Written by Antonio Sotomayor
The University Library has acquired two important and very rare items for Andean Studies, in the Quechua and Kichwa languages. The first item is a manuscript on Christian catechism written in Quechua in 1789, Catecismo de la doctrina cristiana del misterio de la encarnación del hijo de Dios, escrito en el idioma americano, para la buena educación de toda clase de personas, curas, pastores y en común a enseñar a sus feligreses (Lima, 21 de octubre de 1789). This doctrinal catechism, written in Quechua in Lima in 1789, stands as direct evidence of the ongoing tradition of translation into Indigenous languages initiated in Lima at the end of the 16th century, following the Third Provincial Council (1582–1583). That ecclesiastical assembly established the principle that Christian doctrine should be preached and taught in Indigenous vernaculars, marking the beginning of a significant catechetical production in Quechua, Aymara, and other Andean languages. With 27 complete pages, handwritten in clear script and preserved in excellent condition, the booklet (16 × 22 cm) aligns with other portable pastoral manuals of the 18th century. Its philological rarity is considerable: very few Quechua-language catechisms from the late colonial period have survived, which increases its significance for the history of evangelization, linguistic policy, and practical theology in the Andean world. Selected by Antonio Sotomayor, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Librarian and Associate Professor at the International and Area Studies Library, this item was acquired with the financial support of the Library Dean of Collections, Tom Teper, and will be housed in our Rare Books and Manuscripts Library.
The second item is entitled Ecuador Runacunapac rezana, by P. Julio Paris from 1894. Printed in Switzerland, this is a Christian evangelical book in Kichwa for the religious education of the indigenous Ecuadorian peoples. The small book is just 12 centimeters, but contains 496 pages, with engravings inside also translated into Kichwa. Selected by Antonio Sotomayor, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Librarian and Associate Professor at the International and Area Studies Library, this item was acquired with the financial support of the Head of the International and Area Studies Library, Steve Witt, and will be housed in our Rare Books and Manuscripts Library.
Both items represent our institutional commitment to the historical study of the Andean region and its indigenous cultures. It adds to our noteworthy holdings from the Viceroyalty of Peru and also in line with our Library’s resources on indigenous languages and peoples in Latin America and our comprehensive program on Quechua. For more information about these and other resources for the study of the Andes or Latin America in general, please contact Prof. Antonio Sotomayor at asotomay@illinois.edu.