature e culture dell'America Latina."  Milan:
Cisalpino-Goliardica.  1- .  1982- .  Though not originally
established with the Quincentenary in mind, this series has been
largely given over to it in recent years.  An Italian edition of
Cabeza de Vaca's "Relacion y comentarios" (1984) and "Cortes Cartas
de relacion" (1988) stand alongside Giuseppe Caraci's "Problemi
Vespucciani" (1987) in recent numbers.
     "Oltramare."  Milan: Serra e Riva.  1- .  1984- .  Currently
numbering 3 titles, this series holds volumes on Vespucci, "Il
nondo nuovo de Amerigo Vespucci" (1984) along with studies of early
Italian voyages to the Levant.
 
                            Portugal
     "Descoberta do mundo."  Lisbon: Impr. Nacional-Casa de Moeda. 
1- .  1986- .  Portugal, of course, has a different agenda for
1992.  This series covers the Portuguese era of expansion, and most
of the titles concern Asian exploits.  Of specific Latin American
interest are: "O essencial sobre Cristovao Colombo e os
portugueses" (1987) and the extraordinary cartographic collection,
"Portugalia monumenta cartographica" (1987).
 
                            Argentina
     "Colleccion del 5o centenario."  Buenos Aires: Editorial Plus
Ultra.  1- .  1986- .  A series dedicated to publishing the
chronicles of discovery from the 16th and the 17th centuries. 
Three volumes, including an edition of "La relacion de Pedro
Sancho" with introduction and commentary by Luis Arocena (1986),
have appeared to date, and the series' prospectus calls for 25
additional titles.
     "Edicion de fuentes de derecho indiano en conmemoracion del V
centenario del descubrimiento de America."  Buenos Aires: Instituto
de Investigaciones de Historia y Derecho.  1- .  1983- . 
Principally dedicated to the publication of the laws of the River
Plate, "Libros registros-cedularios del Rio de la Plata, 1534-1717"
(1984- ).
"Serie V centenario del descubrimiento de America."  Buenos Aires:
Universidad del Museo Social Argentino.  Unnumbered.  1988- .  Thus
far only one volume published, "El virreinato rioplatense en las
visitas fiscales de Jose Marquez de la Plata", 3 vols. (1988).
                              Chile
     "Serie quinto centenario."  Temuco: Universidad de la
Frontera.  1- .  1987- .  Concentrating on the Chilean south, this
series holds 4 titles to date; the last published is "Pobladores de
Chile, 1565-1580" (1989).
 
                            Colombia
     "Coleccion V centenario."  Bogota: Consejo Episcopal
Latinoamericano.  1- .  1986- .  Collection holds historical
monographs on the church, and specifically its role in the so
called "spiritual conquest".  The series now holds some 35 titles
and includes "La obra misionera de la Iglesia en los llanos de
Casanare, 1550-1910" (1988), "La Arquidiocesis de Santa Fe de
Bogota en la conquista y la colonia" (1987), and "Arzobispos
limenses evangelizadores" (1987).
 
                           Costa Rica
     "Coleccion quinto centenario."  San Jose: Asociacion Libro
Libre.  Unnumbered.  1989?- .  Thus far I have located only one
title, "Nicaragua: viajes, rutas y encuentros (1502-1838)" in this
series.  Given the roving nature of the same series title in the
Dominican Republic, the two may well be related.
 
                       Dominican Republic
     "Coleccion quinto centenario."  Santo Domingo: various
publishers.  1- .  1989- .  The series is divided into subseries,
"Documentos" and "Estudos", and has concentrated on publishing
works of ecclesiastical content, e.g. "Papeles del Padre Fuertes,
1871-1926" (1989).
 
 
                             Ecuador
     "Coleccion 500 anos."  Quito: Abya-Yala.  1- .  1988- .  This
series is expressly dedicated to "revalidate the cultural values of
peoples who have been marginalized but continue to look for a space
for autonomy and self-expression."  Included are grammars "Lenguaje
y palabras Chamanicas" (1988), ethnographies "Grupos etnicos de
Colombia" (1988) and oral traditions, "Pab igala historias de la
tradicion Kuna" (1989).
 
                    United States of America
     "Columbian consequences."  Washington DC: Smithsonian
Institution Press.  1- .  1989- .  The first title of this recently
created series is "Archaeological and historical perspectives on
the Spanish borderlands west" (1989).
     "Columbus quincentenary series."  Gainesville: University
Presses of Florida.  Unnumbered.  1989- .  The first (and only)
title to date is "First encounters: Spanish explorations in the
Caribbean and the United States, 1492-1750" (1989).
 
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